Summary

• RAM vans are gaining floor towards opponents like Toyota, showcasing exceptional feats of sturdiness and reliability in the long term.
• Cummins engines play a key function in attaining high-mileage benchmarks, as showcased by RAM truck homeowners surpassing 1,000,000 miles.
• Regular upkeep, devoted mechanics like Forest Cunningham, and the belief within the 5.9-liter Cummins engine contribute to the longevity of RAM vans.

The assured model and simple performance of pickup vans make them among the many best-selling cars. Within this broad phase, RAM vans stand out as one of the well-known pickup truck traces. In current years, they’ve gained important floor towards their opponents, rising as a risk to brands like Toyota, known for their reliability.

While RAM vans will not be famend for being extraordinarily dependable, as mirrored in Repair Pal’s reliability scores of three.5/5 for the 1500, 2.5/5 for the 2500, and a pair of/5 for the 3500, some fashions can nonetheless ship admirable efficiency, due to each the truck itself and the upkeep carried out by its proprietor through the years. As it’s possible you’ll agree, there is no higher approach to show this than by sharing real-life instances of people attaining unbelievable feats, similar to surpassing the million-mile mark.

What’s noteworthy about RAM vans is that there are many instances of individuals surpassing 1,000,000 miles with certainly one of their automobiles, and so they all have one factor in widespread: the extremely sturdy Cummins engine. Since not all homeowners share their achievements, it is tough to find out which particular truck at present holds the very best mileage document, however every case is particular and deserves recognition.

In order to provide the most recent and correct info potential, the info used to compile this text was sourced from RAM, Cummins, and Repair Pal.

Owner Of A Dodge RAM 3500 Crossed The Two Million Miles Mark

Crossing the one million-mile mark is already a tremendous achievement for a truck proprietor, however there are instances that actually appear unreal. That’s exactly what occurred with Howard Clayton and his Dodge RAM 3500.

His Job As A Contract Driver Justifies His Remarkably High Mileage

In 2011, Farm Show Magazine first connected with Howard Clayton, a resident of Waterloo, Iowa. At that point, he had already pushed his 2000 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup practically 1.7 million miles. Years later, they determined to examine if he was nonetheless driving it, and certainly he was. They found out that it had already reached 2.5 million miles, a fairly unique feat on the earth of vans.

The motive Clayton is ready to accumulate so many miles every year is his job. Although he lives in Iowa, technically he “lives in his truck”, delivering fifth-wheel camper trailers from Indiana producers to sellers throughout the nation. Due to his work as a contract driver, he racks up greater than 130,000 miles a yr, working 12 months a yr and sometimes being on the street for 5 to 6 weeks at a time.

I’ve been in each state of the decrease 48, and a number of other provinces in Canada”, Clayton says proudly. “I’ve been doing this so lengthy I do know the nice locations to remain and eat and have truck cease buddies all around the nation.

The Key Lies In Finding Yourself A Reliable Mechanic

When listening to about these instances, one naturally wonders what it’s that permits a truck to endure such high mileage. The greatest approach to discover out is to depend on the testimony of his mechanic, Forest Cunningham, from Missouri, recognized for his work on gasoline pumps and high-mileage engines.

Cunningham to Farm Show Magazine

Once a yr we clear out all of the fluids and refill with recent synthetics. He has a custom-built set of injectors, a inventory injection pump, and an aftermarket machine that alters injection timing. He will get greater than 300 horsepower with that engine, and I don’t know how a lot torque.

Clayton has needed to substitute the battery, alternator, and raise pumps. The closest he has come to engine issues was changing a head gasket, although he has had a few oil leaks through the years.

Moreover, whereas he depends on artificial Rotella 1540 for engine oil and Fleetguard oil filters, the transmission and rear-end fluids are additionally artificial. He offers them a minimum of a part of the credit score for by no means having touched the 6-speed transmission or the rear finish. Additionally, Clayton makes use of a gasoline therapy year-round to maintain his injectors clear, in addition to utilizing Lucas Oil Additive. He provides half a quart of the thickening agent with each oil change.

It thickens the oil simply sufficient for higher oil strain,” says Clayton. “You don’t need it too thick, particularly within the winter.

