what's a hemi in a dodge engine? what's the difference between a 1/2 ton & a 3/4 ton truck?

Answer 1

"Hemi" refers to the hemishperical (half sphere, or half rounded) shape of the combustion chamber in the cylinder head (for each cylinder).

The pistons used in such engines are also dome-shaped.

The combustion chamber is the space between the piston and the inside of the cylinder head when the piston is at Top Dead Center (TDC) when the spark plug fires and ignites the gas-air mixture.

hemispherical shape of the combustion chamber and piston allows for a much higher compression of the gas-air mixture than in older engines, and thus generates more power when the highly compressed mixture is ignited.

All engines are like this today. There was a time, in the 1950s, when pistons were flat on top, and the combustion chambers were very large because the valves were off to the side of the cylinder (the intake and exhaust valves are where the gas-air mixture goes in before being burned and goes out as exhaust after being burned) . In the 1950s, Overhead Valve engines were developed (OHV) and later Overhead Cams OHC and even Double Overhead Cams (DOHC) were developed allowing the vlves to be positioned right over the cylinder, allowing for a much smaller combustion chamber, and higher compression, and more power per cubic inch of displacement (the difference in volume or space in the cylinder when the piston is down at Bottom Dead Center (BDC) and at up at TDC.

Even though these engines were common in the 60s, Dodge still advertised it as though it were the only maker to offer such engines. That Dodge still does so today is only because so few people know anything at all about engines, because our boys nowadays are all sissies and would rather play video games than go fast on a bike or in a car. And all of our cars are made in Japan, and there is no way to get any enjoyment out of making them go faster anyway.

When I was a kid, growing up in rural England, the thought of having a Japanese car or motorcycle would have been as odd as having squid for breakfast.

Answer 2

Basically a hemi means the engine has a hemispherical combustion chamber. The benefits of this are that you can run bigger valves for better flow and usually two sparkplugs. The valvetrain arrangement is going to be more complicated though. The design has been around since before WW2 but was made famous by Chrysler in the 60's.

Most Dodge 1/2 tons have a lighter frame, axles, transmission and smaller engines. They have 5 lug axles and both 2WD and 4x4's have an independent front suspension.

The 3/4 tons and 1 tons have a heavier frame, larger axles, bigger transmissions and engines, stronger suspension etc. The 2WD's have an independent front suspension but the 4x4's have a solid front axle. All have 8 lug axles.

One exception to the 1500 rule is the Dodge Mega Cab 1500. It is built on a 3/4 ton platform so it shares the solid front axle, 8 lug axles, bigger frame... etc. One difference is that the rear axle is a 10.5" unit whereas the 3/4 tons and 1 tons with the Cummins diesel have an 11.5" ring gear.

The 1500 Mega Cab probably also has some other small differences but I'm not very familiar with them.

Answer 3

A hemi is an engine that has been around for almost 50 years...It has hemisperical cylinder heads...The spark plug is in the center...It puts out more horsepower than a standard design...It was made famous when in 1964 it was offered in high end model plymouths...These were made for drag racing purposes by crysler...Now the 426 hemi is a legend...The trucks and cars sold nowadays are a small block version...!/2 ton and 3/4 ton refers to the rear axle size and the amount of weight the truck can carry...!/2 ton less than a 3/ ton.The 3/4 ton if you plan to haul something heavy...1/2 ton is just a regular pickup...

Answer 4

500 pounds! A 1/2 ton truck is rated to haul a 1/2 ton. A 3/4 ton truck, 3/4 ton. Not sure about a 1 ton truck :-)

Answer 5

The Hemi stands for Hemispherical or round, the shape of the combustion chamber in the head. A 1/2 ton truck is rated to carry 1/2 ton or 1,000Lbs load while a 3/4 Ton is rated for 3/4 Ton or 1500Lbs load carrying capability. A Ton is 2,000Lbs, by the way.

Answer 6

1/4 of a ton? tee hee hee.... I couldn't resist sorry ;)

Anyways; to answer your question, a Hemi is a 5.7 litre engine and the difference is MORE HORSE POWER.... to carry more weight without strain. They give you the tonnage to help you figure out what kind of load the truck can comfortably carry....

& TO BREAK IT DOWN:
1/2 ton = 1000 pounds
3/4 of a ton = 1500 pounds
1 ton = 2000 pounds
Cheers; qdee

Answer 7

a half ton and a quarter ton means it was made in China. A hemi might be a carborater rigged up with fuel injection...lol

Answer 8

I think ' Hemi ' is short for Hemisphericle cylinder head ?