Why Cummins?

[Jim W]

On another site that I am on "Forest River Forums"; a poster asked about the Cummins Premium over another truck he was looking at. Will I could have not stated it any better than this gentleman state on why he purchased his 2016 Ram truck with the Cummins engine, and I quote.

"I know of four people well five if I included myself that have had the EGR cooler problem as well as the 6.0 head bolt issue with the ford. I loved my 2004 F350 but after leaving me on the side of the road pulling my 5th wheel and family three times over the last year I had to give the 2016 Ram 3500 a shot
Well I only wish I had switched sooner it would have saved me thousands in repairs. IMO the Ram has way more power and maintains the speed that I'm comfortable with even on hills with 6 to 8 percent grades. The Ram was about 15k under the price of a new Ford or Chevy and seems to be easier to work on. Now I will say if you like all of the fancy bells and whistles then the Ford was the way to go. I loved the new one I test drove and man did it look good but I had to do a reality check and go with my gut and the reason I was looking for a new truck in the first place. Ford has big problems with their diesels and until they come out with a reliable engine I must stay with the Ram." End quote,

 

[Bruce Beard]

On another site that I am on "Forest River Forums"; a poster asked about the Cummins Premium over another truck he was looking at. Will I could have not stated it any better than this gentleman state on why he purchased his 2016 Ram truck with the Cummins engine, and I quote.

"I know of four people well five if I included myself that have had the EGR cooler problem as well as the 6.0 head bolt issue with the ford. I loved my 2004 F350 but after leaving me on the side of the road pulling my 5th wheel and family three times over the last year I had to give the 2016 Ram 3500 a shot
Well I only wish I had switched sooner it would have saved me thousands in repairs. IMO the Ram has way more power and maintains the speed that I'm comfortable with even on hills with 6 to 8 percent grades. The Ram was about 15k under the price of a new Ford or Chevy and seems to be easier to work on. Now I will say if you like all of the fancy bells and whistles then the Ford was the way to go. I loved the new one I test drove and man did it look good but I had to do a reality check and go with my gut and the reason I was looking for a new truck in the first place. Ford has big problems with their diesels and until they come out with a reliable engine I must stay with the Ram." End quote,

There is no question that the 6.0 liter and the 6.4 liter NAVSTAR engines where "troublesome". I was wondering more about the newer design and the current Duramax.
I'd say that the complexity of the V-8 and the Bosch CP4-2 pump are enough to cast doubt on the long term reliability or at least on possible future maintence/repair costs...
Bruce

 

[SnoKing]

Funny you should mention the marine version... My wife and I have a new trawler on order and it uses a Cummins 6.7 QSB (essentially the marine version of the engine in our Rams) in the 480 hp trim. You are right in suggesting that Cummins has a good reputation in the marine world.
I was surprised to see the Cummins on the first one I went aboard! Here is the boat...
Bruce

http://www.americantugs.com/models/395/

We just sold our Shelter Bay water front home on the Swimonish Channel in La Conner. Watched all the American Tug go by on sea trials for 13 years. Have friends in Shelter Bay with 34's. Also a Friend with a 43 in Seattle.

 

[Bruce Beard]

We just sold our Shelter Bay water front home on the Swimonish Channel in La Conner. Watched all the American Tug go by on sea trials for 13 years. Have friends in Shelter Bay with 34's. Also a Friend with a 43 in Seattle.

This is pretty exciting for us! It's a big change as we have been sailors for all of our lives...
We love the boat and the company. The fact that it has a Cummins is simply icing on the cake.
Are your friends happy with their boats?
Just curious...
Bruce

 

[SnoKing]

There is no question that the 6.0 liter and the 6.4 liter NAVSTAR engines where "troublesome". I was wondering more about the newer design and the current Duramax.
I'd say that the complexity of the V-8 and the Bosch CP4-2 pump are enough to cast doubt on the long term reliability or at least on possible future maintence/repair costs...
Bruce

Early Duramax engines had short life injectors, and the first round of replacement did not last long either. Some of the LLY motors 2004.5/5 over heated when towing heavy. Cost of working on them is higher along with the Powerjoke because of the full hood and complexity. The Cab actually comes off the 6.0 and 6.5 fairly quickly, you just need a hoist that can do it, which DIY people do not have.

All that said, like many others I purchased a 8 year 120K extended warranty on my new RAM last year. Second warranty of any kind I ever purchase. First was on a VCR deck in the mid 80's. Never used that one, however on the new RAM that most likely will not be the case. SNOKING

 

[Wayne M.]

