Ain't stupid, but can't find Cummins History

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I can find a history of the Cummins Engine Company. But not a history of their engines by model number and year ...

I'd think it's be out there? But, I must be searching wrong ...

Mostly interested in OTR engines, but AG and Industrial too. Any help out there?
 
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In 1931 Chelsie Cummins was trying to prove that his diesel engine was a better choice than a gasoline engine. They were in a cross country race when they came to cajon pass. I can see cajon pass from my front door.

The truck got away from him on the hill and he almost crashed. He began working of a system that would use the engine to help slow the truck.

He had the Jacobs drill chuck company build the first engine retarder. The Jake brake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobs_Vehicle_Systems
 
All you need to know is the the 855 ci engines were great engines, the KTA series were really powerful and the VT series belonged in boat or generators.
eek.gif
 
Thats BT not VT & they do very well in my Dodge generators thx.
cheers3.gif


Originally Posted by CT8
All you need to know is the the 855 ci engines were great engines, the KTA series were really powerful and the VT series belonged in boat or generators.
eek.gif
 
Originally Posted by ofelas
Thats BT not VT & they do very well in my Dodge generators thx.
cheers3.gif


Originally Posted by CT8
All you need to know is the the 855 ci engines were great engines, the KTA series were really powerful and the VT series belonged in boat or generators.
eek.gif




No.....VT

The VT555 Cummins was indeed in a lot of tractors & generators.

Anything where they can sit at one RPM all day long and they were happy.
 
Clessie Cummins' son, C. Lyle Cummins wrote a biography of his father called "The Diesel Odyssey of Clessie Cummins".
Maybe you can find it on Amazon.
 
Originally Posted by BrocLuno
I can find a history of the Cummins Engine Company. But not a history of their engines by model number and year ...

I'd think it's be out there? But, I must be searching wrong ...

Mostly interested in OTR engines, but AG and Industrial too. Any help out there?


One thing that might help would be to download the Clevite Bearings master catalog. It will list bearings for the various Cummins engines and the years they were built.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by ofelas
Thats BT not VT & they do very well in my Dodge generators thx.
cheers3.gif


Originally Posted by CT8
All you need to know is the the 855 ci engines were great engines, the KTA series were really powerful and the VT series belonged in boat or generators.
eek.gif




No.....VT

The VT555 Cummins was indeed in a lot of tractors & generators.

Anything where they can sit at one RPM all day long and they were happy.


The "small Vee" series of engines at Cummins preceded the B and C-series I-6's up to ~1982.
There was a 378 V-6 that was replaced by the 6B.
There was a 504 V-8 that was replaced by the 6C.
The 504 was later stroked to 555, which was somewhat notorious for breaking crankshafts.
The B and C engines were developed in a joint venture with Tenneco (corporate parent of JI Case) that was called Consolidated Diesel Company. The technical center was in Columbus, Indiana, and was called the Midrange Engine Technical Center. Manufacturing was in Rocky Mount, NC.

Once upon a time, I happened upon a 5-cylinder B-series engine in the basement on the Cummins Technical Center. It looked exactly like a 4B3.9 and a 6B5.9, only was called an I4.9 on the data plate, which was dated 1982. Too bad they didn't mass-produce that one.

My boss at Cummins was formerly the Chief Engineer of the K-series engine, and he had a very conservative approach to engine design. Once was had a design review of the camshaft for a tank engine project, and by the time he got done asking questions about extreme load conditions and applying safety factors, we had decided to use B-series main bearings for cam bearings! This is the kind of thought process that leads to engines that are capable of much more power than what the rating plate says.
 
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OK, I've read many of the "people" histories of Cummins. I actually wanted a list of engines by production year to end of production, CI, HP, etc.

Reason is I'm a somewhat old guy and have operated literally at least a hundred of Cummins engines in my life, from tractors, to marine applications of all sorts, to many OTR trucks. I have never understood clearly the engine progression ...

My Dad and I looked at a boat once in Santa Cruz harbor (after I worked there) named CECO III. It was a plumb stem fan-tail motor yacht. Narrow, long (~40ft) and very stylish. Too much hull rot for us to take it on. But, it was powered by a 220 and a Capitol Gear box. I understand they towed it out to the middle of Monterey bay and sunk it after stripping all the hardware ... If we'd have been richer, we'd have taken it on. It was the West Coast Flagship (literally) of the Cummins Eng Co (hence the name). Red velvet upholstery, a lot of bright-work, nice galley, etc.

And I have driven old trucks when they were in mid-life working for a living. Everything from 2-Story Pete with a 150 to 59 K-W with a 444 and all the newer stuff. Worked on and with a number of V8 Cummins in boats.

Just wanted a list of how and when they came to market and their progression ?? You'd think that would be all over the 'Net, but it seems to not be ...

Along the way, they occasionally came up with unique lube requirements, hence the post here ...
 
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Cummins made/makes A VT 903 engine, Years ago when I was between permanent occupation I would make great money driving truck on a casual basis out of the Teamsters line drivers local 468. One of the companies had Freightliners with the VT 903 engines and I really didn't like them . The power curve was like a 7.3 Ford power stroke . I really at the time preferred the 855 ci Cummins in any horse power rating. Though a company I drove for had 425 Cats and they were the Cats meow so to say. The 6v71 and the 8v71 Detroits were sucky and the 6v92 and 8v92 Detroits were actually really enjoyable engines. The 8v92 Detroit in the fuel squeezer rating [365 hp at 1900 rpm if i remember ] .A 350 hp Big Cam Cummins couldn't keep up with the 8v92 fuel squeezer detroit
 
I'm with you on that. Love the 8V92, in some applications.

And I have driven the 903. It was a redline engine. You wound it to get the power.

But, then I like to spin engines. Like setting a CAT 3208T up to turn 3,200 in a pinch. Most folks were afraid to spin those V engines. But, as long as you did't run them too hard over the nominal, there was shifts to had with a quick spin-up ...
laugh.gif
 
The VT 903s were cranked up pretty high in marine use. . When my son was in Boy Scouts we went on military base tours for a weekend at the time and the military people were awesome. Any way we saw some Coast Guard boats that had the VT 903 engines and 8V92 engines . The last visit was 2007.
 
OK, now in it's new location. I guess I did not bring it around to lubes quick enough. Was going in that direction, but ...

Valvoline Premium Blue Restore seems to be the latest in a series of lube moves on Cummins part as they marched through history. Model F and U prolly got along OK on off-the-shefl oils. After that, they maybe have needed stouter oils ... As power density went up, lube requirements followed ...
 
Originally Posted by BrocLuno
So no one has any more info on engine model history ...


Did you try downloading the Clevite Master Bearing Catalog?
Mine has a lot of information on Cummins engines; bore, stroke, bearing sizes, years produced...
 
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