Opposed piston heavy duty Diesel engine?

It seems to be a similar system to the Detroit two strokes. I always thought they were pretty interesting.

 

The 2 strokes still used a valvetrain. So opposed is even more simple.

 

Uh two cranks and twice the connecting rods and pistons isn't really going to add up to fewer parts I don't believe. The old 350 cummins had about 1400 or so and 318 Detroit's had about 1300 or so, yes they pulled 80,000lbs, not many of the truck drivers today could drive them. It's just more trying to fix what aint broke thats all.

 

If you want instant torque look at diesel electric. Weight and space also need to be considered though.

 

I've always thought that'd be the best solution for efficiency. Maybe it'd just be too heavy. Replace the transmission with a generator and differentials with electric motors. Something like that.

 

It would be other than I don't know how well electric motors would put up with nasty stuff that gets put on the roads for deicing, it just eats any copper it can get to.

 

2 strokes do not have a valvetrain because they do not have valves

 

We had a opposed piston Farmall at the horse farm. It had a torque that cannot ever quit. If you tied the earth to it, it will try and stop the rotation of the planet.

But it had no lungs. Once you ran out the gear it was in that's all you get. It turns into a fuel burn per hour problem. How much field can you run with that little bit of fuel in that tiny gear you are in for the day?

This is not a bash on opposed piston technoloy I like them. But horse power is king. Torque is all well and good provided it's at least 1800 pounds foot to the drive shaft and not casterated. But horses, the more you have say 750 to 1000 like they use in german tanks... the less fuel burn per hour in terms of practical work you have to do lifting that trailer over the mountain to say 14000 over loveland pass. It wont work so hard like a poor little 280 mack or something from the 60's

That's my thought on opposed piston. If you can gear it fast enough to be worth a #### at 70 against headwinds and minor rolling midwest hills etc then have at it. Im interested in learning what such a beast would do with 335 gallons of fuel in 80000 pounds on a schedule.

 

8V92 Detroit. I see cam gear and exhaust valves....

 

i stand corrected they must have had an oddball 2 stroke that they trained me on in the army cause it did not have valves