It all literally came down to the final day at the 2014 Diesel Power Challenge. Entering that third and final day of competition there were five trucks that could have won the whole shooting match. The last day was about the sled pull, the fuel economy cruise into the Rockies, and handing out the hardware to one of the owners who still had a running truck underneath them.
Admittedly, as an east coaster my favorite part of the event is cruising highway 70 and going through the Eisenhower Tunnel at over 11,00oft of physical altitude. The scenery is incredible and the tunnel itself is pretty awesome. Being that we do this event in May, it is typically snowing at the top of the hill. I’m usually out of New England winter mode by then so the snow is less depressing and more of a fun thing to see and experience, especially for some of the southern competitors who have never seen it in person. After the fuel economy ride, it is sled pull time and we do that on a nicely prepared course using a professional grade pulling sled. All the competitors get one hook, with the caveat that they can hook again if they life before 75ft into the pull. As you will see, the approaches behind the wheel were varied. Some highly successful…some not so much. Pay attention to the frame flex in the trucks as they work. These are among the heaviest duty trucks you can buy so to see them arching and bending like they do under the strain of the sled is really something.
Lastly, stick around for the awards to see who won and hear the winner talk about the keys to his successful week in the Mile High City. I’m already excited for next year and what the future holds for this event. As OEM trucks continue to get stronger and stronger, so don’t the competitors of the Diesel Power Challenge.
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THE FINAL DAY OF THE DIESEL POWER CHALLENGE WITH THE SLED PULL, THE CRUISE, AND THE AWARDS!
Even though I knew it couldn’t win (not with half the power of the other trucks) I was really pulling for the old Ford. I think it put up a very respectable effort considering its age and power level, and it made me happy to see it.
Considering it was a manual and an older motor it was doing seriously well. The driveline in it deserves a medal as that took a serious beating in the sled-pull.
A 1-2-3 sweep by the Cummins rigs. That tells you who builds the real diesels, especially considering they were down 2 cylinders comparted to the Powerstrokes and DuraMaxs
Apparently you didn’t know that the last 2 years were won by 6.4L Fords….
I love my Cummins. By far the most industrial strength power plant available in a vehicle today. I was always a GM guy. I got a job as a Chrysler tech and a guy brought in a 1990, 300k mile cummins for a service. The engine ran like a top, the truck was completely falling apart and on it’s third trans. I was sold.