We Specialize In Diesel Pickups
Dodge Cummins • 7.3 Ford Power Stroke • Chevy Duramax • GMC • Duallies • 4 Wheel Drives

Owners: Mark & Colleen Grehlinger
Handpicked Western Trucks LLC, 160 Kirtley Rd, Leon, VA 22725-2514
Phone: 1-540-547-4488 or Toll Free: 1-866-948-3232

WHY DIESEL?

What’s going on in the world of diesel?

When we see things of interest or importance relating to diesel pickups, we'll post them on our website for the benefit of our valued customers.

Reinventing Diesel


Sell Your House, Stop Paying Rent

Dial a Smile

Iron Eagle


10 Best Used Diesels

Power Stroke Turbo for Towing

King of the Hill: Towing Torture Test

Back to Basics: Dodge 12 Valve


Super Bad Diesel Powered 8.0 second 1/4 mile Chevy S10

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Airdog Monster truck with 5.9 Cummins Turbo

Dirty Max Duramax Diesel Powered Drag Truck

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Houston, we have lift off.

Lettin' it all hang out!!

Big Mack Sled Puller


Class Action Lawsuit

The Future of Fuel

1st & Only All-In-One

Diesels Do Fly!


Ten Best Diesels of 2009

10 Things You Didn't Know About Diesel

The Strongest Dodge Transmission Ever Built

Cummins Lift Pump Upgrade


First 5.9L Powered Ram Pickup

Million-Mile Diesel Filtration

The Duramax Tractor

397HP Duramax vs. 400HP Power Stroke

Do It Yourself Tranny Kits

New and Different


New Power for Patriot Coal

Reisser Cycle Engine Gets 200MPG

Could SuperTurboCharge Becom the Hero on Fuel Economy?

Heart Attack Prevention for the 6.0L Power Stroke Part I

Heart Attack Prevention for the 6.0L Power Stroke Part II

2011 Ford F250 Lariat

2011 Chevy Silverado LTZ 2500HD

2011 Dodge Ram Laramie

2011 Ford F350 Lariat FX4

2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500

2011 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Mega Cab

Total Towing Control

Diesels on the Front Lines

Long Live the King

Modern Muscle


Diesel Monster Truck

Diesel Heaven in Geneva

Hot Rod Hauler

160,000 PSI Diesel Injector

50 Reasons Diesel is the Ultimate Fuel

Diesel Cop Car

EPA Mandates Changes to Diesel Technology

Gillette Diesel EGR Delete Kit

Diesel Will Always Be Better Than Gasoline

Power, Fuel Efficiency, and Transmissions


Cummins Certified to 2010 Standards

Scheid Rail Knocking on 200-MPH Barriesr

Military Biodiesel R & D

Hypertech E-Con

Hybrid vs. Diesel

The Hitch

Ethanol E85 Fuel Loses Cost-Benefit Test to Diesel

Diesel Powered Vehicles Holding Value

First in the Sevens?

Diesel Efficiency with an American Twist


Good News, Bad News

Gas vs. Diesel (p1)
Gas vs. Diesel (p2)
Gas vs. Diesel (p3)
Gas vs. Diesel (p4)

Rudi Would Be Proud

Is This The End of the Second Musclecar Era?

Test Session Report


The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today

USA Today Article substantiates our point that diesels help defray depreciation

The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine

Maximum power: 108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Maximum torque: 5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm

The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today. The Aioi Works of Japan 's Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where some of these pictures were taken. It is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships. Ship owners like a single engine/single propeller design and the new generation of larger container ships needed a bigger engine to propel them. The cylinder bore is just under 38" and the stroke is just over 98". Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower. Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder version.
Some facts on the 14 cylinder version:
Total engine weight:
2300 tons (The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons.)
Length:
89 feet
Height:
44 feet
Maximum power:
108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Maximum torque:
5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm
Fuel consumption at maximum power is 0.278 lbs per hp per hour (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption). Fuel consumption at maximum economy is 0.260 lbs/hp/hour. At maximum economy the engine exceeds 50% thermal efficiency. That is, more than 50% of the energy in the fuel in converted to motion.
For comparison, most automotive and small aircraft engines have BSFC figures in the 0.40-0.60 lbs/hp/hr range and 25-30% thermal efficiency range.
Even at its most efficient power setting, the big 14 consumes 1,660 gallons of heavy fuel oil per hour.
A cross section of the RTA96C:

The internals of this engine are a bit different than most automotive engines.
The top of the connecting rod is not attached directly to the piston. The top of the connecting rod attaches to a "crosshead" which rides in guide channels. A long piston rod then connects the crosshead to the piston.
I assume this is done so the the sideways forces produced by the connecting rod are absorbed by the crosshead and not by the piston. Those sideways forces are what makes the cylinders in an auto engine get oval-shaped over time.
Installing the "thin-shell" bearings. Crank & rod journals are 38" in diameter and 16" wide:

The crank sitting in the block (also known as a "gondola-style" bedplate). This is a 10 cylinder version. Note the steps by each crank throw that lead down into the crankcase:

A piston & piston rod assembly. The piston is at the top. The large square plate at the bottom is where the whole assembly attaches to the crosshead:

Some pistons:

And some piston rods:

 
The "spikes" on the piston rods are hollow tubes that go into the holes you can see on the bottom of the pistons (left picture) and inject oil into the inside of the piston which keeps the top of the piston from overheating. Some high-performance auto engines have a similar feature where an oil squirter nozzle squirts oil onto the bottom of the piston.
The cylinder deck (10 cylinder version). Cylinder liners are die-cast ductile cast iron. Look at the size of those head studs!:

The first completed 12 cylinder engine:

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