Clayton says there aren’t any secrets and techniques to what he and Cunningham do. “I try to keep an eye on maintenance, and if anything goes wrong, I take care of it immediately.”

Despite The Wear And Tear, The Engine Endured Without Replacement

The most shocking element about this case is the truth that Clayton by no means changed his 5.9-liter Cummins engine in any case these years and the in depth mileage placed on his truck.

Clayton Explained

I ordered the 3500 1-ton dually with a 5.9-liter engine in 2000 and I’ve been driving it ever since. It’s by no means precipitated me a lick of issues as a result of I take note of common upkeep and alter the oil and filter each 10,000 miles.

Between the primary and second visits by Farm Show Magazine, the engine underwent an overhaul as soon as, with new pistons, bearings, and a crank. Additionally, he is put in a brand new transmission and rear finish and gone by means of a number of units of tires. All of this upkeep was additionally carried out by Forest Cunningham, his trusted mechanic who retains the beast operating easily.

At the time of the second interview, Clayton was 74 years previous and nonetheless working full days, leaving early within the morning and parking at a spot of his option to eat and sleep comfortably earlier than persevering with his journey.

There’s increasingly more vans on the street yearly, and I’m simply one of many old-timers,” Clayton acknowledged. “I’ll preserve at this so long as I can and so long as my truck retains operating clean.

Other RAM Truck Owners Who Also Reached The Million-Mile Milestone

As unbelievable as it could appear, the earlier case isn’t the one one through which a RAM truck surpassed the million-mile mark. While not as grandiose as Clayton’s achievement, Gary Johnson and Donald Jensen are two extra of the various instances the place people surpassed a thousand miles aboard their RAMs, and consider me once I say there are even more out there.

Gary Johnson Hit The 1.4 Million Mile Mark In His 1997 Dodge 3500

Gary Johnson, from Killeen, Texas, has been driving his 1997 Dodge 3500 since he purchased it model new and has greater than 1.4 million miles on his truck. Pickup Truck Talk was the first to learn about this story again in 2021, after which they instantly organized an interview with him to share his expertise. Unlike the earlier case, Gary confronted many challenges in sustaining his truck, primarily mirrored in quite a few powertrain points.

Gary defined that he was in a position to rack up these miles as an RV hauler and trailer hauler, which required him to drive throughout the nation and even into Canada. Additionally, he has taken his truck to Alaska a number of occasions whereas pulling his personal camper.

Over the years, Johnson has changed the transmission 12 occasions and has swapped out the Cummins engine 3 occasions, with a type of cases being a rebuild! The motive for this? Oil utilization. The engine he had on the time was in nice form, though it was consuming oil just like the earlier ones. Additionally, Gary talked about that the physique of the truck was in fairly good condition aside from some rust on the fenders in entrance of the doorways, although he clarified that this was his fault for drilling holes for mud flaps and never sealing the steel backup.

After all these issues and miles traveled, Gary declared that he nonetheless wasn’t keen to purchase a brand new truck, and he made it clear how he felt about new engines.

This is a mechanical engine, and I can work on it,” Johnson mentioned. “The newer engines you may’t work on. … I examine all the issues they’ve with them on boards.

Donald Jensen, Another RV Hauler, Reached The 1.75 Million Mile Mark

Another case demonstrating that surpassing the million-mile mark in a RAM is feasible is that of Donald Jensen together with his 2007 Dodge Ram 2500, which, on the time his expertise was found, had round 1.75 million miles beneath its belt.

Like the earlier instances, one thing that appears to be a standard denominator amongst homeowners of RAMs with excessive mileage, Donald transports RVs from Indiana. He has traveled to 48 states and 10 Canadian provinces. When requested in regards to the motive for his achievement, he credited the engine and referenced the upkeep carried out by the mechanics at Brickner Motors.

Cummins delivers the ability and effectivity to make my job fulfilling”, he acknowledged. “Every time this truck goes within the store it’s a brand new document as we’re in uncharted territory. Things that don’t usually put on out, have to be changed, similar to my driver’s seat.

