Ball NPS Score: Not Available
Available Weights: 16, 15, 14, 13, 12


If you want a strong backend reaction for your game, then take
the Big Rig Diesel to the lanes. Featuring the power of the
high-revving original Diesel core and the Power Grip Reactive
coverstock, the Big Rig Diesel produces versatile performance
on a variety of lane conditions.

I agree with everything Buddies wrote previously.I also am not much into skid /flip but this one has changed my mind.It really hits hard and rarely leaves corners.Wont hook much on heavy stuff but still carries.On medium the ball is a monster.All the power is in the back.More controllable than other skid/Flips.Backend power is awesome.

I tried out my Big Rig Diesel in practice last night.  My principal object in the practice session was to compare the Big Rig to two other balls.  The three are not all drilled the same, but I prepped all of the surfaces the same.  All are finished at 2500 grit using Storm Step Three polish mixed with Black Magic.  The Big Rig looked just about exactly the same after this prep job as it looked before, so I'll say that its OOB surface is about 2500 grit--to my eye anyway.

The other two balls are a Diesel Particle Pearl and a Uranium Buzzsaw Solid.  The two Diesels of course have the exact same core.  The Uranium Buzzsaw has a similarly extremely low RG core like the Diesels, but a lower differential.  

I'm a right hander.  Here are the drillings:  

Diesel Particle Pearl has pin under ring, about 4 inches from PAP for me.  CG is swung out as far as possible without requiring a weight hole, placing it south by southeast of the pin.

Uranium has leverage pin, southeast of ring finger.  CG is in grip center.

Big Rig has pin under middle finger, about 5 inches from PAP.  CG located the same as in the other Diesel.

I expected--and hoped--to find a somewhat deteriorated shot on the lanes, which is typical of this house in the summer when they only run the lanes once or twice a week.  Instead, I found a shot very much like their THS that is in place during league season.  The seven board out is dry.  I am not sure of the length.  The lanes are Brunswick Anvilanes, in good shape.

Bowling in this house during the season, I usually use my Diesel Particle Pearl.  The lanes were somewhat drier than in season, but not too much.

Here are the results, all of which were pretty much as expected.

The Diesel Particle Pearl read the mid-lane the earliest and made a controlled arc into the pocket.  The condition was a bit too dry for this ball to carry well.

The Uranium read the mid-lane a little later and made a driving, hard arc into the pocket, carrying well on flush and light hits.

The Big Rig went quite long, showing only a little mid-lane movement, and broke into a very hard arc on the back.  For me, on these particular lanes, it was saving a bit too much energy for the back end on the line I was playing.  As I kept bowling, the lanes gradually opened up into the Big Rig's wheelhouse.  As the Uranium got to be a bit too much, the lanes came right to the Big Rig, and the strikes started to mount up.  This is the result I was hoping for.  

As is characteristic of Activator coverstocks, the Uranium did not overreact badly to shots that went out into the dry too early, and stayed in pocket quite well.  I noticed that the Big Rig had a tendency to overreact if fed into the dry too soon.  Misses to the outside went high every time.  If kept in the oil, it's reaction was very predictable and very strong.  The Big Rig was giving me a significantly later breakpoint than the other two balls, and many times this sort of breakpoint gives me an inconsistent reaction.  After I accustomed myself to the look I was getting from the Big Rig, I noticed that I could count on it to move where and how I was expecting it to.  The Diesel core dynamic has always worked very well for me, and in the Big Rig I was hoping to get that Diesel look, but get it a little later down the lane and that is exactly what happened.

I would have liked to try the ball on a somewhat more broken down condition.  I think that a little bit earlier burn would produce an even better reaction for me.  I believe the Big Rig Diesel will be just what I want on a medium-light condition.  Those with more revs will probably find this more of a medium condition ball.  In spite of the low RG, high diff core, I would think that the coverstock will keep the Big Rig out of the running when it comes to being an oiler, but it may respond well to scuffing--I don't know.  I don't think Hammer is marketing it as an oiler, and that is not what I plan to use it for.

I was looking for a ball to bridge a significant gap in my lineup between the Uranium and a Sonic Boom.  This has been a notoriously difficult spot to fill.  Many balls have tried and failed.  I think the Big Rig is going to fit that spot very nicely.

See profile for bowler specs

Post-Drill Specs
Weight: 15lbs, 5/8oz positive, 1/2oz thumb
Pin-Out: 2.5 inches
Pin: 4.5 inches from PAP, below finger bridge
Cg: 2.5 inches from PAP
Surface Prep: Box
Balance Hole: 15/16", shallow on PAP

The Hammer web site seemed to indicate this ball was intended as leaning into the skid-flip realm.  This layout was intended to tame some of the snap down into more of a hard arc.

