In the pre-crisis period, the percentage of Yankee imports in the total share of imported tractors jumped to an unimaginable 80%. And there were reasons for that. European two-axle tractors did not quite suit carriers operating in the east and north of the country. In these regions, the tractor requires great traction dynamics, cross-country ability and handling in difficult road and weather conditions. The first American "swallows" were purchased on the occasion, at random. Subsequently, they proved to be the best for the Russian operating conditions. And besides, they are economical in terms of fuel - the approximate consumption was 35 liters of diesel fuel per hundred kilometers. "Americans", in comparison with "Europeans", bribed truckers with their simple and, accordingly, very reliable design, the basis of which was a solid, virtually eternal frame, equally "long-playing" powerful and unpretentious power units, less "capricious" suspension.
As for the engines, the resource of American diesels reached mind-boggling values, sometimes reaching up to 3 million kilometers. And even more. Moreover, the more voluminous, in comparison with the Europeans, the displacement and the lower compression ratio gave a tangible increase in traction and less loading of the structure. The resource of engines of American trucks exceeded that of the Europeans by almost two times. On imported cars, the tone was set by a trio of engine builders: Caterpillar, Cummins and Detroit Diesel. It is curious that it was almost impossible to find a European-made diesel engine on "Americans" created in an alliance with manufacturers from the old world, such as Volvo or Freightliner. By the way, American diesels did not meet European standards Euro 4 and Euro 5. According to the mechanics, there was no fundamental difference in which engine was on the tractor. Although each had its own nuances. So, for example, Cummins, in spite of the fact that American tractors, in principle, were not known as "gourmets", reacted to poor quality diesel fuel by the failure of expensive ($ 500-700 apiece) pump nozzles. And to remove the camshaft, it was required to "scatter" half the motor. Turbine repair kits were provided for Detroit Diesel and Cummins, and for Caterpillar, the turbine, which cost under two thousand dollars, was changed in assembly.