CAT Diesel Power!!

SaddleTramp

Well-Known Member
89 425hp
serveimage (29).jpg
86 425hp
serveimage (27).jpg Support CAT Diesel Power!!
The greatest engine ever made and that will ever be made!
Get the Power, Longevity and the feel of Pride with every stroke!
serveimage (26).jpg
 
Last edited:
The one a lot of people look for is a 3406E (I think) with a serial number beginning 6NZ.

I got a b model and love it.
 
The 2001 Binder that I drive has a 425hp CAT. I was actually pretty surprised because you don't see that kind of HP on a city P&D day cab.
Most of the trucks I have driven have had CAT engines. They were/are rock solid!
Parts were expensive but the CAT warrenty was extensive .
IMO the best engine ever made.
I can get along with other engines now that CAT is no longer building road engines. Except for the C-word and Mercedes
 
The 2001 Binder that I drive has a 425hp CAT. I was actually pretty surprised because you don't see that kind of HP on a city P&D day cab.
Most of the trucks I have driven have had CAT engines. They were/are rock solid!
Parts were expensive but the CAT warrenty was extensive .
IMO the best engine ever made.
I can get along with other engines now that CAT is no longer building road engines. Except for the C-word and Mercedes
The 425hp was my first. I have recently looked at some flat tops with 425s. The engines were great! They did not want to just sell the engine only otherwise I would have.
 
I would rather have this

dd5_01transparent.png
I like the low end torque we get from these. And they hit 425hp at about 1150 rpm.

I get nostalgia, but technology is getting 8.2 mpg right now pulling groceries around the Appalachian Hills. Just came up Monteagle 79000 and 9th gear at 45mph @1350 rpms. I can not wait to for the next trucks with taller rears. We may be doing that @1250 this time next year.
 
Every engine has a niche market. I've always found CATs were best for heavy haul loads. Cummins never let me down except for the danged EGR of the 03 and newer engines. Just depends on what you're wanting it for. Personally, I've switched to glider kits with pre-98 Detroit Series 60 engines. Decent fuel mileage, low maintenance costs and they aren't that heavy an engine. Only problem I'm running into is that companies aren't wanting to lease on gliders so much because they can't promise that their e-Logs will work on them. But a 6NZ CAT or an ISX Cummins can solve that problem since they're usually 2000 or newer blocks.
 
A 1998 series 60 will have the same ECM hook up as a 2003 series 60.

Last January I was looking at a 1998 Pete 379 with a Detroit in it. I used the same computer to hook into it as I do on my 2003 classic.
 
I see. The issue that I haven't resolved yet with it is what year the engine actually is. They can be as old as 1992 models. They've got either DDEC II, III or IV ECMs on them depending on the year. That's what I have to find out and I can't do that until I get the truck back from the shop. Theoretically, a DDEC IV should be able to accommodate an E-Log. A DDEC III or II won't. But another company I'm looking at said it simply had to have an electronic ignition and a hot center pin on the ECM port. I think there are a lot of folks who aren't sure what the hell they're talking about. You'd be surprised the number of recruiters that haven't ever heard of a glider kit.
 
I can say for a fact a Series 60 with DDEC IV will support E Logs.
 
I might know a company or two willing to consider a glider
Be careful with getting a glider because the government is using the EPA to come down on them and squeeze them out of business. They do not pay federal excise tax, they are not selling them as new trucks only the chassis is new. Follow the money not the quality of our air.
 
Since this isn't in the classic long-hood section of the forum, I will weigh in.

I have driven CAT 3406E, Detroit S60 and Cummins ISX. I can't speak about other engines, but this is my take:

The CAT can pull and does well if you don't mind spending money on fuel. It was not designed for fuel economy and anybody who claims they get more than 6.5 with one under normal working conditions will get a long, hard side-eye from me. They are expensive to maintain, but if properly maintained, will give you lots of good service. The problem comes in when guys try to soop them up beyond their internal capabilities. Sure, you can get 800 hp out of them ...for about 500K miles, then you're looking at an (expensive) in-frame. CAT got out of the highway business for a reason. They could not deliver the demands from the government.

Detroit S60 was a great, reliable, well-designed engine. Then, they started adding emissions stuff to it and ruined it. It was easy to get 7.5 mpg out of a pre-EGR S60 and climb hills well under heavy loads. It almost seemed like the heavier the load, the better it would climb. It was doggy at the low end, but did well on the highway. Maintenance and repair was less expensive than CAT. Overall, a decent engine for what it was. It was specifically designed for large fleet operations, although, as @mndriver will tell you, it's a good choice for small operations, too. But it was not designed for emissions control systems. Period.

Cummins ISX was designed to accept emissions control systems while delivering adequate power and exceptional fuel economy. I was getting low 8s with the last one I had and able to repectably pull hills at the same time. I wasn't impressed with the engine brake, but knowing that, I just didn't fly down hills. It will last a great long time as long as it is properly maintained. If you fail to fix a problem until it stops you on the side of the road, it will cost you a lot of money. But if you fix it when you notice it, repairs and maintenance are reasonable. With this engine, maintenance cannot be stressed enough. However, in the long run, it will cost less in overall maintenance outlay, both in time and in money spent, than either CAT or Detroit. An inframe on this is more than a Detroit, but you can get a longer average service life out of it. (Unless you're MND, who can pull over a million miles out of a S60...that's why I said average.)

Of the three, if I was to choose, it would be the Cummins ISX 435. It has the best balance of power, fuel economy and maintenance cost.

This is an opinion. Take it for what it's worth: Pampers-filler.
 
Detroit Diesel made a name for themselves with the old 2 stroke engines. They made most of their power higher in the RPM range. If you've ever rode a dirt bike or cut wood with a chainsaw, you know this.
When Detroit developed the Series 60, their first viable 4 stroke, their engineers just plain still had their heads in the mindset of High RPM = power.
Caterpillar made heavy equipment first. Then truck engines. They therefore were if the opinion that all the meat should be on the bottom.
Cummins has pretty much always been the happy medium. Best of both worlds, if you wanna go that far.
They are all man made, and none are perfect. Good ones and bad ones in every pile.
When my company started buying gliders with Detroits I talked to some of our drivers that complained the new tractor didn't pull like their old Cat... As I went blazing past them up a long grade! Don't wait til you're down to 50mph to downshift! I will let it fall off to about 63ish, clutch neutral, rev it to about 1850-1900 and it will fall right into gear, smooth as silk and hold onto most of my gouge all the way up. I ride up the West bound side of Monteagle at 58-60 mph at 78,000
 
BUT... If I have to lift? Game over. Grab another gear, 4 ways on, right lane, "You got it, Swift, c'mon back over. Ya missed me"
 
This week I have been displaced from a 425 Cat to a whatever Cummins.
With the Cat you can pull out of one gear and make a sandwich and then shift to the next gear.

With the Cummins, I was looking for the jake brake switch figuring it was left on given how fast the RPM dropped. There was no jake:biglaugh:

Both are fine engines one you learn how to feather each when floating gears. STILL. I will take a Cat over Cummins anyday!
Detroit is my second place (60 series) Paccar ranks about the same as a Detroit as far as my preference goes.
 
I've driven plenty of Cats, Cummins and Driptroits, but only 1 Mack. It was an old Thermodyne with a twin stick.
I've never had the opportunity to run a Paccar or Mercedes, so I can't have an opinion on them. I've only heard mixed reviews on Paccar engines.
 
Only Detroit's I've seen drip are the old two strokers.

And they were designed to do that.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Top