I'm looking at repowering my old Grove. It's a tms 300, detroit 6-71, 13 speed trans., old 20" rubber on Dayton rears. I'm tired of 15mph and less on the hills I travel. I don't want to go 60-70mph, I'd just like to be able to hold 45-50. I've done one in a smaller 3 axle crane to a L-10 cummins, but I'm looking at 855- n14, cat 3406, and detroit 60 series. The cats are almost too big for the room I have (they're heavy too). The 855, n-14, and the cats have all the important stuff (air comp, pump, computer) all on the front drivers side, where you can't get at it b/c of the lower cab. The 60 series make big horsepower,and look like they would fit better size wise, I just haven't been around them. I've actually been looking at the mack e-7 mechanical pump motors, most of the stuff is on the right hand side, and physically its a smaller motor. I just know even less about those than detroit 60 series. I'm actually thinking of buying a used over the road tractor, and simply gutting it for the engine, tranny and rears, b/c then I'll have all the little stuff (throttle, intercooler, radiator, computer) and probably cheaper than I can buy just a motor and tranny from the junkyard. Probably the biggest issues are that I need to run a front pto to my hyd pumps, the engine compartment size problems , and my rear tandem weighs 44k. Advice or opinions?
I don't know much about the 60 Detroit myself, but I've heard nothing but good things from folks who operate them. I don't know what type of front balancer they use to connect the pump drive shaft to though, but I have worked on a Link Belt 80 ton that had a 60 series in it, so it must be compatible. Also would likely need steering pump similar to what your machine uses now. And I can't remember how the TMS300 was arraigned, but I recall that on many older cranes that the steering pump was also the pump for the outriggers, a bit bigger pump than a typical power steering pump.
A lot of the newer truck cranes don't use a front driveshaft/gearbox and pumps. The ones I've been around have a multi stage pump mounted on top of the transmission. The power steering pump on mine isn't really that big, all it does is the double steer axles, but it is slightly bigger than the standard pump. The nice thing with the 6-71 is how power steering and air compressor mount on the rear of the engine. I'd be a lot more fired up to replace the 6-71, if the motor itself had troubles, but it actually runs really well, its just 76,000 with 210hp and steep hills is no fun. On the over the road trucks with 40k rear ends, is the 40 k based on the suspension strength, or the bearings/spindles/housings of the axles? I'm planning on keeping the walking beam suspension, I would like to switch to pilot hubs and s cam brakes on newer axles. I think I would just like to get everything rounded up to do the swapping, so if I have motor/trans/rear end troubles, I'll be ready to do it. I think the best truck to find, may be a cement mixer truck with a shot drum. Most of them have heavy rears, and are set up to run a front pump. I've noticed that the newer ones of those have also gone away from the front pumps and to transmission mounted pumps. That and most of the rear ends are covered with cement.