Cummins diesel engines are one of the most efficient, dependable, durable, and powerful engines found in every type of vehicle and equipment from pick-up trucks to 18-wheelers, and 360-ton mining haul trucks. You can also find a full line of recreational and commercial Cummins marine diesel engines.
For more than 100 years, Cummins Inc. has turned challenges into opportunities and is a global power leader in designing, manufacturing, selling, and servicing diesel and alternative fuel engines. The company provides 2.8 to 95 liters diesel engines, diesel and alternative-fueled electrical generators sets and related components. Cummins serves its customers through its network of 600 company-owned and independent distributors and more than 7,200 dealers around the world and one among them is Nationwide Truck Parts. We sell quality used Cummins diesel engines, heavy truck parts, transmission, and more at a reasonable price.
The diverse diesel engine lineup by Cummins allows customers all over the world to find the perfect Cummins engine for their particular needs. For dependability and performance, no one can beat a Cummins engine and the company is continuously raising the bar, maximizing power and torque while extending engine life and optimizing fuel efficiency.
Here are a few reasons why Cummins engines are the best
Cummins provides the customers with the powerful engines they need to get the job done efficiently. Diesel engines are designed and engineered to maximize torque and horsepower. Cummins Inc. designs efficient 40 horsepower off-highway engines to mammoth 4400 horsepower rail engines all delivering exactly what is needed for your specific applications. The 6.7-liter in-line six-cylinder pick-up truck engine has 385 horsepower and 900-pound feet torque offering more power to the truck than the competition.
The diesel engine is as useful as the work you get out of it, this makes uptime the most vital measure for the engine and this is where Cummins outperforms. The engines are expertly crafted to resist wear and tear while delivering a lifetime of reliable service. The endurance and low maintenance are the hallmarks of Cummins engines and many trucks powered by these engines surpass the million-mile mark easily. When the engines need parts or service, the Cummins network of dealers and distributors provide the best in class service.
Diesel engines produced by Cummins can be found in a wide variety of vehicles and equipment. While most people know Cummins engines as Turbo Diesels that power Nissan TITAN XD and RAM 2500 and 3500 pickups, or for popular big rig engines, Cummins also produce diesel engines for industrial applications. Cummins diesel engines power everything from construction and agriculture equipment to marine vessels, drilling, and power generators. They are also used in gas compression, mining, and defense. Moreover, Cummins engines have been tested in every environment on Earth and proven their worth.
Since the company’s establishment nearly 100 years ago, Cummins has established new developments and innovation in engine technology. The company was established by Clessie Cummins in 1919, in Columbus, Indiana, with a dedication to creating and delivering the best diesel engines to be found on the planet. From humble beginnings grew a global organization that today delivers products and services to customers in more than 150 countries. Nearly a century spent strengthening diesel engine performance, Cummins provides unmatched performance and durable engines.
Here is a brief history of the Cummins company
Founded by Clessie Lyle Cummins, a man with no business knowledge but with a vision and courage to put in some hard work which would later be synonymous with the best diesel engines in the world. Born on December 27, 1888, in rural Indiana, Clessie had no formal education beyond the eighth grade as he had to leave school to work on the family farm. Clessie was always very mechanically inclined and passionate about engines and at the age of 11, he built his first steam engine. The engine was made from molten cast iron. The steam engine worked and was used to pump water on the family farm.
He knew that farming was not what he wanted to do his whole life, so he left the family farm and began working as a mechanic. After a host of odd jobs, he landed a job as a mechanic with automotive company Nordyke and Marmon, the manufacturers of the first luxury and premium cars in America before being purchased by Allis-Chalmers in 1926.
In 1911, Ray Harroun, a race-car driver, learned about Cummins through a friend at Nordyke and Marmon and asked him to join his pit crew for a local auto race. Clessie Cummins suggested various ways to help improve speed and handling the car and that car won the first-ever Indianapolis 500 1911 Marmon Wasp.
During this time, Clessie caught the eye of William Irwin, who was the financial supporter of Harroun’s Race Team and venture financier in the Columbus, Indiana region. Irwin noticed Clessie was passionate about everything mechanical and helped empower him. Clessie worked as a chauffeur and mechanic for Irwin and impressed him by building a gasoline engine prototype in 1915. Both the men worked on mechanical projects in the early 1900s eventually deciding to build engines for local farmers.
