Does the Duramax really suck at truck pulls?

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Tzu

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My dad and I attended a hot rod truck/tractor pull over the weekend and I saw almost 15 different 4x4 trucks pull the sled. 13 out of 15 were Dodge, there was 1 GMC and 1 Ford. The announcer hyped up the GM crowd when he hooked up, and basically he went half way and petered out. The crowd's reaction was a bit embarrassing. The Ford did much better, and the Cummins (Dodges) seemed to have fun and most just pulled as they pleased. The guys around me in the stands were saying this happens all the time. Youtube videos show Dodge Ram trucks to be very popular in pulls. GMC/Ford not as much from what I've seen.

Is Cummins THAT good? If so, I can see why Dodge was happy to get that engine in their trucks. A buddy of mine has had his Duramax in the shop a few times already over injector issues and he is currently waiting for the shop to finish it again.

I am a GM fan, so this was kind of a bummer showing. Meanwhile, almost all the multi engine super modified tractors were sporting Chevy big blocks as their power choice. Those did very well. There was one dual Hemi engine tractor and he did very good too.
 
Truck pulls are ABSOLUTELY NO comparison to real world performance. It just depends on how much you turn up the boost and fuel (and destroy your truck's engine, transmission, axles, u joints) and the condition of your tires.

Don't base your feelings on Duramax diesels on their performance at a truck show.
 
This also depends a lot on your area. In my area the diesel truck pullers is probably half Cummins and half Duramax. Maybe a couple more Duramax's. Not a whole lot of Fords. Duramax's usually win around here. Like Miller88 said that is not a real world comparison. Its all dependant on boost and who know's the little tricks to get a big enough edge to win. When it comes to work trucks theres a pretty good split of all three. All three are fine trucks and all have their own issues.
 
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The Cummins dominates because it is a medium truck engine that has been put in a light truck application. It is way overdesigned for use in pickup trucks because it was designed to last forever in trucks operating at 50,000+ lbs GTW continuously. This is why it can be boosted to ridiculous levels of manifold pressure and not launch the cylinder bank (often). And depending on the class you were watching, you might not have been seeing stock Cummins blocks in action. In the Super Stock class, they allow billet blocks. Since the Cummins block design is dead simple compared to the Dmax, it is relatively easy to machine one from billet.

I haven't heard of anybody making a billet block for a Dmax yet, but I suppose someone will get around to it. I have seen the occasional Dmax beat all the Cummins in a class of 15-20 trucks, and there is one called the Cummins Killer that is very competitive on a national level.

The Fords are generally hopeless, but I saw a 7.3 Powerstroke win at a small pull in Michigan once. It was a highly modified machine with triple turbos and a very rare V8 injection pump. The 6.0's and 6.4's just don't make the scene. Haven't seen a 6.7 Powerstroke at a pull yet.
 
That hyped up Duramax just isn't what it was supposed to be. At least GM finally got someone that knows how to build a diesel (Isuzu) after all these years of failure...

I'm a die hard Ford guy but if it isn't the 7.3 it isn't worth a darn. Hard to beat that Cummins no matter where you go.
 
Usually a pretty decent 3-way split at the pulls around here. Usually traction is the biggest issue for the street trucks. We had a 2006 (IIRC) F-250 show up, landscaping business branding on it, drove in, had basically highway rubber on it and did a full pull. Got a lot of surprises from the crowd on that one. The guys running the lifts and the "boggers" were digging themselves trenches by around 3/4 track.

Sounds like it is very area dependant. I've seen plenty of GM/Chev trucks, Ford trucks and Dodge trucks do well. I've also seen them all do not so well too and as I said we tend to have pretty equal representation by all of them.

Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.


You sure that's not a parallel twin?
 
Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.


You sure that's not a parallel twin?


Might be. I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of old Deere power equipment is severely limited. I grew up around Ford's and Massey's.

It was a good sized tractor with the cylinders on the bottom seemingly pointed forward (and I thought aft but perhaps there were two pointing forward?)
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.


You sure that's not a parallel twin?


Might be. I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of old Deere power equipment is severely limited. I grew up around Ford's and Massey's.

It was a good sized tractor with the cylinders on the bottom seemingly pointed forward (and I thought aft but perhaps there were two pointing forward?)
Is it a diesel or gas?
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Truck pulls are ABSOLUTELY NO comparison to real world performance. It just depends on how much you turn up the boost and fuel (and destroy your truck's engine, transmission, axles, u joints) and the condition of your tires.

Don't base your feelings on Duramax diesels on their performance at a truck show.


This x10,000.
 
