Cat Vs. Cummins on Kenworth

Ok you two...stop fighting......It sounds like the "Ford or Chevy...which is best?" arguments when I was in high school during the "stone age".....


Perhaps the OT poster might consider a Paccar engine......After all...someone has to buy one.....

 

I'm surprised somebody hasn't jumped in here and said "buy a Freightliner with a Detroit" then tell us how well it pulls...oh hi

Get an older Cat before they went crazy with all that emmision crap...I can't comment on the Cummins only drove one of the newer ones, it was a Sig 600 and pulled really well but I only did one short load while the boss man serviced my truck..

 

I was a CAT lover all the way for many years...Till the C-15.

The 3406 was the last decent engine that they built in my opinion.
In this modern era of pollution control engines there are not many viable options for a guy that wants a motor that does the job and doesn't cause an undue financial burden. Cat hasn't ever built a viable version of the C-15 and it has been a POS since it's inception.

They just built it too cheaply.

Before the C-15...There was no better choice for a truck motor than CAT.

 

Go with a Cat pre 2004 crap and you won't go wrong. Don't buy any emmisions motor period, no matter what color it is or what deal they will give you on it!

 

KW for 2010 with the new 2010 pollution control engine you will not have a choice! No more new CATs just Cummins now, and shortly the PACCAR engine.

 

yeah but i sure in the hell would rather work on a cat then a cummins. that #### isx where you have to pin the crank and spin the cams and wedge them is just a pain. give me a cat where i pin the crank and line the marks up on the gears. have seen a cat c 12 or 13 with the side of the block punched out from the pushrod. the blocks arent too thick on them. that for sure.

 

i've driven Cats and Cummins' and various models of both. in my personal experience the Cummins was always the best, Economy, Power, Reliable, nice and quiet. The Cummins is a bit of a whiny ##### in cold weather starting, a little finicky, thats where the Cat won. but its not enough of an incovienice to make me wanna go Cat. My old man has a Cummins isx in a international and i run a Cat C-15 in a freightliner (not by choice but the truck was a smokin deal.) some guys are Die hard Cat men and some are Cummins, depends on your expereinces with the engines..I vote Cummins.

 

Ive driven many different diesels in my short 18 year experience. I loved the 3406 ( pre electronic) but as for an overall performance/cost hands down my favorite engine was the cummins N-14. I bought a 93 frieghtliner in 96 with the n-14( had 500,000 mi) I did an inframe at 1,400,000mi for the cost out the door of $5,300. the mechanic said It didnt need to be rebuilt, but to make me feel good, he said one of the pistons had a small 1/4in crack in it, could have been there a million miles ago! Just to mention it I'm still driving that same truck today.