May
2008
"STORIES"

Hello Kevin Rutherford, being how you did not stop by my booth at the Louisville Truck Show so we could talk about horsepower, I figured I would write this article to you. I'm sorry I could not get to your office while I was in Colorado to do the show with you, however I'll be back.

As you probably know we have been building high performance diesel engines for 31 years and still see fuel mileage improvements every time we do something to the engine to allow the truck to run freer and get up over the hill quicker. You talk on your XM 171 Radio Show about cutting back the power and maybe it works on company trucks, however I would have to disagree on cutting back an owner-operator. My feelings are that an owner-operator has his brain, wallet and right foot all connected and he knows that speed takes power and fuel. In my travels I find very few owner-operator semis passing me and I'm towing my trailers at 65 mph.

Speaking of towing trailers, in 1971 I purchased an open car trailer and towed it behind a 1968 Chevy Caprice, 396 cu. in., turbo 400 automatic with 3:70 rear gears.  This vehicle hauled my 1966 Corvette to the races and being from Western PA,  we had serious hills to pull.  My fellow racers tried to tow with small block Chevy Engines but regardless of what they did to these engines and gears, they just couldn't keep up with the Big Blocks pulling the hills. So that was my first lesson on pulling trailers up a mountain.

In 1977, when I got into the high performance diesel engine business, there were a lot of Small Cam Cummins NH 250, NT 270 and 335's and the NTC 350.  It was amazing how we would tune up the engines and add an additional 100 horsepower and several days later the owner-operator would call us back to tell me that now he cruises over the hills and has gained 1 mile per gallon. "Interesting,” I thought, "more horsepower, less time spent pulling the mountains, more miles per gallon and less time to get to your destination." Then the Big Cam Cummins Engines were here and again we figured out how to increase the horsepower and torque and again the fuel mileage and engine longevity improved.  Interesting, give an owner-operator more power, his fuel mileage improves and his engine stays together longer than stock engines.  Just goes to prove that the better the truck runs, the better care he will give his truck.  It's the King and Queen theory, you treat me good, and I'll treat you good!  Horsepower is a man's best friend.  Remember when a farmer used to walk behind the horse pulling 1 plow, now he pulls 12 plows and sits in an air-conditioned cab listening to his diesel engine purr.  It's all about the power and how you use it.

   By the way, your friends and mine, Al and Kym Hemmerson used to get 5.0 to 5.2 out of their DD5-EGR Detroit, 515-hp. 14-liter engine.  With the changes we have made they now get 6.5 to 7.2 and have had as high as 8.2 with a load grossing 60,000 pounds.  Now they have the power to pulls the hills, however he is driving at 62 mph on the level terrain.

   Bob Eubanks has 7 trucks and uses many of our performance parts and his personal truck is a Kenworth and is powered by an NXS Acert CAT.  When the truck was stock his average was 5.3 mpg, now it's 6.5 to 7.2 after the engine modifications.  He has a driver on a Bridge CAT that gets fuel mileage and when we un-bridged he went from 5.3 to 6.2 and the exhaust temperature dropped by 200 degrees.  Now the driver loves the truck.

   I could write a book about the past 31 years of my life building high performance diesel engines and how the owner-operators have loved owning and driving them.

   Take care Kevin and I'll give you a call and please keep up the great job on the radio helping our friends.

Louisville Truck Show; we had a great show this year and a record crowd in our booth.  If you were there then you got to see Brad and his FASS Fuel Systems 2006 Dodge Cummins pickup.  This is a race truck built for the Pony Express and the Silver States Classic type of open road racing.  Brad and I will be racing in Texas from Fort Stockton south on Rt.285 for 56 miles to Sanderson at 140 miles per hour.  Then we turn around and travel north at 140 mph back to Fort Stockton.  This 5.9 Cummins produces 1300 hp. and is geared for 200 mph.  The race is April 25th and 26th.

We have a new addition to our staff, Jerry Ray Hairhoger, owner-operator of an A-model extended hood KW powered by a KTTA-HVT Cummins Engine.  This 1150 cu. in. twin turbo hydraulic timed engine produces 1200 horsepower and still gets 5.5 mpg.  He also owns a W900-L DD-3 Detroit 500 that has one of our performance ECM's and turbo.  The A-Model KW has been sold to our Pittsburgh Power Distributor in New Zealand and it will be used as a toy truck.  The W900-L is parked at this time.  Jerry Ray is our special projects technician and is working with ECM's and turbochargers.  You'll enjoy speaking with this fellow owner-operator who was born into the trucking industry.  His father Jerry, Sr. is well known for his KTA Cummins 1973 KW that is a constant winner at the local truck pulls.  Jerry Sr. has been a client here for the past 31 years.

   The newest product in our line of fuel saving items is the Pony Pack Generator. We chose the Pony Pack because it’s simple, it’s lightweight and it uses the coolant from the truck engine to cool the 2 cylinder Kubota Diesel Engine.  I have known Rex Greer, the owner and manufacturer of the Pony Pack, since 1990.  Rex was an owner-operator and had a 359 Pete powered by a 3408 CAT.  The Pony Pack uses the factory heating and air conditioning ducts so there is no additional items under the bunk, on top of the bunk, or on the headache rack.  This is the simplest unit on the market.

Cody Fend and his parents want to send a HUGE thank-you to the trucking industry for their generosity.  Many companies and truck drivers sent Cody money to help pay for his operation in China; one company sent $2,000.00 and an owner-operator sent $500.00!  Cody and his parents are scheduled to travel to China on May 25th for his first treatment and will return to the U.S.A. on June 22nd.  We will keep you updated when we receive news from Cody and his parents.

There will be a Diesel Dawgs Diesel Drags event on May 3rd at the Pittsburgh Raceway Park, Rt. 22, New Alexandria, PA.  Gates open at 11:00 am.  There will be a Semi Truck Show and Shine, fast trucks, trophies, music, food and fun!  Show sponsors include:  Pittsburgh Power, Inc.; Hunter Truck Sales; Kenworth of PA; Merlot Vango; Paul Riggle Trucking; Jim Barone Trucking; Valley Tire; Herb Greg Trucking; NEP Television Trailers; Clyde’s Auto Repair; and Steel City Mafia.  For more information phone 724-668-7600 or log onto www.pittsburghracewaypark.com.

Written by Bruce C. Mallinson, CEO, Pittsburgh Power/Diesel Injection of Pittsburgh, Saxonburg, Pa, 16056. Phone 724-360-4080. Website: http://www.pittsburghpower.com.  Email: bbruce@pittsburghpower.com