ZF Tranny -
Margie909 - 10-15-2019
We have coach 1267 which has a Cat and ZF combo.
Thinking of trading coach but seems no one wants it due to ZF tranny.
Has anyone traded the ZF for an Allison??
Any idea of a shop that has done this and or cost?
Thanks
RE: ZF Tranny -
Fulltiming - 10-15-2019
#1267 is a 2009. During that time period Newell was predominately using the Cat C-15 with 625 bhp and 2050 ft-lb of torque. Allison would not warranty their transmissions with an engine that developed over 1950 ft-lb of torque (1900 ft-lb prior to 2009 as I recall). Newell installed a few C-15's downrated to 1900 ft-lb of torque that would meet Allison's requirement.
I am not aware of a ZF to Allison swap but someone could have done one. One of the issues still would be the engine torque exceeding what Allison would find acceptable. I suspect Newell would know if anyone had actually made a tranny switch with your engine.
RE: ZF Tranny -
MarkofSJC - 10-16-2019
Not sure if yours is a 10 or 12 gear set up, but other than being a bit more sensitive to low speed back-and-forth maneuvering to camp I think it's a superior transmission, especially if you climb (and descend) a lot of hills. True, it's not as "fast" as an Alison, but better mileage (direct drive, no converter)...though neither attribute is really a Newell goal!
Just my two cents...