John Deere Marine Diesel

[Steve Falor]

I am looking at a 42' with a John Deere diesel. Anyone know anything about these/ It is a 2007.

[shorebird]

I thought John Deere ran Yanmars. at least here in Canada they do. If its a Yanmar, an excellent engine, widely used, and a good reputation for reliability.

[goboatingnow]

The basic John Deere engine is a very good block. Lugger uses them

Dave

[djmarchand]

John Deere has been selling marinized diesels for 5+ years. Before that Lugger marinized and sold JDs and still do. Some think that Lugger's marinization is superior to JD's.

Good engine, heavy iron, expensive.

David

[Wolfhound]

So, comparing what's now available, new and used, in 200 to 600 hp marine diesels, who has the most reliable & bulletproof engine, given decent maintenance?

Generally, simple is better than complex, slower revving is better than high-revving, and naturally-aspirated beats turbocharged. More beef (quality iron) beats less.

Weight and (within reason) size, are secondary considerations. Tolerable fuel economy and torque are desireable, as is ready availability of parts at reasonable prices. A friend swears by his 8-71s... Another likes Lehman Ford's, and several like Ammarine (old marinized John Deere's). Cat's and MAN's get mixed reviews.

To provide some context, these are twin diesels to repower a Grand Banks 46.

Your thoughts, experience & reasoning will be appreciated.

Wolfhound

[stevensc]

My boats have been singles, with a Volvo 210 HP in one and a Cummins 220 hp in the other, never had problems with either. The Volvo spares are reported to be more expensive than Cummins. I feel there are many more Cummins dealers in the US. I am sure the JD is a good engine also with most spares readily available
Good Luck
Steve W

[djmarchand]

Even though JD makes tough engines, they are pricey. To repower a 46' GB, I would go with factory remanned Cummins. The 220 HP model is very tough, but if you want to go fast, try the 370 HP.

David

[DeepFrz]

So, comparing what's now available, new and used, in 200 to 600 hp marine diesels, who has the most reliable & bulletproof engine, given decent maintenance?

In order to meet your criteria of low revs. I would suggest the Lugger engine.

[Blue Stocking]

A few years ago, the Nordhaven fleet passed thru Bermuda on one of their cruises.
Many were fitted with Luggers, reason being, no sophisticated electronics to run the engine. Not as efficient on fuel, but simpler to service with less remote down-time possible.
John Deeres could be had just as simple, I understand.
Didn't they take over Palmer?--which used International Harvester.

[bobconnie]

Been a lot of John Deere engines swapped into fishing boats down here in the Bayou Country ! They seem to rack up the hours with very little work being needed ! The fisher men I know that have swapped them into there boats all talk about the good fuel mileage, and the lack of needed repairs ! And most of these folks run pretty close to the vest money wise ! So when they say good fuel mileage it means somthing !! Just what Ive seen and heard !

[DeepFrz]

Yep, and even Nordhavn are using more JD now and fewer Luggers. Although they mostly use a small Lugger as the wing engine, somewhere around 70 hp.

[Morrissey]

The Luggers are significantly more expensive than the JD's using the same JD block. Sure, the Luggers have great marinisation, but there is nothing wrong with JD's own setup.

JD has a very large industrial base - they make some of the best farm tractors around. Farmers need fuel efficiency too. I'm not surprised that Nordhavn's and pro-fisherman are switching to JD.

JD's will use a lot less fuel than the similar sized Cummins (6BT) when operating at around half throttle, the likely cruise rpm. Its about 1 gph less.

I'm currently re-powering, and installing JD 2 x 6068 TFM's. For people in some places eg USA, you are about to be hit with much more expensive engines to meet Tier 3 emission standards.

[DeepFrz]

It is my understanding that Lugger does more than marinization but I can't say what all. They do produce a very reliable, low rpm engine that many trawlers use in the Pac North West fishing industry.

[Boracay]

I fitted a John Deere 4045D/ZF63 to Boracay about 5 years ago (my how time flies).

Have only 300 odd hours but a few thoughts...
* The 4045D was similar in price to equivalent engines.
* Every time I try to mangle the gearbox I bless the massively oversized ZF63.
* John Deere can sort out problems fast if you reach the right people.
* Parts are available from John Deare dealers and are well priced, save for anodes. Aftermarket filters aren't worth the risk for the very slightly lower cost.
* Had a spare key cut in the local mall.
* Very simple straight forward engine, but heavy.
* Good fuel consumption.
* Needed to tighten all hose clamps and still found one dripping after 5 years.
* Handles air in the fuel well, possibly too well. Don't ask!
* I used a Racor as the primary filter, with a Walbro FR22 after.

[JayCall]

We have twin JD 6068TFMs, 154 hp ea. @2400 RPM in a 58' full displacement boat. Up to 2,350 hours now,absolutely no problems whatsoever. Easy to service, sold engines. we normally run at about 1800 RPM at cruise, they run all day. Fuel usage is nore than reasonable. The longest they have been run straight was about 6 days, cranked them up when we left and turned them off when we got where we were going, they just purred for 6 days. With no problems yet, we have not really had to deal with JD, but I have asked a lot of questions and asked for advice on spares packages, etc. from our local dealer and they have been great. I would highly recomend them.