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Idaho Falls-based Bully Dog Technologies fulfills need for speed on Internet Imagine downloading more horsepower for your diesel engine on demand from the Internet. Daryl Klassen and family from Idaho Falls-based Bully Dog Technologies did, and their Triple Dog Downloader is boosting some diesel pickup engines by 50 to 130 horsepower, on the fly, said Klassen, Bully Dog's chief operating officer. The TDD works on newer model Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge diesel trucks. Here's how it works: The downloader (sometimes referred to as a tuner) plugs into the OBDII port under the steering wheel. Klassen said a stock code is saved on the device when customers download the programs to their trucks. Factory files are then replaced with the Bully Dog code, he said, although the original factory codes are saved in the downloader to return the vehicle to stock settings if desired. Drivers can choose on-the-fly select, Klassen said, so as a customer is driving down the road and decides that they need an extra 50-130 horsepower, they can push a button and suddenly they have an extra 50 HP or whatever they select. The device requires no additional mechanical parts, so the system failure rate is zero, once the downloader is installed, he said, unlike our competitors that offer plug-in modules that plug in underneath the hood to allow for the same on-the-fly (selections). Klassen said engineers have many trade secrets to increase fuel economy and boost horsepower. TDD takes advantage of some of those. One of the most common things to do is massage the tuning in various ways like injector pulse width, fuel pressure, and timing along with transmission pressure upgrades to endure the extra HP, he said. Klassen said the initial download takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Customers range from a retired couple hauling a fifth-wheel travel trailer to farmers pulling equipment to extreme users involved in drag racing or truck pulls. The company's program allows dealers to offer test drives of the product to their customers. We can load a temporary download into a customer's truck and they can experience exactly what one setting from our Triple Dog will do on their truck for free. A few days later it magically disappears and they are returned to the stock setting on their vehicle, Klassen said. The product can be upgraded via the Internet as Bully Dog technicians fine-tune it. On the retail end, the downloader itself costs $599. Add gauges and other components to make a combo package that retails for $898. The propane injection system, which works on the same engines, retails at $799. Bully Dog's products, including the downloader, are sold at local repair shops, car dealerships and large retail outlets, almost exclusively in the United States and Canada. Longtime Garden City truck accessories shop Custom Truck only received its first shipment of Triple Dog Downloaders earlier this month and has already had a customer test-drive the product. We predict it will be a popular sell because you can use it again for your next vehicle, said John Tampas, a Custom Truck salesman. We heard about it and wanted to carry it. We figure it might be superior to some of the other products that are out there. The plan for the Triple Dog for the present is to keep it Ford, Dodge and Chevy specific, Klassen said. However, we currently sell other products that work on Volkswagen diesels, John Deere tractors and others. Shawn Udy, IT manager for Bully Dog, said the company is in the process of developing a similar product to the Triple Dog for gas applications. Klassen said the firm's growth was about 73 percent in 2005 over the previous year, with the current year looking as promising. The diesel market is breaking open in North America, since diesel provides 20 to 30 percent better economy per horsepower over gasoline engines, he said. I do believe this market will continue to grow at a very rapid pace with more horsepower, better economy and very quiet engines. Daryl's father, Harold, helped found the company after devising a propane injector system that greatly improved the power of his Ford diesel that didn't have the horsepower to pull a grain planter uphill on their farm. After a couple of days of design work in the shop, out to the field we went, said Klassen. The tractor lugged as it approached the hill but when they then activated the propane system, the tractor cleared the hill with the extra horsepower. Klassen Repair was founded, and father Harold started installing turbochargers on neighbors' tractors, until manufacturers began installing factory turbos. Daryl and his brothers and partners Michael and Philip Klassen continued farming until 1998, when they purchased a new Ford diesel and designed their patented propane system for improved performance, founding Bully Dog in the process. We are constantly in the process of development, said Klassen. The Triple Dog rollout was less than six months from conception and hit the market in August 2005. Most of the innovation, he said, was done mechanically after the firm developed its propane injection system. Now that has switched and almost all of the innovation is being done electronically, said Klassen. |
