cascadia evolution /automatic DD15

I don't have any experience with the cascadia. However my 2001 freightliner century assigned to me and my spouse at 210 miles with FFE with the Series 60 500 hp detroit and a automatic, I think rockwell from the paddles under the steering wheel.

With that said, we put 7500 hours plus, with emphasis on PLUS 24/7 running idle all the time, laws be ###### and we ran like hell against the governor racing the clock to save accounts. We burned 75K in desiel that year over 306 days. We fueled every 26 to 30 hours at 280 gallons average, disregarding the fuel price. Usually Petro, Pilot or TA. Petro my personal favorite fuel due to it's higher cetane content.

The automatic transmission was both a joy and a sorrow. We were towed twice when the #### thing bricked on us. The problem is that we are a team, 24/7 round the clock, idle, run, go go go, manuver, idle some more, run hard. The transmission is supposed to be shut off daily for a minimum of 20 minutes. Sorry, we don't have 20 minutes, seriously. So it shut down on us, infected the ECM, get a tow reset everything in the shop. Reprogram the historical shift points in which it did very well. Hand truck back to wife and I.

If anything, we drove other trucks that year and they all did a good superb job with McKesson hauling million dollar narcotic loads out of Memphis. Then Detriot and mosey up into Ontario across to Buffalo. Then back to Detriot to mosey back into Ontario. Again. Orbit that great lake.

At I70 in Eisenhower tunnel at 12,650 feet above mean sea level, we discovered earthquake fault retrofits inside that tunnel in the center indicating it is a strike-slip fault. The huge 900 foot hexagonal joints installed in both walls in both tubes were a world wonder of engineering. Espcially when you consider there is another 3000 foot of mountain above that.

We did however shut the truck down a full day in Phoneix, Mesa to be exact for a mission into and out of Nogales. It is a combat mission in every way. Paint a huge target on our rig. Hide the wife in the bunk from prying eyes. Check everyone. Everything, all hands and belts for weapons. Observe the occasional dead body being processed by crime dtectives. They are usually pretty decent and do not abuse the body.; Poor things. Make no mistake, we are at war down there. ANyone in the area with half a brain already tried to tget out. If you are still in the area, you might want to buy and keep a ATV. It will get you through containment zones or private zones. The Women in Nogales were good to us. Bringing tea when things got hot and kept the ruffians off the rig. For a price of course.

 

Now we all know why FFE means "Funny Farm Express"

 

Think that price is right for year and miles. As far as newer engines go, the Detroit is the only one I would go with. Daimler has spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing this platform and has a distinct advantage over other engine makers . No other diesel engine maker has that kind of backing. If driven at speed it was spec'ed for, you should see 7-8 mpg. I've gotten at least that with 3 different cascadias, ('12,'15 and now '17 models).

You did not give specifics on set up, but that engine likes to run between 1200-1300 rpms. I presently drive a '17 with dt12 and 2.85 gears at 65 and get 8.5-9.0 mpg all day long at 75-80 k gross.

 

That truck was a team truck with those kind of miles.

 

All highway miles baby! Just more reason to get into that truck. Looking for more reasons to get behind a dd15, the Germans know a thing or two about engineering. Make know mistake, that's who bought us the dd15 platform.