However, Donald doesn’t have an official approach to show his unbelievable feat as he had his instrument cluster changed at 533,752 miles, then one other cluster was added at 626,369 miles for a complete of 1,150,121 plus regardless of the present odometer is studying. At the time of the interview with High Mile Club, the cluster confirmed 599,889 for a complete of 1,750,010 miles. Nevertheless, Cummins turned conscious of the state of affairs and took him at his phrase to permit him entry into the unique Cummins Million Mile Club.

The Key Element Behind Success: The Cummins Engine

When we speak about RAM vans, they are not often related to very excessive reliability, as talked about earlier. However, we’re going through a number of instances the place the million-mile mark has been surpassed, an achievement that isn’t insignificant, particularly in a truck that wasn’t anticipated to carry out so properly. That’s why it is price on the lookout for the explanation behind this.

When we take a more in-depth take a look at the widespread denominator of those instances, we see that all of the engines have been designed and manufactured by Cummins, the American firm originating from the neighborhood of Columbus, Indiana.

The 5.9-Liter Engine From Cummins Stepped Up Big Time

Not solely was the engine in every of the instances Cummins-made, nevertheless it was at all times the identical 5.9-liter engine. How about that?

The unique 5.9-liter Cummins B-series engine was a revolution in its day, and the introduction of the ISB 5.9 in 1998 gave RAM drivers even larger energy. With 4 valves per cylinder and digital engine administration, it became a favorite among truck drivers. Over its nine-year run in RAM pickups, energy numbers elevated considerably, ranging from 215 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque and finally reaching 325 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque.

5.9-Liter Cummins Engine Specs

(Data sourced from Cummins)

It Evolved Into the 6.7-Liter Turbo Diesel In 2007

The Cummins 5.9-liter inline 6-cylinder was a fan favourite in RAM pickups for years, however the necessity to ship extra energy and meet stricter emissions necessities led to its evolution into the 6.7-liter Turbo Diesel in mid-2007. A wide range of enhancements – together with larger displacement – made it an actual crowd-pleaser as RAM homeowners gained much more energy, improved gasoline effectivity, and a quieter, cleaner-running engine.

The Manufacturer Of The Engine Even Founded The “Cummins High Mileage Club” To Honor Its Devoted Customers

Cummins is extraordinarily assured within the reliability and sturdiness of its engines. With Cummins possession comes high-mileage bragging rights, and a automobile with a excessive odometer studying is a testomony to its sturdiness and endurance. Vehicles that proceed to carry out properly after surpassing 200,000 miles are an indication of outstanding engineering, however there are lots of instances that go far past that, exceeding that mark six occasions over.

According to Cummins’ Website

Cummins pickup truck engines present legendary energy, reliability, and sturdiness. No surprise so many pickup truck homeowners insist on Cummins or nothing in any respect.

That’s a daring assertion to say, however you may’t argue with them after they have an extremely excessive quantity of proof to backfire.

The Cummins High Mileage Club Was Established For Those Who Surpass The 100,000-Mile Benchmark

As proof of Cummins’ dedication to engine engineering and endurance, they established the Cummins High Mileage Club for anybody who surpasses the 100,000-mile mark. And as if that weren’t sufficient, they later created the Cummins Million Mile Club to formally acknowledge all Cummins-powered automobile homeowners who’ve handed the a million mark.

If your Cummins-powered RAM, TITAN XD pickup, Cummins-Repowered crate engine automobile, RV, or different Cummins-powered automobile has surpassed the 100,000-mile mark, we might be honored to have you ever within the Cummins High Mileage Club.

Since its inception in 2010, the Cummins High Mileage Club has welcomed over 20,000 members. As a member, after each 100,000 miles, it is possible for you to to order a brand new die-cast Cummins grille badge to proudly show your mileage milestones.

While studying this may appear to be a pleasing chance, it is truly fairly spectacular, contemplating that some automobiles wrestle to achieve 150,000 miles earlier than encountering so many issues that they are not even price repairing. These instances show that, while you fall in love along with your truck, you will be keen to do all the things in your energy to maintain it in the absolute best situation so that you by no means should half methods with it. Fortunately for us, these achievements reward us with a fantastic story price sharing.