To dieseldoc re JD/Ford engine swap

I have a 2006 Ranger 4wd 4.0. Too much power. Gears are too low.
I have a JD 4039 industrial power unit with 200 hours no longer needed to pump water.
What did you do for engine mounts?
How about radiator? I have the power unit radiator, but it would have to be mounted on its side.
I'd love opinions etc. from any of you !
Thanks.

I can think of many reassons NOT to atempt this and not many good reasons to dio it. Bellhousing, motomounts, total engine weight, performance, and varied others. Is the truck gas or desiel ? What about the engine .. Desiel I,m betting..Why ruin a 6 to 10 thousand dollar truck.. Sell the J>D engine go trade trucks.. Unless you are one of the guys that just love to fool around trying to make things better. In this case I think the end result would be a junk ford ranger.. Just my 2 cents

A better swap is to a 4 cylinder Isuzu diesel. I had a quad cab, diesel powered, 4X4 Ranger (2000) when I lived in Honduras. It was made by Ford of Argentina. It was a mule! It had the Isuzu diesel in it.

That truck is alot newer then my old ranger but you can make anything fit and look decent if you take your time.I made my own motor mounts but they are probably different then a 2006 ranger.Had a machine shop make a adapter plate to bolt on back of engine so I could run a 5 speed trans and once I got the engine in there I did some measuring and got a custom built radiator.Then I had to shorten rear driveshaft and lengthen front shaft a few inches. I also had to modify the hood a bit to clear the turbo but I think the next time I do it I will modify the manifold instead.It took me about two goog weeks to do the conversion but the power and fuel economy was well worth the work. That old ranger will probably twist the frame in half If I dont drive it sensibly. Do the swap and have fun.

agree with j.m

If you could take a 20 mpg truck to 40 mpg you still wouldn't bother?
Where, for that matter can you buy a 40 mpg truck on this continent?
I've many, many times though to doing something similar with a Ford engine but I don't have an engine at the moment.
I'd be inclined towards a very livened up 3 cylinder turbo to keep the weight down but the idea is still the same...

Rod

Your drive shaft work indicates the transmision ended up a few inches to the rear of its original position. How did the adapter work? Is it flywheel diameter with a face for the clutch or what?
Nice work accomplishing this without buying a kit and following directions. Not that there is one out there.
Our cranberry farm has a hundred or so engines. The JD4039 is my favorite. Turn the key. It's running. The 4239 in our JD410 backhoe is the same. JD changed nomenclature. 3.9 liters = 239 cu. in.

Your anticipated fuel savings would never pay all the costs involved over the life of the truck

Depends on how you do the math on that one... If you get the mileage that doc is claiming from his I believe you'd pay for it quite quickly as it would be doubling the mileage. Right now I'm running about 5 grand a year in gas through my Ranger. 2500 in savings would be a nice chunk of money.
If you want to go out and buy a brand new crate diesel engine for this kind of swap, then no... it would never pay. However, if you use an engine that you already have sitting unused that you won't get your money's worth out of if you sell it, then you casn probably make it pay over a long period of time. Then you can take the same engine and stick it into the next truck when this one's done because the engine still won't be worn out.
Some of us are bothered by the poor mileage we get from these half trucks, but you can't win by buying a bigger truck because they get the same mileage and cost more to buy... but I still need a truck for many things I do... and it would cost more to put another car on the road than I would save in gas for he trips where I don't need the truck... hence the desire for a small diesel truck that gets good mileage.

Rod