Now I will demonstrate that I can be a guy with a neutral opinion.
Caterpillar did take the Navistar 6.4 and put it in marine work.
http://articles.maritimepropulsion....nces-a-new-Cat-C64-diesel-V8-engine15440.aspx
I don't know how well it did, and I don't think it's around anymore, but Ive heard the 6.4 did well when freed from Fords engine management and US emission rules.
I know a guy who repowered a tug, and while they were shooting for MAN or CAT, they wound up with Cummins. They said the support and price was great.

 

[BigPapa]

I'm a Cummins man through and through. That said, I have worked at a shop that's bread and butter were Ford diesels. We would work on DuraMax's but didn't like it. The problems with the 6.0 and 6.4 mainly stemmed from the EPA regulated equipment, as do the few problems with our beloved Cummins. The original 7.3 was a good engine with few problems. The 6.0 is livable when the EGR and oil coolers have been dealt with, as is the 6.4 which is an amazingly powerful engine. Besides the pump issue on the 6.7, I haven't heard of any other major problems with it. Also, the V8 engines can't come close to the longevity of the I6. My '95 12V, that has no EPA junk on it, has over 500K on it with no major issues. Never even had the head off of it.

All that said, If I HAD to buy a new truck, it would be a Dodge with the Cummins.

 

[Dick Langendorff]

Trailer Life had a recent article. For reliability, hands down for the Ram/Cummins.

 

[SnoKing]

This is pretty exciting for us! It's a big change as we have been sailors for all of our lives...
We love the boat and the company. The fact that it has a Cummins is simply icing on the cake.
Are your friends happy with their boats?
Just curious...
Bruce

Yes, they had a 34 American Tug before this one. Where do you live?

 

[Bruce Beard]

Yes, they had a 34 American Tug before this one. Where do you live?

Repeat owners speaks volumes... That is good but it is along the lines of what we have heard elsewhere.
We live in Rhode Island, wrong coast!
Thanks,
Bruce

 

[jhenderson]

Same here. The front suspension in the chevy/GMC is a car suspension/and 4x4 (car.) drivetrain.

The dozen or so guys I know carrying an 8.5-9 foot snowplow would disagree and so would I. I've changed front u joints on a yearly basis and replaced 2 axle shafts with worn out yokes on my 04, mainly due to plowing. My GM acquaintances had no such trouble outside of an occasional torn axle boot on high mileage trucks.

 

[SnoKing]

Repeat owners speaks volumes... That is good but it is along the lines of what we have heard elsewhere.
We live in Rhode Island, wrong coast!
Thanks,
Bruce

They would like to know what hull color you choose? Their's have both been Navy Blue. Snoking

 

[Bruce Beard]

We have chosen a custom gelcoat color. It is a color we saw on a Shelter Island Runabout called Seashell Green.
Here is the color on that boat...

 

[Wayne M.]

Beautiful stuff!

 

[Bruce Beard]

Beautiful stuff!

That is a beautiful boat! It is a Shelter Island Runabout. We love the boat and that color.
The boat we are buying is a tug/trawler. Nowhere near as sleek! It has a lot more room though and it will certainly be a blast to cruise on.
Here is one in blue.

 

[Bruce Beard]

And just to keep the thread well grounded on this site, here is a picture of the engine as installed in an American Tug 395. It's a Cummins 6.7 QSB with 480 hp!
Bruce

 

[SnoKing]

Our B150's came OEM with Walker Airseps like shown in your picture. After 19 years and 2800 hours the engine room and engines had no oil film anywhere. I see a waste gated turbo in your photo. Chris

#ad

 

[Wayne M.]

That is a beautiful boat! It is a Shelter Island Runabout. We love the boat and that color.
The boat we are buying is a tug/trawler. Nowhere near as sleek! It has a lot more room though and it will certainly be a blast to cruise on.
Here is one in blue.

View attachment 96628

Check that real deal wheelhouse!
You guys are doing very well.

 

[Bruce Beard]

Check that real deal wheelhouse!
You guys are doing very well.

Here is a view from inside the pilothouse.
Bruce

 

[jgillott]

The dozen or so guys I know carrying an 8.5-9 foot snowplow would disagree and so would I. I've changed front u joints on a yearly basis and replaced 2 axle shafts with worn out yokes on my 04, mainly due to plowing. My GM acquaintances had no such trouble outside of an occasional torn axle boot on high mileage trucks.

I don't mean to disagree, but my personal experience has been exactly the opposite. I owned a 2005 that I bought new. In the brief time I owned it, it was back to the dealer 13 times for front end related repairs under warranty. I finally had to sell that truck. It simply couldn't survive the dirt access roads we drive on daily. Maybe I just got a bad one, but it cured me of any desire to own another one.