Originally Posted By: Tzu
My dad and I attended a hot rod truck/tractor pull over the weekend and I saw almost 15 different 4x4 trucks pull the sled. 13 out of 15 were Dodge, there was 1 GMC and 1 Ford. The announcer hyped up the GM crowd when he hooked up, and basically he went half way and petered out. The crowd's reaction was a bit embarrassing. The Ford did much better, and the Cummins (Dodges) seemed to have fun and most just pulled as they pleased. The guys around me in the stands were saying this happens all the time. Youtube videos show Dodge Ram trucks to be very popular in pulls. GMC/Ford not as much from what I've seen.

Is Cummins THAT good? If so, I can see why Dodge was happy to get that engine in their trucks. A buddy of mine has had his Duramax in the shop a few times already over injector issues and he is currently waiting for the shop to finish it again.

I am a GM fan, so this was kind of a bummer showing. Meanwhile, almost all the multi engine super modified tractors were sporting Chevy big blocks as their power choice. Those did very well. There was one dual Hemi engine tractor and he did very good too.


The Cummins B-series is a really good engine, But the Duramax is competitive in any Motorsport that Cummins is competitive in. Billet Blocks, Cranks, Rods, Heads are available for Both.

1 truck in 1 event doesn't mean anything, I have owned several Dodge Cummins powered trucks ('97-'03), Engines were great....The Body, Suspension, Brakes, Electrical, & Interior was HORRIBLE. My '03 was a Lemon...Even the powertrain had issues.
My '06 Duramax has been almost trouble free for 320,000 miles, Original Injectors, Turbo, Water pump, Radiator, Radiator hoses, Transmission, Fan clutch, U-joints, Rear diff.

The steering shaft knock, Transmission coolers lines, & a collapsed Fuel line are the only problems I have had, The Belt, Tensioner, & Idlers need changed every 100K....Other than that, Just maintenance. I wish the Dodges I've owned were half as reliable!
 
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
That hyped up Duramax just isn't what it was supposed to be. At least GM finally got someone that knows how to build a diesel (Isuzu) after all these years of failure...

I'm a die hard Ford guy but if it isn't the 7.3 it isn't worth a darn. Hard to beat that Cummins no matter where you go.


I have to admit the Detroit 6.2L/6.5L IDI diesel were lacking in several departments, Main web cracking being the main one...Reminded me of the 400 small block the way they crack.

The Detroit Diesel Division of GM knew how to build a Diesel engine! The 2-stroke diesel are very reliable....They just mark their territory with oil, LOL.

Then GM/Detroit developed the Series 60, Probably the best Class 8 engine ever! In my opinion better than the vaunted N-14 Cummins & 3406 Cat
 
Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.


You sure that's not a parallel twin?


Might be. I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of old Deere power equipment is severely limited. I grew up around Ford's and Massey's.

It was a good sized tractor with the cylinders on the bottom seemingly pointed forward (and I thought aft but perhaps there were two pointing forward?)
Is it a diesel or gas?


I honestly don't remember though I think it might have been gas.
 
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
At least GM finally got someone that knows how to build a diesel (Isuzu) after all these years of failure...



Try telling that to people that worked at Detroit Diesel and EMD.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.


You sure that's not a parallel twin?


Might be. I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of old Deere power equipment is severely limited. I grew up around Ford's and Massey's.

It was a good sized tractor with the cylinders on the bottom seemingly pointed forward (and I thought aft but perhaps there were two pointing forward?)


Yes, a 2 cylinder engine. Goes chucka, chucka, chucka, chucka.
cool.gif


They made a huge 2 cyl diesel, something like 730 cu. in. Had a V4 gas pony engine to start it. A real beast. I worked on one once in a previous life.
 
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Slightly O/T but our local pulls are truck and tractor and there was this one old farmer who rocks a vintage longitudinally opposed Deere that's all hopped up that either cleans up or close to it every year in the modified (IIRC) class. Beautiful machine and a very unique sound to it.


You sure that's not a parallel twin?


Might be. I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of old Deere power equipment is severely limited. I grew up around Ford's and Massey's.

It was a good sized tractor with the cylinders on the bottom seemingly pointed forward (and I thought aft but perhaps there were two pointing forward?)


Yes, a 2 cylinder engine. Goes chucka, chucka, chucka, chucka.
cool.gif


They made a huge 2 cyl diesel, something like 730 cu. in. Had a V4 gas pony engine to start it. A real beast. I worked on one once in a previous life.
My grandfather had one of those, a John Deere 720 diesel. I always loved watching him start it and the sound of prime mover when it fired up. He went through a unique sequence to start it, first starting the pup motor. The size of the flywheel on those was massive as was the crankshaft and connecting rods and pistons.
 
My cousin described the Cummins Dodge trucks as a jewel of an engine stuck in a POS truck. We have had a few Dodges unfortunately go through the family and my experience is they do suck. My company's Dodge pickup carried on that tradition as well.

This is off topic, but IMHO, if Ford did the exterior, GM did the powertrains, and Dodge did the interiors, that combo would get you an incredible vehicle.
 
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