tinkicker0
Well-Known Member
Getting a bit close to the bone boys.
Any experience of the FPT 4 Cylinder engines?
- Thread starter Sandy Bottom
- Start date
Sandy Bottom
Well-Known Member
Sorry for not posting back earlier chaps but I've been at sea!
By LS;
"Looking at weight made me re-visit Perkins Sabre 92B 4.4 liter 85 hp, with bobtail weight of 398 kg, wonder why OP did not explore this option??"
and
"As to the OP 'another' FPT dealer has suggested that they will match Mermaid quote for JCB 444"
1. The Perkins 92B was my first choice and it was explored. The dealer chooses not publish prices but says "Call us" - I did, three times, three promises to call me back, nobody did. M92B out of the running.
2. Have I missed the offer of an FPT dealer suggesting that they will match the JCB price????
3. Weight is not really an issue for me (certainly 100kg extra will make no difference with our 33 ton displacement).
4. I do not see the introduction of the JCB as 'blatant advertising' at all, I asked for thoughts and I'm getting them, please keep them coming! I thought that Perkins or FPT dealers might reply to this thread - so if it's ok for them to do so then surely it should be ok for Mermaid/JCB to do the same?
Simplicity and Reliability, as per the OP are the prime considerations, I could get 85hp out of half the cubic capacity or weight, but that's not what I'm after, I want a pair of 'lazy thumpers' - if they did an 85hp SABB with a CPP I'd be seriously looking at it!
Kind regards,
Db
By LS;
"Looking at weight made me re-visit Perkins Sabre 92B 4.4 liter 85 hp, with bobtail weight of 398 kg, wonder why OP did not explore this option??"
and
"As to the OP 'another' FPT dealer has suggested that they will match Mermaid quote for JCB 444"
1. The Perkins 92B was my first choice and it was explored. The dealer chooses not publish prices but says "Call us" - I did, three times, three promises to call me back, nobody did. M92B out of the running.
2. Have I missed the offer of an FPT dealer suggesting that they will match the JCB price????
3. Weight is not really an issue for me (certainly 100kg extra will make no difference with our 33 ton displacement).
4. I do not see the introduction of the JCB as 'blatant advertising' at all, I asked for thoughts and I'm getting them, please keep them coming! I thought that Perkins or FPT dealers might reply to this thread - so if it's ok for them to do so then surely it should be ok for Mermaid/JCB to do the same?
Simplicity and Reliability, as per the OP are the prime considerations, I could get 85hp out of half the cubic capacity or weight, but that's not what I'm after, I want a pair of 'lazy thumpers' - if they did an 85hp SABB with a CPP I'd be seriously looking at it!
Kind regards,
Db
Latestarter1
Well-Known Member
Drumbeat my advice come with no strings, take it or leave it.
In your original post you were asking for opinions on the FPT N45. I have no affiliation with FPT and on many occasions have stood toe to toe with them and know the product extremely well, however you have to speak as you find and your original thought process regarding the FPT N45 was bang on track.
In the past I sat through presentations by Ricardo (who designed the JCB engine) on the key design features and I know some of the engineers involved in the product and they are top draw people. The base 444 engine has developed a good reputation, however is VERY application specific, and a marine engine was never part of the product profile. Cyril Snare in old Mermaid days hit on the plan to marinise the JCB engine, results have been extremely poor.
Your original thoughts were derailed somewhat by the intervention of Mermaid steering you toward the JCB product instead of the FPT NEF and I have no problem with that, however it was the veiled comment regarding 'technical issues' which caused alarm bells to ring, and prompted me to ask key people at FPT as well as their other dealers what goes on. The response to my inquires regarding FPT N45 technical issues ranged from complete surprise to less generous comments such as 'those clowns in Poole can screw anything up, expect any problems were of their own making' and 'they will pull any stunt to move their own marinisation as they are under huge pressure from JCB to move metal'. It was one FPT dealer I contacted that said send me a Mermaid JCB quote and will beat it. I did suggest you PM me in order that I could offer you unbiased advice which would have included contacts for obtaining competitive quotes, you elected not to take up my offer.
As for your liking of 'thumpers' now I know I am not your man, life has moved on from that old junk, the JCB444 and FPT N45 are both reasonably refined with rear gear drive and have very similar critical bearing area, in your application both have the POTENTIAL to have a B50 life of 20,000 hours, the quality of the marinisation would more likely allow the FPT to get there. There are Yanmar alternatives which would offer you the same level of durability and reliability as well as superior sociability, however you were quite specific about what you required.
I still stand behind my objection to companies selling products on public forums.
Last edited:
Mermaid-Jon
Member
Once again clearly mis-informed on the performance / reliability of the JCB in marine applications and some comments probably bordering on slanderous.
I apologise to any other forum users, but I will defend our corner when such untruths are floated.
I will take up no more thread space on this one and will say no more on the subject.