To all our readers, we thank you for your comments and compliments. Keep those emails and letters coming. Write to: Diesel Power, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245, or email us at dieselpower@sorc.com.
100,000-Pound Tow Test
Can you please tell me more about the tug-of-war on page 152 of your June '10 issue? Did the '11 Super Duty actually pull the huge Caterpillar loader, or was it just a cool photograph? You've got the best magazine on the market, keep it up!
Ron Waskey
Elkridge, Maryland
Those '11 Ford F-350 dualies most certainly did tow the Caterpillar 988F loaders-and they must have done it dozens of times during our testdrive without having any issues. Keep in mind, however, that unlike a sled pull (which gets more difficult the farther you go), the Cats got easier to move as the speed of the F-350s increased. Also keep in mind that the two F-350s were racing each other-which didn't make things any easier on them.
Million-Mile Diesel Club
In response to your request for high-mile diesel pickups, I would like to submit our '91 Dodge Ram Cummins. This truck has had three owners and was used to haul two trailers per trip from Oklahoma to Virginia. The odometer shows 856,000 miles but broke some time before we purchased it. The engine has never had an overhaul. Nothing but the oil and filters has ever been changed. The truck is now used for advertising for our diesel pickup sales business. We think the faded sentence on the front fender says it all: Diesel...Is There Any Other Choice?
Mark Grehlinger
Handpicked Western Trucks
Leon, Virginia
If we get enough submissions, we'll create a Diesel Power Million-Mile Pickup Truck Hall of Fame.
Diesel: More Efficient, Powerful, And Safer Too!
Most readers of Diesel Power know diesel engines are more powerful and fuel efficient than their gasoline counterparts, but diesel possesses another virtue: safety. Gasoline vaporizes into an ignitable mixture at -45 F, while petroleum diesel vaporizes at roughly 140 to 176 F(www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/pdfs/fueltable.pdf). The National Fire Protection Association rates gasoline as a flammable and diesel as a combustible. Once the fuel system on a gasoline vehicle is breached (at -45 F or more), vaporized fuel creates an immediate and certain fire hazard. On the other hand, diesel vaporizes at 140 to 176 F and, therefore, a breached fuel system may or may not pose an immediate fire hazard. Although neither fuel should be treated carelessly, gasoline poses a far greater fire danger.
If asked to invent a new fuel to power vehicles, what manufacturer today would consider gasoline a marketable invention? In marked contrast, according to Tuttle and Von Kuegelgen in their third edition of "Biodiesel Handling and Use Guidelines," biodiesel has a 212 to 338 F flashpoint. Now, that is progress! Traditions die hard. In the meantime, real people suffer the consequences. Diesel-powered vehicles are not only more fuel efficient and powerful, but far safer as well.
Frank Tyler
Fullerton, California