anyone ever swap out a cummins vt225/t555/ boat anchor out of a truck chassis or crane, with a dt466 or 5.9 cummins? the hp and torque wont be hard to duplicate but probably have to remember im droping 1,000lbs of ballast with the swap.
dt466 or 8.3 would be the proper choice. relitively easy swap out. the existing radiator if in good shape flow-wise should have no problem handling heat rejection of either engine choice. be sure to put the most aggressive fan available that fits in rad shroud so you get max airflow when roading. other than that engine just loafs when operating crane- only takes 100hp max to run all 3 crane functions at once. get spec weights for existing engine and replacement and add difference with nicely fabbed slab weight bolted to front bumper structure and chart will be valid. (same tare weight of rig). i don't think the 5.9 will make you happy on the "flatlands" of new hampshire, not enough torque. turbo engine version a must for noise reduction besides power.