Rugged, reliable, bulletproof, easy to turn up and bad as hell? So what is the baddest big rig engine out there? While we are at it, what do you guys think is the best trans?

3408 cat for power. Easy to crank and unbelievable power.course it was twin turbo.could drive with traffic at 140k pounds over the passes. trans idk, they are mostly pretty good so it's a hard call. ran a 10 and a 4 behind the 3408 never had a prob pullin 9 axles of lowboy

3406E then an N-14. You can really make power with the cat if it is set and tuned correctly.

Don't know much about them, but Cummins made a KTA engine that were 1150 cu.in and could be made to make up to 2000 HP. It was a 6 cylinder, each cylinder had its own head. There were trucks that came with this engine. There was also an engine(Cummins V-12) that was two 855 cu. in cast together, I have never seen one, just read about them.

I worked on one of those cummins v12 engines in a genset last week. it was a 1976 model year. Kicking myself now for not getting a whole shot of it, but was documenting the water leaks at the time [duhhh] this particular big ol beast is natural gas powered, naturally aspirated, water cooled exhaust manifolds.


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Thriving on neglect goes to N-14. They just don't seem to die. I read somewhere that no bottom end in a class eight truck was as stout. Owner of Pittsburg Power, I believe.

Ive always wondered the same. Id like to get a tractor and play with it; maybe when I strike it rich.

All (well most) of our equipment at work runs Cummins V12s. The older stuff was, then they switched to CATs, but I guess theyve had issues and the newer stuff is back running Cummins. CATs wont start in the cold, but the Cummins' fires up EVERY time. This is oilfield pumping equipment

For hot rodding; on the small side a DT466. Big boys, Cummins KTA19(1150), Cat 3406B,C,E, C15, C18, 3408. Just look what they run in the big rig sled pulls.

I have to second the DT466. All of our company trucks are beat on day in and day out and never miss a lick. Not the most powerful engine but dead reliable.

I have to second the DT466. All of our company trucks are beat on day in and day out and never miss a lick. Not the most powerful engine but dead reliable.
They do much better when they have more fuel. One of these days I'll get around to putting a 466 in a pickup, but that's another thread & another day.

Biggest problem with fueling up a 466 is melting the liner o-rings.

Biggest problem with fueling up a 466 is melting the liner o-rings.

They must be able to fix that since that has to be one of the most used powerplants in the Diesel tractor pulls. I was in Tomah WI for the NTPA pulls this weekend and saw a whole bunch of them making 1500+ HP! I wish I would have brought the camera, One of them had a 12 cyl. P-pump on it and was using what I think were injectors that would fire twice per comp stroke! It was making somewhere near 180psi and had a whole lot of H2O injection! I want one so bad I can taste it!
DS79

I hear ya, they can, and do make retarded power. I was referring more so to daily work trucks.

Ive always wondered the same. Id like to get a tractor and play with it; maybe when I strike it rich.

All (well most) of our equipment at work runs Cummins V12s. The older stuff was, then they switched to CATs, but I guess theyve had issues and the newer stuff is back running Cummins. CATs wont start in the cold, but the Cummins' fires up EVERY time. This is oilfield pumping equipment

Are you talking about frac pumps???

Don't know much about them, but Cummins made a KTA engine that were 1150 cu.in and could be made to make up to 2000 HP. It was a 6 cylinder, each cylinder had its own head. There were trucks that came with this engine. There was also an engine(Cummins V-12) that was two 855 cu. in cast together, I have never seen one, just read about them.

The v-12 your talking about is called a 1710.....its two 855s put together, and there is an injection pump on both sides of the engine they only use them in gensets now, and the 1150 is an KTA19 i work on them all the time in crew boats....

For hot rodding; on the small side a DT466. Big boys, Cummins KTA19(1150), Cat 3406B,C,E, C15, C18, 3408. Just look what they run in the big rig sled pulls.

None of them will touch a v-8 mack

for everyday use it would be the n-14 or 3406 c-15/c-16 cat

I would have to side with the 3406b cat. We had one with in a 98 pete with a silage trailer that would walk over anything else around with no real mods done to it.

I would also say imho that you cant top a old detroit im talking like a 8v53 or something along those lines. These beast sound awsome know a couple guys still runn the orignals in some bobtail grain trucks

None of them will touch a v-8 mack

for everyday use it would be the n-14 or 3406 c-15/c-16 cat

You got me there, I forgot the poor ol Mack V8 (E9). I saw a couple on youtube that are jaw dropping.:o
As far as NONE touching the Mack, well...that's a pretty bold statement, and I'm sure it can be done.

The big rig truck pull circuit in pulling country is dominated by the v-8 mack, J.R. Collins, Fred Sanders, and Dick Bonner

anyone have any opinions about the old 2-stroke detroits??? I know some of them can make some decent power. 12v-71 tt or 12v-91 tt????

anyone have any opinions about the old 2-stroke detroits??? I know some of them can make some decent power. 12v-71 tt or 12v-91 tt????
I think the requirement of "bulletproof" rules them out. Lose a blower seal and you'd better run. haha Think they're loud turning diesel into noise, what about engine oil?

I know them old detroits are by far not bullet proof but you just cant beat the way they sound. The old "screaming detroit" is unmistakeable.

yeah true, I once heard somone say: if youre detroit is not leaking, pull over and see whats wrong.

no they may not be all that reliable, but you cant beat that unique sound.

im looking for a old truck with a detroit in it right now. im looking for something with either a 6v92 or a 8v92.

DT466 on the small end, 3406B to play with in the big rigs, 8V92 for the sound, and the KTTA 1150 Cummins for all-out badass-ery. 1,150 cubic inches, twin turbo, intercooled, 750 hp stock! There's only a handfull of trucks with this motor shoehorned in, but it is doable.

On another note, an old 855ci(NT) Cummins sounds pretty wild at 2,800 rpm in a semi, especially under load. It was in an 86 Freightliner, with a 9 speed, at my old driving job. All the boss would ever tell me is he turned it up when it got an inframe at 1.2 million miles.