Cats' are mostly good engines, but gosh durn it that yellow paint is expensive.

 

I understand the difference between the working diesel and the play diesel. My other post was driven mostly by the obserdity of the brand loyalist. I can see you;re not but Lots of people are. every brand has its own set of problems.


And Ford superduty class 6 and 7 trucks have offered Cats as an engine option for years, so dropping it down to the class 5 isn't that far feched.

 

Exactly, I've never once taken a truck in to the shop and told the mech. that "it's running great, take a look at it". For every one that the mechanic sees there are 100 that drive right past the shop.

Huh. funny since about a month ago while I was getting my A/C compressor replaced the 2 bays beside the one I was in, had 2 new ISX Cummins getting those super reliable VV turbo's replaced. Not to mention the problem Mack had with underhood temps getting hot enough to boil the washer fluid, silicon hoses (which can usually last almost the life of the truck are coming apart from the inside due to the heat, EGR is by far not without problems.

This guy's never owned a DripTroit. I'll try to get a picture, there is a fire engine factory not far from here and they install all 3 brands of engines, the Detroit is the only one that consistently leaks in the crate.

I've owned them all, (including Detroit sadly ) and currently own 1-N14, 1-3406E, 3-C15's, 1-C15(Bridge), and 1-C15 ACCERT. If the Cat was as expensive to maintain and operate and unreliable as some like to say, don't you think I would bought the Cummins? If the ACCERT turns out to be as bad as some like to say I'll look elsewhere, but it's been relatively problem free for the first 130,000 miles. Sure some people are brand loyal, on these "Cummins" forums there are people who would buy a Ford Pinto if you put a Cummins sticker on it. But when it comes to making money if I have a truck that can bring in around $5k a week each, I don't care what brand of engine it is as long as it does what it's designed to do. The best engines to me are the ones you never have to look at unless you’re doing routine maintaince. Would I buy a pickup with a Cat. Sure, I've never been disappointed with any of their products so far. I didn't buy my Dodge because it's a dodge, I bought it because I wanted a toy and they're easy to mod. A Cat C7 with CR fuel system in a King Ranch Ford F-450 with an Allison would be the "Golden ticket"; I probably couldn't get rid of this Dodge fast enough.

 

I agree. I never buy a truck that has been completely redesigned until it has been on the market for a few years and some bugs have been worked out. A Cat would be cool, especially to open the hood and see yellow! But, I'm sure the auto industry would make them paint them black and foo foo them up a little.

 

You can't MAKE CAT do anything they don't want to do...at least no one besides the EPA

Chris

 

I looked at a Cat in a service truck, but I thought the Cummins would be better - even though Cat makes good ones.

 

I have been in essentiallythe same machine. One had a 8.3? Cummins and the other was a CAT motor. The CAT motor had a bunch more power and lots of low end tq that never bogged down.

The machine was a new Bombi Snow Cat BR350. The CAT motor was awesome and could push a ton more snow up a hill w.o out slowing down.

Everything else was the same, same machine and same impments.

I know our truck are different then a snow cat but its just to inform you the CAT was better in that instance.

 

And what's the matter with having a Pinto with a Cummins sticker on it???

 

The $64K question is, would you drive a 6 oh! no! with a DTR sticker on it?

 

That is good, the yellow turns me on, and make it easier to see oil leaks!

 

absolutely nothing..... if your wearing a fire suit!

 

Ive driven similar sized loaders with cummins and cat motors.The 8.3 cummins could push through anything ,the cat was alright,but the cummins never seemed to run out of steam.As far as a truck with a cat motor,depending on the price it would be a good idea.I mean cat engines are reliable,theres no doubt about it.But I wouldnt buy anything new these days,not with the emmisions crap on there.I'll stick with a 12v anyday,something breaks-I fix it easily by myself.I'd much rather see a small series 60 in a truck than a cat

 

I guess, following that logic, one would not take heed when a ford dealership tech warns you away from the 6.0. After all, they only see the problems.

I gotta admit, it would seem to me that a mechanic that works on them every day could tell you which engines can be expected to run when you need to drive them. That being the case, I'd also think that an engine that won't run is somewhat detrimental to operation and performance costs? I dunno, I guess you also have to factor in the fuel the non-running engines don't use, so that would help offset not getting any work done.

No matter how I look at it, I can't get past thinking that running vs nonrunning vehicles plays a part in operation and performance costs. Surely a mechanic would know something about that?

 

I understand your logic however your forgetting that the Ford tech ONLY sees Ford diesels. So it's only natural that they would see only Ford problems. Contrary to what you may read on a "Cummins" forum, not all 6.0's are junk just like not all 5.9's are bulletproof, some people can break an anvil with a rubber mallet. I'd also venture to guess that there is WAY more money to be made making heavy equipment, industrial engines, gensets, and gas turbines than could ever be made by mass producing light duty truck engines. (and yes your pickup is light duty reguardless of what the tailgate says)

 

Yes, but ford techs with much time under their belt have seen the 7.3. It is not the 7.3 they're advising people to stay away from, only the 6.0.

As far as the cummins not being bulletproof, that's true. It's also totally irrelevant to what I was saying. My purpose was not another cummins/powerstroke comparison, it was to illustrate a case in which technicians, who know how badly and how often these things fail, say to avoid a certain one and not the other.

Ignore that at your own peril.