Everything You Need To Know About Cummins Crate Engines

Crate engine. The term, derived from the wooden and composite containers an engine is shipped in from the manufacturer, is used to identify a complete, ready-to-go, cost-effective powerplant that will get a vehicle on the road without too much muss or fuss. Whether you're replacing a damaged engine in your pickup truck or big rig, or have an interest in repowering a project vehicle, a crate engine is a solid option.

As Cummins diesels go, the company offers new and remanufactured crate units—everything from its popular B-Series six-cylinder engines to a 605-horsepower X15 over-the-road-engine, just to name a few.

Cummins Crate Engines for Pickup Trucks

Per the company's rundown of available engines, these are the most popular offerings for repowering a downed pickup truck. Engines for late-model Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks are at the ready, and remanufactured 5.9-liter Cummins engines are available for earlier rigs, too.

1. 2021 6.7-liter Cummins Turbodiesel
2. 2019 6.7-liter Cummins Turbodiesel (3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab)
3. 2018 6.7-liter Cummins Turbodiesel
4. 2018 6.7-liter Cummins Turbodiesel (3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab)
5. 2015 5.0-liter Cummins Turbodiesel
6. 6.7-liter Cummins Turbodiesel (Underground Mining)
7. 5.9-liter Cummins Turbodiesel (Remanufactured)
8. R2.8-liter Cummins Turbodiesel (Repower)

6.7-Liter I-6 Cummins Crate Engine Power Ratings

The 2021 6.7-liter is the newest and most powerful engine Cummins offers for the full-size, heavy-duty segment. This engine comes in two different versions: an impressive 420 horsepower/1,075 lb-ft beast, and a standard-output option for chassis cabs that produces 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque.

The 2019 6.7-liter Cummins crate engine is offered for chassis-cab rigs. Backed by the Bosch-branded high-pressure fuel system, this engine pumps out 360 horsepower and 800 lb-ft of torque, and it's a workhorse engine for service trucks.

The 2018 6.7-liter Cummins crate engine, like the newer powerplant, is offered as standard output for heavy-duty pickups, as well as reduced-power versions for Chassis Cab, underground mining, and Euro3/Euro5.

Cummins Crate Engine Applications

The 5.9-liter Cummins crate engine is also available in a few different configurations (through the ReCon program). In remanufactured form (minus ECM and wiring harness), 5.9- and 6.7-liter engines are available for 1998, 2004.5-2005.5, 2006, and 2007 Dodge Ram trucks.

5.0-Liter I-4 Cummins Crate Engine

Yes, Cummins still offers its 5.0-liter V-8 crate engine, the one you may remember was an option for the 2015 Nissan Titan XD. The 5.0-liter's performance output is rated at 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque.

R2.8-Liter I-4 Cummins Crate Engine

This is the small-but-mighty R2.8-liter I-4 crate engine. Introduced at the 2016 SEMA Show, it's Cummins' newest "Repower" offering that puts out 161 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.

One of the biggest problems with repowering a vehicle is that the engine typically ends up being pieced together over a long period of time. The R2.8 is offered as an all-inclusive kit (engine assembly, complete front-accessory drive, camshaft-driven vacuum pump, remote water/fuel/oil filters, mass airflow sensor and housing, engine wiring harness and ECM, starter, flywheel, throttle pedal, J1939 CAN display, owners manual, installation guide, Cummins Quick-Serve online access, and emissions testing information) that allows consumers to repower nearly anything with a compact, torquey turbodiesel right away.

Over-the-Road Engine Options

Since we've talked about the notable engines for the pickup truck segment, and since Cummins diesel engines were almost everywhere you looked at the Shell Rotella SuperRigs 2022 truck show, it is only right that we include Cummins crate engines that motivate the bigger rigs we see on the highways.

The X12 is an 11.9-liter I-6 turbodiesel engine designed to give weight-sensitive applications maximum-payload capability. At 2,050-pounds, the X12 is one of the lightest engines of its kind. Depending on the application, the X12 offers between 350 and 500 horsepower, and from 1,250 to 1,700 lb-ft of torque.

Cummins also offers the much larger, 14.9-liter X15 Series turbodiesels, which are available as performance-, efficiency-, or productivity-focused engines that make between 400 and 605 horsepower, and 1,450 to 2,050 lb-ft of torque.

Cummins Crate Engine Warranty

When you invest in a Cummins crate engine, be assured it is assembled using inspected and quality parts. However, if the powerplant fails, you're covered. For all Cummins Repower diesel crate engines that are sold by Cummins Inc. in the U.S. or Canada on or after October 1, 2017, and used in automotive on-highway applications, the warranty covers any failure that is a result of a defect in an engine or loose components supplied with an engine kit, as long as it occurs under normal use and service. The warranty begins upon the date the engine is delivered to the first owner and runs for two years or 2,600 hours, whichever occurs first.

Notable Projects Involved With Repower

If you refer back to the Ultimate Adventure project a few years ago, we acquired a Cummins R2.8-liter crate engine and found it a new home. The installation was a segment of a seven-part series that includes repowering a super-cool UACJ-6D project Jeep that would go on to face some of the most demanding terrain in the country.

The Ultimate Adventure consists of a 400-mile, week-long trek that puts even the toughest trucks to the test. Cummins R2.8 turbodiesel crate engines have powered all of the Ultimate Adventure projects since 2017, and have done so while offering nearly double the fuel economy of their gas-powered competition.

Watch: Cummins - The Official Turbodiesel on Ultimate Adventure