1990 - Volume #14, Issue #5, Page #15
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Tippecanoe Manufacturing Co
If you've been thinking about repowering a tractor or pickup with a diesel engine, you'll want to check out Tippecanoe Manufacturing before you get started.The Lafayette, Ind., firm works hand-in-hand with diesel engine manufacturers - primarily Cummins and Caterpillar - to develop kits for repowering pickups, tractors and larger farm trucks. Kits can be shipped direct to individuals for do-it-yourself installation or the company can do the job at their facility in Indiana. They will tackle almost any repower job on a custom basis if they don't have a kit already developed for it.
Tippecanoe supplies Cummins Engine Co. with all the pickup repower kits they sell through dealers. They also work with Caterpillar to put their engines in tractors, pickups and farm trucks.
"We're repowering a lot of gas-powered and even diesel-powered Ford and Chevy pickups," says VonHolten, noting that one popular conversion involves replacing the 7.3 liter diesel engine in Ford's F-250 pickup with a Cummins 6.9 liter engine. The 5.9 liter Cummins, which is the engine in the Dodge Ram pickup, is also a popular repower engine for many Ford and Chevy trucks.
The repower kit includes virtually everything needed to make the engine switch including air cleaner, fuel lines, throttle, linkage, header pipe, transmission adapter, radiator, hoses, belts, air intake, and so on. The kits sell for $750 to $1,500, depending on the job and not including the engine.
VonHolten says the company has had much more interest in repowering pickups and larger farm trucks than in repowering tractors. They currently have kits available for White 95,110 and 2-180 Series tractors. They have done other conversions on a custom basis.
Tippecanoe is also in the process of developing a low restrictive exhaust system for the Dodge Ram diesel pickup. It's designed to boost performance by increasing the dia. of the tailpipe from 3 to 3 1/2 in. and dia. of the exhaust from 2 3/4 in. to 3 1/2 in. VonHolten says the exhaust system fitted to Dodge trucks at the factory reduces performance. "We get a big improvement in performance, improved longevity of the engine and better fuel mileage," he says, noting that there are three systems still being evaluated in the field so final figures on improvements are not yet available. The company hopes to have the new exhaust system on the market this fall at a cost of $175 to $250.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tippecanoe Manufacturing Co., Inc., P.O. Box 5508, Lafayette, Ind. 47903.
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