By , the Cummins Company knew the automotive industry was the way to advance its technology and brand. A diesel engine built specifically for the commercial trucking market. Of course, it would later find application on a host of heavy-duty, consumer pickup trucks.
Today, Cummins engines are not only used in medium and heavy-duty trucks, but also manufactured for commercial engines that serve in many industries and equipment. These range from construction, mining and drilling, agriculture, rail, and military defense systems.
A Cummins Diesel Engine was an improvement on the original diesel engine technology developed by Rudolf Diesel in A diesel engine is very similar to a gasoline engine — except of course for the type of fuel used for combustion which then generates the power to drive the mechanical functions of a car namely the drive train. The other difference is instead of the fuel being mixed with air then compressed by pistons and ignited by sparks, a diesel engine compresses the air first, then injects the fuel.
Compressed air heats up automatically, and it is this hot, compressed air that ignites the fuel for combustion. Also, a Cummins engine will have distinct differences in the engine block and cylinder head construction, the compression ratio, bore, and stroke, as well as the firing order.
You may wonder why the Cummins engine is such a highly sought after truck engine. Irwin and Cummins were first introduced to diesel engines in when they witnessed an imported Dutch engine from manufacturer R. Hvid Company on tour in the United States. Cummins and Irwin were impressed with the new technology only invented 19 years earlier by Rudolf Diesel and sought a way to distribute Hvid engines to customers in America.
After traveling to the Netherlands, Irwin and Cummins were awarded a license to sell Hvid engines in the United States. Cummins produced a re-designed 8 hp Hvid engine with his own improvements. The company made enough money to cover the costs of operations.
By Cummins had successfully secured 2 out of 33 submitted patents for improved fuel efficiency and manifold technology for the licensed Hvid engines. Cummins Factory - Cummins Engine History Timeline By Cummins applied his new designs to his own Model F engine which was entirely designed on his own accord, thus ending the partnership with R.
Hvid Company. Initially, business was booming for the new company. They purchased the engines, used them for a single season, and then returned them for a refund. Engines were run at full load without regard for safety or maintenance. It is said that the first limited engine warranty was born from these early trials and tribulations to protect manufactures from reckless consumers.
Cummins Diesel Powered Packard - Cummins Engine History Timeline Cummins realized that industrial application engines were not the best route for the growing business considering the wear farmers did to their engines. Dirt, mud and foliage particulate matter often clogged the engines, which were at the time often exposed to the elements on makeshift plows. Cummins was convinced the future of diesel engines was in over-the-road trucks and cars. To demonstrate the efficiency of diesel to the general public he installed one of his diesel engines in his Packard and drove from Indiana to New York.
The event was not publicized but Cummins had in his mind to present the car at the New York Auto Show at the end of his journey. The diesel engine averaged 26 miles per gallon which is an amazing feat which is still quite impressive today. When Cummins got to New York he was turned away from the auto show as he was not a registered exhibitor.
However, Cummins was determined to show the public his invention and he once again tried to display his car at the nearby Atlantic City Auto Show only to be turned away.
Cummins had a brilliant idea to rent the empty space across the street from the convention center. His perseverance paid off and it turned out his exhibit ended up being more of a major attraction than most of the cars at the actual auto show. Even though the country was in the midst of a Great Depression, Cummins had already decided to go ahead and market a strictly over the road diesel engine for the consumer market prior to The orders from his Model U engines poured in after his first auto show appearance.
However, Cummins had not anticipated the demand. The engine guzzled oil and he had made no provisions for an assembly line process in his factory back in Indiana. This first consumer diesel engine would be known as the Model U. Model U Cummins engine history is a bit blurry today but there are still a few left in the world which actually still work. First he had to prove his diesel engine was every bit economical and could compete with gasoline engines which were in the majority of automobiles.
A lot of interest in diesel dried up when the stock market crashed in but Irwin continue to support the company to stave off bankruptcy. In fact, many of his engines were used in luxury yachts and marine applications. However, after the depression set in all of that luxury market disappeared. William Irwin just so happened to own a controlling interest in Purity Supreme Supermarkets in California.
Cummins convinced Irwin to install his diesel engines in his fleet of trucks used to transport food goods from the warehouses to the stores. It was the perfect fit for the two companies.
The diesel engines performed better on the steep mountain roads, were less prone to maintenance issues than gasoline engines are were more fuel efficient. The word spread about the benefits of using diesel engines in heavy duty trucks and the over-the-road truck industry was born. Cummins would become synonymous with truck engines from that point on. Truck engines would keep the company going but Cummins still had his sights for something bigger.
He envisioned diesel engines in every car in America. That dream would never fully take off; it took a while but the majority of Cummins' customer base would be involved in the trucking industry vs.
Cummins Test Bus - s Cummins Engine History Timeline Cummins was determined to keep moving forward and in he staged a smaller road trip to Daytona Beach, Florida to meet up with famed British racer Kaye Don who was attempting to set a new land speed record. He got 40 miles per gallon with a top speed of The reporters were amazed with the efficiency of the engine and the wire reports went out all over the world. Cummins was gaining traction despite tough economic times.
The second great exhibition Cummins staged happened in where he drove from New York to Los Angeles. Unlike the first road trip Cummins embarked upon a year earlier, this one was high publicized. The journey was made in a Marion Truck outfitted with a Model U engine.
The trip would cover over 3, miles over a network of dirt roads and poorly paved thoroughfares. Cummins managed to complete the journey in only 97 hours; more than 25 years before the construction of the national interstate highway system instituted by President Eisenhower. The success of the second exhibition led to some notoriety nationally for Cummins.
He followed his success with another cross country trip however this time with a bus. That journey from, New York to Los Angeles, took 91 hours and achieved top speeds of 60 to 65 mph. Earlier this month, Cummins completed the purchase of Hydrogenics Corp.
The Cummins-Ram partnership started in , with a 5. Cummins replaced the 5. At a ceremony in October celebrating the 1. The length of the partnership between Cummins and Ram is rare in the auto industry these days, said Mike Koval, director of U. Ram brand product marketing. Cummins and Hyundai Motor Company are partnering to develop and commercialize electric and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains. Cummins Inc. Cummins currently makes a 6.
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