The Humvee replacement is here, and it’s bad ass!
This vehicle is the result of a years long design and test competition involving the biggest names in the defense and diesel engine industry. The Oshkosh JLTV has destroyed the competition. The staff at Banks Power, the exclusive engine supplier, has been deeply involved in the creation of the most advanced, fastest and safest light tactical vehicle…Ever!
The same team builds Banks Power products for your truck, both diesel or gasoline powered. We’ve got your solution, no one else in the industry, even comes close…
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Latest News
Dyno Chassis Construction
In our last progress report on the upgrades happening in Dyno cell #2 we showed the plans that the CAD department had developed for the completed dyno assembly. Just like any structure, it all starts with a foundation, but in this case, that foundation must be extra stout so it can handle the massive torque and twist ...
Read moreBelgian Military Orders JLTVs
Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corp. company, announced that the Belgium Ministry of Defense has awarded Oshkosh Defense a contract for 322 Oshkosh Defense Command and Liaison Vehicles (CLV) for the Belgium Defense Forces.
Banks Tech, a division of Gale Banks Engineering, manufactures the powerplant, a purpose-built Duramax diesel engine based on the architecture of the ...
Read moreUnstoppable DMAX Plant Builds 374 Engines for Banks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCZedsdI7GU
It’s not news to anyone that the COVID-19 virus has ravaged the country, caused businesses and virtually our entire economy to shutter to a halt, and has changed the way we all live our lives. The automotive industry is not immune, and as such plants across the United States have stopped making the needed components ...
Read moreGeneral Motors reopens Duramax plant during crisis
At the request of Banks Technologies (sister company to Banks Power), General Motors reopened the Duramax engine plant in Moraine, Ohio, to build Banks D866T defense-specific 6.6-liter diesel base engines. These engines power the U.S. Military’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, the replacement for the HMMWV (Humvee).
As you may have heard, the DMAX Ltd. plant ...
Read moreWe Drive the JLTV, the Humvee’s Successor
The stronger, faster, and much safer replacement for the popular but vulnerable Humvee is finally here. And we got to drive it.
Keep your hands loose on the wheel. I remind myself of this as we fly across a section of foot-deep ruts at 20 mph. You want to let the independent suspension do the work ...
Read moreDid I mention that the Banks 866T Diesel Engine powers every Oshkosh JLTV?
The JLTV program is providing our military with the world’s most capable light tactical vehicle.
But what is the JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) and why is it so important?
Oshkosh, the manufacturers of the JLTV, put it this way: “The JLTV program remains a top priority for the Department of Defense, filling a critical capability gap ...
Read moreMeet the New Humvee: The Oshkosh JLTV Coming Soon To Your Local Army Base
Recently, “The Fast Lane Truck” visited a military expo and found out more about the OshKosh JLTV. Take a look at their video to find out more.
Meet the New Humvee: The Oshkosh JLTV Coming Soon To Your Local Army Base
by: The Fast Lane Truck
Read moreAUSA 2016 – Oshkosh Shows Off Big Gun JLTV: 30mm Cannon
Isn’t the OshKosh JLTV, powered by Banks Power, already the most bad ass military vehicle out there? Yes… but wait, what if they add a 30mm remote operated weapon system where you fire it from the safety of the vehicle! What would you call a bad ass military vehicle with a bad ass weapons system, ...
Read morePinch me… I gotta be dreamin’ !
An old and dear friend sent me an email recently. The subject line was, “I am so jealous” followed by, “Gale; you have made the perfect gear head life”! My first thought was, “how the hell did I pull that off”?
Well, I think I have turbocharging to thank for that, not to mention my 60 ...
Read moreFour Decades Defending Our Country
This July, Banks Power celebrates 40 years of designing and providing turbocharged gasoline and diesel engines for military water craft and wheeled vehicles. I’m not supposed to know where they go and what they do. But I do know that some very brave people deploy with them. A few of those, I’m honored to say, ...
Read moreHappy Birthday America
Today America is 240 years old. Here’s a collection of Gale’s posts that illustrates just how great our country is. Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!
Honey…I’m Home! Is the coffee on?
Only Gearheads could come up with an aircraft like this! Go for a ride in a VTOL Harrier! The landing is worth waiting for! I promised ...
Read moreDateline June 29, 2016. Moraine, Ohio – Magic happened today and I got be there…!
The final special machining operation on the first full production run of Banks 866T base engines is complete! These Dmax folks are something special, I’m humbled by their professionalism and their friendship.
July will be a big deal for our Defense Engine Division, Banks Technologies as we start initial production of our Banks 866T engines for ...
Read more#TBT…We Went to Pikes Peak With an Agenda
The Banks 866T V8 Turbo Diesel powered Oshkosh JLTV, the tactical vehicle of the future, testing at altitude, God knows where.
Using turbocharging we wanted to go fast and learn how to make big power, with No Air. At 14,000′ we refined our turbo control knowledge, then we applied it where it really matters. The military.
Read more ...
Read moreDiesel Army Takes Banks By Surprise!
I had no idea that this article was coming… “Humvee Replacement Will Be Powered By Banks”
The largest effort in our company’s history has resulted in our most important win, ever!
And, we weren’t racing!
The combined institutional knowledge of the thousands of people that have worked at Banks over the last 58 years lead to this win.
I ...
Read moreBanks 866T for JLTV Program Ships Out
The first post-contract, Banks 866T Turbo Diesel Engine, for the new Oshkosh-built JLTV has shipped out. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is the replacement for the venerable Humvee (HMMWV). Oshkosh uses the tag line, “Oshkosh is JLTV. Anything else is something less.” Well, we’re proud to be part of the team for the JLTV, and ...
Read moreBanks Wins Massive Engine Contract
The best engineering team in the racing and performance aftermarket, has won the biggest military engine contract…in the last 30 years!
This is a fact, for the last 58 years, when we race we win! The Banks JLTV military engine development project was treated with the same intensity and excellence we apply to everything we race ...
Read moreOshkosh Wins $6.75 Billion Contract To Replace HMMWV
This just in;
Oshkosh Truck will build 17,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) under a contract awarded today, with a possible total build of 55,000 units.
The JLTV leverages 90 years of Oshkosh know how combined with 57 years of Banks know how, to produce the winning combination!
Dynamometer durability testing at Banks Power, early in the program.
All ...
Read moreOshkosh Attacks The Baja 1000
Testing a New Tactical Diesel-Electric Hybrid
The Baja 1000 is a two-day, 1,000-mile, off-road race that takes place every year in Mexico. It’s one of the most grueling motorsports events in the world. During a good year, only 58 percent of the vehicles that start the race ever cross the finish line. So when Oshkosh Defense ...
Read moreBanks Technologies Diesels Power Oshkosh Extreme Racing in the Baja 1000
It’s not unheard of for experimental prototype vehicles to run in the Baja 1000, but even so, it’s quite unusual. That’s why the Oshkosh Extreme Racing team’s Light Concept Vehicle (LCV) created a stir in this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Largely unnoticed in the racing excitement was the fact that both prototype LCVs were ...
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