Hi guys,

I'm in talks with a fellow who has an '89 Barth on an Oshkosh chassis with a 5.9 and an allison. First off, would this engine/tranny combination have been stock? As far as I know (I haven't been out to see the unit yet) this one would be a puller, but the guy tells me it runs like a top and is ready to go.

Secondly, I'm unfamiliar with the Oshkosh chassis, so could someone let me know if it makes for a nice riding motorhome, and what modifications might be necessary to maximize its potential? Any gremlins in this chassis?

I'm doing this one for my father, and if the sale goes through I'll introduce him to this board. He's the definition of a shade-tree mechanic, albeit one who's moved into a spacious heated shop now...

Is he going to tow?

Mountains?

It's unlikely he'll be out in the Rockies any time soon, although I'm sure he'd encounter some hills here and there. Is this combo a real dog? The unit is under 30' in length, but I don't know the GVWR yet.

Sniboy (whom I haven't seen post lately) has a 28' Breakway with the 5.9L 190HP, and he towed a Subaru Outback with it, all over the country.

I have a SOB with Oshkosh chasis, 190hp Cummins and Allison 4-speed. I don't type so fast but you are welcome to call me and I'll tell you everything i can. 502-349-6488. In short, tough engine but a little of a pooch, allison 4 speed could be the smalll one and it can get hot pulling or in hills - check the data plate to see if is the AT542, Oshkosh chasis - mechanically OK I think but really dances on a windy day and gets pushed by the passing semi's. Call me if you want to hear more details. Anyone else have different thoughts?

Thanks very much for your input, Tom. I believe it does have an at542, and I was curious how much of a kite it would be on a windy day. I guess I'll have to hope for a windy day and a passing convoy when we head down there for the test drive just to make sure!

I'm certain my father would rig up as much cooling as humanly possible; he's used to pulling dump trailers and equipment floats behind 1 ton pickups, so he's familiar with the need for a good tranny cooler or two

One thing you might want to consider if you are concerned about power. Gather the engine s/n and transmission type and call Banks Engineering to see if they have a Stinger or Powerpack arrangement for your combination. It could add a respectable amount of hp and torque. They claim 45 - 57% increase on current 5.9 engines. However, the trannie torque limit may limit how much increase can be applied.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Relative:
One thing you might want to consider if you are concerned about power. Gather the engine s/n and transmission type and call Banks Engineering to see if they have a Stinger or Powerpack arrangement for your combination. It could add a respectable amount of hp and torque. They claim 45 - 57% increase on current 5.9 engines. However, the trannie torque limit may limit how much increase can be applied.

Mike

Take much of what you hear from a Banks telephone talker with a grain of salt. Get you transmission power info directly from Allison or a very experienced diesel tranny guy.

I could write a book on the "interesting" information I have gotten from Banks people at RV shows and over the phone.

There are people at Banks who know their stuff. There are also people who do not.

Thanks for all the responses. We used to have an old Ford work truck 7.3 diesel with a Banks turbo kit. If I remember correctly, they even replaced the driveshaft, which required chevy u-joints. Since it was purchased used, it made for an extremely confusing parts hunt the first time they needed to be replaced. In all event, it was a tough bugger of an engine, and we were impressed with the power that Banks generated.

Would I be correct in assuming that road handling characteristics of an Oshkosh could be tamed with aftermarket parts?

As an aside, the fellow we're talking to does not have email, so I have to wait for pictures the old fashioned way. I guess it'll be a few days until we're even sure what this thing looks like, and if it's worth the 5 hour drive.

As far as chassis issues with older coaches, neither the Ford, Chevy, Oshkosh or John Deere is a prize.

Please correct me if I am wrong but I think you you will find the Ford, Oshkosh, John Deere and the Internation Harvester (yes t here were a few) to be pretty much the same as the Ford F-53 chassis. I believe all of these coaches were the basement type so you have more storage but they are 5-8 inches taller, thus the wind problem.

Parts and service for all of these chassis is now provided by Freightliner which bought the chassis biz from Ford some years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bowers:
Parts and service for all of these chassis is now provided by Freightliner which bought the chassis biz from Ford some years ago.

I thought it was...

1) John Deere.
2) Oshkosh/John Deere.
3) Oshkosh.
4) Freightliner.

I don't think Ford was the initiators of the John Deere Chassis Division. OTOH, I could be wrong.

Leland James established Freightways Manufacturing Company in Salt Lake City in 1940.

Name changed to Freightliner Corporation in 1942.

Opened Portland, Oregon operation in 1947.

Daimler-Benz AG purchased Freightliner from Consolidated Freightways (when did that happen?) in 1981.

Purchased Oshkosh and became Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation in 1995. Same year they purchased American LaFrance for their firefighting/emergency vehicle manufacturing.

In 1997 it purchased the heavy truck division of Ford and launched the Sterling Brand.

In 1998 purchased school bus manufacturer Thomas Built Buses.

In 1999 purchased Western Star Trucks and launched the North American Unimog in 2003.

Fieightliner LLC is the current name and they are owned by DaimlerChrysler.

Info gleaned from the history published by Freightliner.

No mention of John Deere at all. Then searched through the John Deere history site and found no mention of motorhome chassis. Maybe I missed something somewhere. Could it be that JD contracted some of its facilities to build chassis for Oshkosh or something of that nature?

Told you I had some lazy time hanging around.

Mike

Does Oshkosh still make bib overalls?

Oshkosh B'Gosh does. 50% off sale going on right now in their stores.