In 1918, Irwin and Cummins went on a tour to the United States, saw an imported Dutch diesel engine from manufacturer R.M. Hvid Company. Both were impressed with the new technology and looked for a way to deliver Hvid engines to American customers. They traveled to the Netherlands and were awarded a license to sell Hvid engines in the United States. Irwin was the National Director of the United States Department of Commerce and helped facilitate the deal.
In 1919, with $10,000 from William G. Irwin, Cummins Engine Company was established in Columbus, Indiana. Together, the two men built a company that was first to leverage the ground-breaking technology developed by German engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1800s. Cummins redesigned an 8 hp Hvid engine and the firm made enough money to cover the cost of production. By 1921, Cummins secured 2 patents for the licensed Hvid engines for improved fuel efficiency and manifold technology. In 1924, Cummins successfully embarked on his first entirely homegrown design. The new design was applied to the Model F engine, thus ending the partnership with R.M. Hvid Company.
Cummins then negotiated with Sears Roebuck and Company to sell their engines. Initially, the business was great but the advertising venture with Sears was a disaster. Sears provided a return policy that farmers took advantage of. They purchased the engines, used for a single season, and returned them for a refund. Engines were run at full load without any safety or maintenance measurements. Irwin was not happy with the diesel engines durability, thus Cummins worked on to improve the design and reliability of the diesel engines.
By 1930, Cummins realized that industrial application diesel engines were not the best route to grow the business considering the wear farmers did to their engines. The dirt, mud, and foliage often jammed the engines and didn’t work properly. Cummins was sure the future of diesel engines was in over-the-road trucks and cars. To demonstrate the efficiency to the general public, Cummins installed one of his diesel engines in his 1926 Packard and drove from Indiana to New York. Cummins wanted to present the car at the 1930 New York Auto Show at the end of his journey. The car drove 800+ miles using just 30 gallons of fuel and the diesel engine gave an average of 26 miles per gallon which was an amazing feat and is still quite impressive today. His perseverance paid off and the exhibit ended up being more of a major attraction than most of the cars at the actual auto show.
Before the Great Depression Era, Cummins had hoped that his engines would be a luxury item installed in prestigious cars. However, the engines were used in luxury yachts and marine applications. When the depression came into being, the luxury market vanished and a new market emerged, over the road trucks, that was the right fit for the Cummins engines. At that time, William Irwin possessed a controlling interest in Purity Supreme Supermarkets. Cummins persuaded him to install diesel engines in his fleet of trucks used to transport food goods. This was the turning point for the two companies as the diesel engines performed better on the steep mountain roads, were less susceptible to maintenance problems, and were more fuel-efficient. The benefits of using diesel engines in heavy-duty trucks was widespread and the over-the-road truck industry came into being.
The Cummins company became synonymous with truck engines from that point. Truck engines kept the company afloat, but Cummins wanted to achieve more. He imagined diesel engines in every car in America, however, that dream never fully took off as the majority of Cummins' customer base were in the trucking industry versus the direct to the consumer automobile market. However, Cummins was determined to move forward and embarked on a road trip to Daytona Beach, Florida completing the 1,275-mile trip using only about $2.30 in fuel. He got 40 miles per gallon with a top speed of 80.5 mph and had all the eyewitnesses and receipts to prove it too. The reporters were amazed by the efficiency of the engine and the wire reports went out all over the world.
Then in 1931, Cummins drove from New York to Los Angeles. This journey was made in a Marion Truck outfitted with a Model U engine. The trip covered over 3,000 miles over a network of dirt and poorly paved roads and Cummins completed the journey in just 97 hours. With this success, another cross-country trip followed this time with the bus. The journey from New York to Los Angeles took just 91 hours and achieved top speeds of 60 to 65 mph. The speed of this cross-country journey was faster than many of the passenger trains in those days. In 1934 Cummins returned to the Indianapolis 500 with two new diesel cars. One car had a two-stroke engine and the other a revolutionary new four-stroke engine. Both engines were turbocharged with roots-type superchargers for top speed. However, the two-stroke engine overheated and melted the pistons, Cummins abandoned two-stroke engines and solely made four-stroke engines. With greater velocity came greater stress on the pistons which allowed the need to have four cycles. The four-stroke engines consist of four separate parts to generate power, namely intake, compression, power creation, and exhaust.
