Here at Orange County Diesel, in Huntington Beach, California we’ve experienced an interesting trend from within our customer base. Those who have chosen the Dodge RAM with the Cummins engine as their diesel pick-up truck of choice usually have done so on their second go around. There was a noticeable trend switch over the past several years in regards to the popular brand pick-up truck. In the nineties, most people shunned away from the Dodge RAM Cummins truck, and not because of the power plant it came with, but more so because of the small space-less extended cab configuration offered from the factory. This lack of leg room inside the rear cab area in the Generation 1 – 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel for Ram Trucks (1989-1993) was too small for most people’s comfort and therefore led them to a different brand of truck. Another reason why we noticed people not going with the Dodge RAM Cummins early on was due to the limited aftermarket parts and accessories offered, like suspension lift kits, shocks, side steps, grilles and wheel options. Only the Cummins loyal light duty diesel truck enthusiasts seemed to know the benefits that the engine offered and therefore put up with the extended cab configuration and lack of accessories. In most cases, the customer had the truck for one purpose, to work hard for them on the road! In the shop we’d hear it time and again where owners loyalty to the Cummins brand overpowered all else. They’d say things like, “…if the Cummins was planted in a Toyota, then I’d buy a Toyota.”
The Generation 2 – 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel for Ram Trucks (1994-2002) really set the pace for the light duty diesel pick-up market as well as the diesel performance parts market, too. In fact, diesel performance parts were offered during that era for that truck more than any other diesel pick-up truck on the road. Pioneer manufactures like Edge Products practically developed their entire company and product line around the 5.9L Cummins. Orange County Diesel and other shops across the nation experienced more high performance diesel modifications on that generation of truck more so than any other truck, simply due to the engine authority. Aggressive air induction and fuel delivery methods, black smoke and the ability to tow a 15K pound trailer up over Cajon Pass above 60 MPH marked the beginning of a change in our customers’ perspective moving toward the RAM Cummins, however it didn’t seem to be enough to get the “new diesel pick-up truck owner” to pull the trigger on buying a Dodge RAM Cummins off the start. We’d receive calls all the time at the shop, still do, where customers ask, “…what is the best diesel pick-up truck on the market? I tow a heavy trailer and I want good fuel economy…” Our perspective is simple; there’s a very good reason why top Class A motorhome chassis manufactures like Fleetwood, Freightliner and Spartan built their coaches with the inline six 5.9L Cummins opposed to other brands, and the same goes for many medium duty trucks, too. It delivers the results needed to move heavy loads. Gale Banks of Banks Power capitalized on the RV market early on by building a “Power Package” for motorhomes that came equipped with it. The saving grace for the Dodge RAM diesel is that the 5.9L Cummins is a medium duty engine in a light duty truck.
It wasn’t until Generation 3 – 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel for Ram Trucks (2003-2009) when customers started showing up at the shop with their possessed pride and joy! However, for many of them, it was their second diesel truck. The proven 5.9L compared to the other light duty diesel trucks definitely made a mark by the time the Generation 4 – 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel for Ram Trucks (2010 to present) was released. Interestingly, the Midwest and East coast diesel folks were aware of the Cummins benefits years before the west coast. We believe a large part of this knowledge is due to the aftermarket diesel performance products that surround the increased horsepower of the Cummins engine. Diesel sled pulling and drag racing events, a commonplace in other parts of the county, led the movement of aftermarket diesel performance products to bigger and badder, almost limitless power, a Cummins diesel engine could provide.
As in other motorsports, the same hold true for the diesel performance industry. Pushing the envelope with an engine allows us to learn and see just how far we can go and at what cost. This information becomes valuable to our customer who wants a little more horsepower to help him tow his trailer up the grade. We are able to properly guide him because we are experienced on all levels of diesel and performance, from over-the-top power to the simplest of mods. A large portion of our customers who come in for diagnostic service and repair or performance and accessories owns a diesel truck because they are towing a heavy toy hauler trailer full of dirt bikes, quads, Razors out to the desert in the winter or a boat to the river in the summer. Either way they’re always curious for a little more power and fuel economy.
