The pushrod is a very important and often overlooked component in any
high horsepower build. It doesn't have to do a much, just transmit lift
from the lifter to the rocker arm, and bend or deflect as little as
possible. Reducing mass in an engine is almost always a good thing
however there are a few places, in order to work correctly under high
stress, that require a super rigid part. The problem is that more
rigidity almost always means more mass. In these applications that
require a super rigid part, pushrods, rods, wrist pins etc., to reduce
mass would be to get a part that either doesn't live long, or a part
that reduces performance. This is where pushrods fall.
There are ways to get a strong part with better design and better
materials without gaining mass in some instances. But that mindset too
often means one-off designs and exotic materials, and that means a lot
of money. In the pushrod world there is a small group of materials that
work best for the given mass. Mainly performance pushrods are made from a
form of chromoly. Ours are no different being made of 4130 chromoly
with hardened 8620 pressed in ends.
I hear some concern about pushrods and weight, but I can assure you
the negatives of additional mass are more than outweighed by the
benefits of having the valve open at the correct time, having the valve
stay open longer and the additional lift gained from no deflection
(bending).
The pushrods in street driven Cummins turning 4500rpm are just a
fraction of the weight of cup teams pushrods that spin more than double
the rpm's of a Cummins. Race teams spend millions on engine design, and
research supports a more rigid design with more mass.
Hamilton pushrods are proudly made in the USA with the highest
quality materials available. We have spent many hours designing and
comparing with every "performance" diesel pushrod on the market to make
sure we have the best. Our pushrods are 3/8” .095” wall on our heavy
duty series and 3/8” .095” on the intake and 7/16” .120” or .168” on our
exhaust pushrods on our extreme duty sets. If you don’t see what you
want, give us a shout. Some of our options include wall thickness, ball
and cup sizes, custom lengths, custom tapers, and private labeling.
