i want a cat but not sure what one to get

First I want to say thank you for serving our country! Thank You, If I were you I would look at getting a job driving in the field you are interested in and getting your feet wet so to say before jumping into the owner operator status. You may not agree with me now, but you just might a little later. Good Luck!

 

Due Diligence is about all I can say things have changed alot.

 

Welcome to the forum and THANK YOU for your service...
Most anyone in this forum is better able to answer your questions on the Cat motor. Mr. Haney is arguably the ECM God here. But still, here are my thoughts.
I know nothing of your history and capabilities, but as ERL said, please consider a driving job first. A truck is a huge investment(In my world, anyway), and is the easiest part of being an O/O.
There are your daily running expenses, break downs, preventive maintanance. Registration, insurance, etc. All taking large amounts of money.
Money ahead to run a couple of months at your expense till money finally starts coming in. worked with a guy that was tired of seeing the boss make all the money. He went out and bought a truck and went to work. A week later he was crying that no one was paying him. He lasted about a month, in his own truck. He is back being a company driver and has no complaints anymore.
You have to find good, decent paying work. If i am not going to make money, i will leave the truck in the yard. At least it isnt costing much sitting and isnt wearing out.
And then the paper work. It doesnt end.
I am not trying to discourage, just being open and honest. Power is great, but so is mileage. And mpg's is only going to be more important as fuel goes up. Mr. Haney will be able to tell you everything that can be done(for mileage and power).
O/O is a huge commitment. It is also very rewarding for many. I cant imagine not owning a truck. This is getting long winded, so...
Again, thank you for everything... david

 

Apologies Mr. USMC! I started the previous post and got distracted. In the mean time, you posted that you were an O/O at one time. You already know what you are in for...

 

Single turbo serial prefix 6NZ. All '02 or older cats are 6NZ you might find an occasional '03 truck with one. The '03 is serial prefix MBN is also a single turbo. A few '04 trucks have MBN's but most everything '04 and newer will all be Accert cats with compound turbos. Avoid the MBN "bridge" motor like the plague unless it's really low miles, you know it's been maintained and driven right, and dont mind un-bridging it if the previous owner hasnt already. 6NZ is the best all around thats the one you want. Accerts are not bad if the ecm is tuned but upgrading hardware is more involved and costly. That's the basic stuff you can learn a lot from spending a few hours reading cat threads on how to improve or set one up right any power level you want. Factory 475hp, 550hp same internals can be turned up the same. Wealth of info in here grab a beer and start reading..

 

The E or C-15 will depend on the year.

You can uprate a 435,475 or 500 to a 550 HP file... the internals of the lower HP engines are somewhat different... cam/turbo and pistons mostly. Even the early E models can benefit from an ECM change even ones like my 5EK will respond well.

I'd start by fist deciding if you want to get your own authority or lease to a company. Then decide what kind of freight you want to haul... talk to O/O's about rates and such.

Then find a truck... you want something to match what you are hauling regarding wheelbase, cab style, etc.

Acert CATS are OK... some guys are getting some great longevity from the pre-DPF engines... stay away from anything with a DPF filter.

The C-15 addressed a few problems that came up on the E models... either one will be fine.

Mr. Haney, a member here, is one of the resident CAT experts... he can do an uprate and offer good. knowledgeable advice...

 

This is rehash from what Haney has posted before C-15 block casting is updated a little stronger and gaskets seal better dealing with oil leak issues E models have. Either one is bulletproof but me I'll take the C15. Now which specific year 6NZ I dont know. Not even 100% sures when the C15 came on the scene 99 or 00? I would try to find an '02 later one or one of the later E's if thats what you want. I can't stress enough taking the time to wade through all the Cat threads here. Haney and the other real guru's dont typically respond to vague posts like this. I'm not a guru either. I'm just trying to help you avoid the mistake I made of not reading up on Cats enough before I bought one. I got an MBN and if it hadnt been for the help and advice I got from this forum I wouldve struck a match to my truck long ago...