Cummins Mining: A Powerful Legacy

The foundation of Cummins Mining is the embodiment of “great things come from humble beginnings.” It started with an entirely homegrown design: the 1926 four-cylinder, steam-powered Model F engine, used to power the first rope shovel excavator for Northwest Engineering. The only known model in the world — with a serial number just four numbers long — currently sits in the Cummins Heritage Center, a living archive in Columbus, Indiana. 

The Model F was a tough but effective teacher. It performed splendidly when pulling heavy loads at constant speeds, but its use in a power shovel demonstrated two key design weaknesses. First, the exposed valvetrain components wore out quickly in dirty environments.

Second, while fuel was fed continuously into the system — a trait that impressed operators — it also shortened the life of the power cylinder. 

Building a Culture (and Century) of Innovation

Cummins learned quickly, rolling out several design changes to the Model F. Their growing knowledge also enabled them to produce entirely redesigned, wholly enclosed engines with full oil lubrication, beginning with the Model U and all future engines in 1928. The six-cylinder Model U was one of the world’s first fully enclosed diesel engines and featured vertical valves as well as a more dependable single-disc pump. 

The following year, Cummins began production of the Model K, an “upsized” version of the Model U. This engine served as the foundation for its descendants — KO, L and LR — that would go on to serve industrial markets for the next four decades. 

Cummins’ evolution over the next decade defied the worldwide economic depression: In 1933, Cummins introduced the Model H, the first successful high-speed diesel engine produced in the United States. Initially used for heavy-duty diesel trucks and small railroad switchers, it became a popular option in the Linn Haftrak off-road load carrier used in the mining industry. The 136-horsepower, 11-liter version of the Model H provided more power than a gasoline engine, enabling the Haftrak to carry up to 20 tons at 8 mph.

It was quickly followed by the first dump truck specifically designed for mines, considered the predecessor of all modern mining haul trucks. The Euclid’s FD Series was powered by a supercharged version of the Cummins Model H with 200 horsepower and six cylinders and featured a reinforced body, protected cab roof and hydraulic tipping action.

The following decades were full of new lessons, countless improvements and regular reinventions in the service of mining operators’ needs, including:  

• Continued advancements in our mining engines, from early mechanical models to the K Series to the electronically controlled Quantum Series
• Introduction of turbocharging 
• Evolution of the fuel system for greater efficiency 
• Early leader in remote monitoring, leading to today’s PrevenTech®
• Expansion to support the global mining market 
• The acquisition of First Mode and subsequent unveiling of the world’s first hybrid electric retrofit system for mining haul trucks 
• Ongoing evolution of solutions to meet changing emissions regulations, including the adoption of alternative fuels

Today, Cummins supports miners with a network of more than 600 distributor locations and over 3,700 certified high-horsepower technicians in more than 190 countries. 

The Unrelenting Aim to Power Onward

If you’ve ever been equally proud of an obstacle you’ve overcome and an accomplishment you’ve made, then you understand the struggle to pinpoint the most important part of our mining history. Is it the wide-eyed optimism and engineering genius of a few men in the early 1920s? Is it the way every problem has been met with a more powerful solution, every weakness with groundbreaking, industry-changing advancements? Or is it the commitment to the future, the unrelenting aim to Power Onward?

It’s all of it — the pioneering, sheer stick-to-it-iveness spirit founder Clessie Cummins demonstrated from day one, sustained until today. So when we say, “We’ll stop at nothing to power you forward” to the people and industries we serve, our 100-year-old-and-counting story bears witness.