Within the next few years, the company offered the industry’s first 100,000- mile warranty. In the years that followed, Clessie’s passion for quality and dependability, guided by the leadership of J. Irwin Miller, helped Cummins Engine Co. grow quickly. Miller in 1934 became a general manager and under his leadership the company gained international prominence. Various engines were designed, and many milestones achieved by the company.
In 1956, the company opened a production facility in Scotland, marking the beginning of its global business. Cummins spread its wings around the world and by the 1960s, the company had presence in 98 countries.
Today, Cummins Inc. is an international Fortune 500 company, manufacturing and selling diesel engines, power generation, and components to customers all over the world.
The first well-known prototype of the high-compression diesel engine was built by Rudolf Diesel in 1897. Since then, the diesel engine has evolved into one of the world’s most capable and reliable forms of power generation. Clessie Lyle Cummins in 1919 founded Cummins Engine Company to improve diesel technology and produce the world’s finest engines.
Block – The Cummins diesel engine starts with a block, comprising all the parts for the basic internal combustion process. The block has open spaces for each cylinder, where the combustion process takes place.
Crankshaft – The crankshaft is the main component. The linear motion created by combustion is converted into rotation motion by this component.
Connecting Rods – This component connects the crankshaft to the cylinder and carries the force of combustion to it.
Pistons – Each connecting rod is further attached to the piston. The pistons are in the combustion chamber and move up and down in the cylinder during operation expanding gasses into mechanical energy.
Cylinder Head – It is present on top of the block and closes the combustion cylinder to contain the force of the combustion.
Valves – The valves allow the combustion gases to flow out and fresh air to flow in during the process. There are two valves for exhaust and two for intake air on each cylinder.
Fuel Injectors – This is the most complex part of the combustion system. It helps spray the fuel into the top of the cylinder in a very precise manner with highly controlled timing.
Camshaft – Most engines have a mechanical system to open and close the valves and mechanical actuation or electrical for fuel injection. The camshaft controls the timing of both.
Cylinders – Cylinders move up and down letting the fresh air in and exhaust out. These work in conjunction with piston and valves to produce a combustion event.
The crankshaft makes sure the four cylinders of the Cummins diesel engine are on different strokes for smooth operation.
To operate efficiently and smoothly, the engine must continuously deliver air, fuel, and lubrication to the cylinders. Additionally, the emissions created by the engine as by-products of combustion must be treated to meet global environmental standards. Cummins introduced the first turbochargers in the 1950s to treat the combustion. The turbocharger squeezes intake air to optimize combustion efficiency. The compressor spins through the force of exhaust gases coming out of the cylinders. Also, these gases spin a turbine, which in turn spins the compressor wheel, sending compressed fresh air to the intake valves. The camshaft controls the injection process delivering a specific amount of fuel through the spray nozzles.
The modern diesel engines use a high-pressure common rail system in which the fuel is supplied to a common tube to keep fuel available to the injectors when needed. All the moving parts of the diesel engine create a large amount of friction. Without proper lubrication, the engine can suffer severe damage. To combat this issue, a sump pan under the crankshaft, lube pump, and various drillings in the block are incorporated that supply lubricating oil to friction surfaces. This oil reduces wear and suspends microscopic particles from the engine and the combustion process to prevent them from damaging the engine. Also, the engines need to be kept clean to keep the components from damage, the advanced Cummins filters are used as they clean the air coming into the cylinder, oil in the system, and fuel into the injectors.
Today, Cummins diesel engines are the most powerful and reliable and if you want to buy one, you will find that they are a bit expensive. However, you have an alternative, you can buy a used Cummins diesel engine that will last an additional several hundred thousand miles. Used engines are cost-effective, come with a standard warranty, and are tested as well as inspected for quality.