Ok, all this talk about badass Beaver bushplanes has me wondering; is there a certified engine out there that has a better purchase price to horsepower ratio than the P&W R985? With an outright price still as low as $40,000 and 450HP that's about 90 bucks a horse, pretty good for an 83 year old design methinks. Can anything out there beat that? Remember we're talking purchase price here, not operating costs...

Here's a cool timelapse of a 985 rebuild: http://www.kenmoreairharbor.com/engine-shop.html

What's an MP14P (360 horse)or the 1820 knockoff on an AN-2 (1,000hp)go for? Certified in their own country, but maybe not here. You're right, dollars-per-horsepower it's tough to beat a Pratt 985. A little more engine than most of us can utilize though.

A straight shaft R-1340... With a typical rebuild within +/- $3,000. of a R-985, but weighing in at 600 hp...

On the other hand, barring the load hauling difference, I think I'd rather work behind a 985 any day...

Gota figur in TBO to.

Actually, the tbo isn't too bad on the 985, but remember, these things haven't been manufactured for MANY decades. Yes, decades. So, you can't buy a new R 985 anywhere.

They are a good engine, and, treated right, they are very reliable. Even ham fisted pilots have a little trouble breaking them, though it's been done.

I always loved those motors.

The M-14P Vendenyev is not a 985 replacement, in many ways. Not a bad engine, but it's not quite a 985.

MTV

Used PT6-20s 550hp for $55K. Past TBO but plenty of operating time left on them. I would only run them at 450hp down here in the heat but up in AK you could make the 550 and never see the temps above the green. I like the 985 and loved flying the R-2800s with ADI. I dont know what the company I was flying for paid for the 2800s but maint had to change them often. The power to weight of the big engines and low BSFC stops me.