You might know Cody Detwiler as @WhistlinDiesel on Instagram or for his increasingly popular YouTube channel, but did you know the 4×4 enthusiast was planning Monstermax 2? This could be the world’s biggest and heaviest monster truck with two Duramax diesel engines.
If you got in on the ground floor, WhistlinDiesel gained popularity on Instagram with heavily edited images that garnered large amounts of attention from fellow truck enthusiasts. Stunts accompanied the edited images, and the @WhistlinDiesel social media outlets became a go-to for crazy off-road content.
One of @WhistlinDiesel’s early works is pictured above. Photoshop? You be the judge.
Now, Detwiler has raised the bar (and his truck) with his latest project, Monstermax 2, an iteration of his first Duramax rig.
Monstermax 2 was built around its goliath clevis hook. Detwiler’s first purchase for the monster truck (aside from its pair of axles) was the $5,000 clevis hook, said to be rated for 300,000 pounds.
Monstermax 2 runs some of the biggest agricultural tires available for purchase—the Goodyear OPTITRAC LSW 1400/30R46. LSW means Low Side Wall, and the tires are designed for extreme flotation over farm soils where compaction must be minimized. Each tire weighs over 1,500 pounds.
Both axles, together, weigh an estimated 26,000 pounds. The custom-built wheels are held to the axles with 36 lug nuts apiece. Detwiler was disappointed to hear the installer used only half of the 36 lug nuts to affix the wheels to his axles. Detwiler’s thoughts: “That’s too many.”
Yes, there are two Duramax diesel engines, two transmissions, more transmission coolers than you have thumbs, and a chain-driven drop box that is 3-feet thick and larger than an average pickup truck.
The drop box required a 55-gallon drum of lube to operate. Detwiler said, “I wanna be able to open the case on that drop box, put in a 5-gallon bucket of nuts and bolts, and drive it, churn around in there, and not have a problem.” The builder of the drop box replied, “No.”
Unable to find anyone selling an air horn from a cruise ship, Detwiler located a battleship horn for Monstermax 2. “It’s kinda quiet,” says Detwiler, before he unleashes the horn’s audible fury across the tri-state area. Each corner of Monstermax 2 is supported by a trio of 30-inch-travel shocks.
Adding to the immense weight of the diesel monster truck are the quartet of missiles—or diesel tanks, each holding 20 gallons of fuel. “We spent $9,000 on Heim joints?” Detweiler can be heard saying, confirming with the shop the lengths traveled to ensure beefy construction of the truck’s suspension system.
Detwiler (pictured) is allegedly 6 feet tall. This is our unscientific height estimate. Bob Chandler, any thoughts?
Each joint appears to be similar in size to an actual gorilla’s fist. The entire truck is estimated to weigh north of 50,000 pounds. Indicating a tower of spools in the shop where Monstermax 2 was built, Detwiler noted its construction required 1,000 pounds of welding wire.
According to Guinness World Records, “The [tallest] monster truck is Bigfoot 5, which is 15 feet and 6 inches tall with 10-foot-tall tires. Tipping the scales at a whopping 38,000 pounds, it’s equivalent in weight to three bull African elephants. We’ve performed an unscientific evaluation of Monstermax 2 and are currently awaiting the official results; Bob Chandler might have some serious competition. Stay tuned.