[hurryinhoosier62]

big hammer,

You REALLY shouldn't compare a 3208 (I've machined HUNDREDS!!) to the 3408. The 3208 is a MID-RANGE diesel, while the 3408 is a HEAVY diesel engine. Apparently, no one has ever told you the Detroit 8V71s and 8V92 were some of the MOST POPULAR and DURABLE OTR powerplants EVER built. Do YOU know WHY Detroit Diesel stopped building them? It had NOTHING to do with durability; they couldn't meet emission specs.How much do you know about locomotives or tow boats? Growing up in S. central Indiana along the banks of the Ohio, you learn a great deal about tow boats. Jeffboat(largest inland shipyard in the U.S.) builds them regularly. They are normally powered by EMD(ElectroMotive Division) V-12s or V-16s (4,500hp -7,000hp). Ever seen one? I have.I used to build the fuel injectors for them along with the older ALCOs. Look at your arm. That's how long the SOBs are. Additionally, they weigh around 100lbs EACH.Care to guess HOW LONG these engines stay in service? ON AVERAGE, 20yrs. The old Fairbanks Morse inline compounds averaged around 5-7yrs. I presume you're going to assert that these engines(EMDs and ALCOs) don't see any loads, aren't you? The average tow boat displaces around 200 tons(400,000lbs). An average barge displaces around 75-100 tons depending on length(144,000-200,000lbs) EMPTY. The AVERAGE 30 barge tow has a total displacement of 3200 tons EMPTY. This same tow can handle a load equal to that carried by 150 tractor/trailer combos. That's 9 MILLION POUNDS!! Remember, these are those "unreliable" V style diesels you CONTINUE to opine about. Yes, the current crop of Class 8, inline diesels are far more powerful and reliable than their V-style predecessors. HOW MANY years of re-engineering and federal mandates did it take to achieve these numbers? I can remember when the NT-855 Cummins was the "hottest" inline you could get and it STILL gave up nearly 70hp to the 8V92s. (250 vs 318). We had customers we built K1250 and K2500 series Cummins for because NO OTHER inline was powerful and RELIABLE enough. They modified their tractors(lengthed the nose by 2ft) to fit these monsters under the hoods. We also built 12V71s for others that needed more power. I'll close with this point. The biggest V-12s I have personally machined are the 12V149 Detroits. We had a contract with Amax Coal to rebuild these monsters. They were used to supply electrical power to coal mines(underground) in S.Illinois. These engines ran 24/7. Even if the mines weren't in operation, the engines and generators had to run to keep the water pumps operating. Try THAT with an inline!!