Between Omaha and Des Moines, 7 miles South of I80 | Offroadnt - 1/30/2015 20:32 4WD - 1/29/2015 14:53 NO Harm But it would be nice to see RPMs above 1100, and increasing somewhat. (I wouldn't recommend extreme lugging a diesel engine, at say 800 rpm and the load was so great, that the rpms couldn't increase, but you still keep your accelerator pedal to the floor= that would be abuse, because you should be downshifting, by then) I read in a Cat 3406B drivers manual that it was fine to lug them down to a thousand for up to ten seconds. "If you can see the crest of the hill don't bother shifting" was what was written, you can almost count the cylinders firing at that speed. I timed it also, ten seconds is a surprisingly long time. Also the way a Cat engine is governed it'll give you full power no matter where your throttle is set above actual engine speed. I agree, about the crest of hill comment, and being able to lug below "peak torque" for a short time. They also assume, that after the crest of the hill; the road, will either level off, or go downhill; thus it gives the engine and exhaust time to cool down, somewhat, after such a hard pull. Generally, peak torque, on different 3406 models (A,B,C, and E), tend to be anywhere from 1100 -1260 rpms.(depends on HP rating, sometimes) I figured I was safe, with the comment of : "RPMs above 1100 and increasing somewhat". |
Low HP truck question
