A diesel-powered John Deere...
A diesel-powered John Deere 240 Series II Skid Steer was used to weigh down the trailer during the tow test. The 6,150-pound loader is powered by a 2.9L (179ci), three-cylinder, direct-injection, wet-sleeved, normally aspirated (no turbo) diesel engine that's rated at 53 hp. The weight of the skid steer and the trailer tested the trucks by making them tow a combined load of about 10,000 pounds.
Although he was also a rookie to sled pulling, James Farnam used his drag-racing skills to get the most out of his single Aurora 5000 turbo and dual CP3 injection-pump setup. He started with his truck in 4-Lo, but excessive wheelspin caused the engine to defuel and end the run before the 100-foot mark. During his do-over run, James pulled the sled all the way out to 244 feet but damaged his head gasket in the process. He didn't know about the leak until he got home, but the resulting pressure losses held James to 133 feet during the second round and put him in Fifth Place.
Using his two-turbo 6.0L Power Stroke combo, Shawn Ellerton churned the dirt and threw clouds and clods from the front tires on his way to a first pull of 278 feet. In the second round, his Super Duty made it all the way to 284 feet but fell short of the full pull needed to advance, and he was awarded Fourth Place.
Another first-time sled puller, Jorge Alfonso, blasted his white Mega Cab 23 feet past the 300-foot full-pull line on his very first pass. He was pumped after the experience saying, "What an addictive rush. It's definitely better than drag racing." In the second heat, Jorge made another full pull that qualified him for the championship round. Titanium head studs kept the Cummins in one piece, and a new torque converter installed overnight enabled the Ram to tug the sled out to 156 feet and secure Third Place.
Randy Hartman spools dual...
Randy Hartman spools dual turbos to build about 15 psi of boost before launching with the 10,000-pound trailer during the tow test. Randy had the only truck running 3.54 gears but used an ARB front air locker, L&L ladder bars, and a full-billet TPS transmission to make sure all the power was delivered to the track.
Last year, Micheal Tomac sent spectators running for their lives when his '02 Duramax sped more than 30 feet past the full-pull line. This year, no one was dumb enough to stand at the end of the track. Good thing, because Micheal still has no fear of the 300-foot line, and the first run didn't end until he hit 319. Ground-sensing radar that reads the true speed of the truck (as opposed to wheelspin speed) helped Micheal break 300 feet for another full pull in the second round. In the final round, the Chevy began hopping down the track just beyond the 100-foot mark. Spectators thought Micheal's truck had finally broken, but it turned out the returning champ was playing it safe. "When you hop, things start to break. I didn't want to break anything because I have a sled-pull competition in Michigan this Friday and need to spend two days traveling, not fixing parts," Micheal explained. That cautious final pass didn't bust any parts and ended at 166 feet for a Second Place finish.
A confused engine computer had caused Mike Hallas all sorts of nightmares on the first day, but overnight help came from an unusual source: Ms. Pac-Man. A truck full of arcade games had pulled into a lot shared by many of the Diesel Power Challenge teams, and that gave the Hallas crew an idea. If the powertrain control module (PCM) refused to correctly read signals from the MAT, then the signals would need to be altered with the addition of resistors. A helping handful of parts from Pac-Man's wife was provided by the arcade game owner, and it wasn't long before the Super Duty stopped misreading the ambient air temperature and allowed Mike to build a full 90 psi of boost. That's all he needed to send dirt (and photographers) flying away from the track during a high-speed first run out to the 305-foot mark. In the second round, spectators were more cautious as they watched the big 35-inch tires rip into the dirt for another full pull. As if he were celebrating the rebirth of his truck, Mike destroyed the competition by more than 100 feet in the final round when he ran out to the 286-foot mark to take First Place.
 Teammate Enrique Gonzalez...  Teammate Enrique Gonzalez used a thick spray of nitrous oxide to quickly cool the BD intercooler before Jorge Alfonso made his tow-test run. Jorge had spent lots of time running the quarter-mile and rolling on the dyno to improve his scores and only had a few minutes to pull the trailer. After the nitrous-assisted cooldown, the Mega Cab was attached to the trailer and hit the track. Unfortunately, a programming change threw the truck out of 4WD and led to this spectacular rear-wheel burnout. Jorge realized the problem and quickly recovered to take Fourth Place in the event just before the clock ran out. |  James Farnam carefully filled...  James Farnam carefully filled his common-rail Dodge before the start of the real-world mpg test. The drag racer was able to control his throttle foot and wrangled more than 20 mpg from the truck on a difficult road course. |  Competitors ran up to help...  Competitors ran up to help Micheal, the returning champ, shake his Chevy to get the maximum amount of fuel into the tank. Once again, Micheal proved he's still the king of mpg and coaxed almost 21 mpg from his 750hp Duramax and took First Place for the second year in a row. |
 Resistors scavenged from a...  Resistors scavenged from a parts bin and this Ms. Pac-Man circuit board were used to alter the MAT sensor signals in Mike's '99 Power Stroke dualie. He said the "truck came alive" after the resistors were added, and the PCM stopped misreading temperatures that triggered low boost and retarded the injection timing. |  Day 2 of the '07 Diesel Power...  Day 2 of the '07 Diesel Power Challenge started with the real-world mpg test that involved a 107.6-mile loop that included many steep inclines and lots of twisty mountain roads. |  |