Patterns tested
PBA regional/senior patterns #1 and #2 on Brunswick Pro-Anvil
PBA patterns A and B on 4-year-old HPL
2005 ABC nationals pattern on Brunswick Pro-Anvil

Pros
This ball provides just above average length with the nice, hard arc and strong backend I was hoping to achieve with the layout.  Perhaps the cover should be creditted more than the layout for the arc.  Either way, the ball reads the midlane well and creates a strong move on the backend whether played down-and-in or inside-out.  The ball has not rolled out, even when played straight up in the track area, so energy retention gets the double thumbs-up from this bowler.  This ball would have played great at the ABC nationals in Baton Rouge with a very predictable reaction and roll.  Although I have yet to use this ball on a typical house shot, it seems that it would be a good ball to help smooth out the over-under type reactions lateral wet-dry conditions, but slightly less so than the Real Deal.

Cons
Without head oil, or chasing an edge of the oil in the heads, ball reaction becomes "jerky" on inside-out lines and recovery can be a bit erratic.  It does not seem to suffer the same problems on down-and in shots.  This may be because of the chosen layout.  With a different drill pattern, such as a label drill, this problem may very well go away.  The ball was not designed for light oil conditions so layout and surface prep is only going to take you so far.

Overall
In general, most bowlers would likely find this to be an outstanding hard-arc ball for medium to medium-heavy conditions. Out of everything I've thrown from Hammer, this ball has the most potential to be the best all-around piece of equipment.

Comparison to Other Equipment
This ball is about as strong in total boards as my Diesel Reactive Pearl but with a smoother (more desirable) angle at the break point, about three boards weaker and 3 feet longer than my Real Deal, and (surprisingly) about 3 boards stronger and (again, surprisingly) less angular than my Diesel Particle Pearl. The closest pieces of equipment I have to the Big Rig would be the Lane #1 Blueberry or Dynothane High Energy.

Hammer Big Rig Diesel:

Ball Specs
The ball being drilled was a 3” pin out with 3.00 oz top weight.
Drilling: Pin 4 1/2" from PAP and Mb 5 1/2" from PAP (approximately 75 degrees) pin is Above Ring finger, 3" above grip midline. No weight hole. C.G. within 1" of grip center. USBC Purposed Rule change, if instated would have taken place January 1st 2006. Retracted July 18th 2005.

Bowler Information:
Track diameter is 10 1/2.
PAP is measured at 5 1/4 over and 3/8" up.
Average ball speed (foul line to head pin) is 17 mph.
Axis rotation is typically 90 degrees
Initial rev rate is typically 300 rpm, "Tweener"
Lane Condition and Pattern:
AMF West Allis, wood lanes, freshly resurfaced from the summer. Crowned Block with very clean backends.


REVIEW:
Pending the outcome of the insane proposed USBC Rule on ball drilling and layouts which was smartly retracted by the USBC, I drilled this ball to their specs. I think the USBC is looking in the wrong places if they think this layout will lower scoring. The 1st three games on the Big Rig was 279, 259, and 226 for 764. So much for controlling scoring. WOW what a ball.

But before you all go out and buy one let me say that Ebonite sent me the test ball in a 1000 sanded surface. The final product has been decided to be high polished version. My opinion, big mistake. The ball in a sanded state was very clean through the fronts, not once sensing any hook early characteristics. Extremely strong mid lane roll and strong but smooth change of direction on the backends. AMF West Allis is a tough carrying center known for leaving corners. I left two 10 pins all night with the ball. Carried half hits better than any $200 ball I've tried. I wish Ebonite/Hammer would have left this one sanded.



Compared to my other Balls:

Double XXCel:. The Big Rig Diesel as you would imagine is very similar to the XXCel in ball motion, seeing both come from the same plant. The Big Rig makes more of a pronounced move when it hits the dry, and hits considerably harder. The Big Rig is cleaner through the fronts and is slightly more angular on the backends


Thanks for reading my review and best of luck this season,
Dwight

Specs:
15.02
2.5 inch pin
3oz top

Layout:
5 x 4
Pin under with cg stacked under

I bowled on a couple of different surfaces from wood to synthetics. This ball really needs friction to make it turn over. It had a ton of length. Playing
with the coverstock i got two general reactions. One is when it's dull, the ball goes long, but picks up a little faster in the midlane, then turns over pretty good on the backend. When it's shiney, you really get a skid/flip reaction. Carry down definitely is this ball's worst enemy. It just straightens out on the back. Plus the Big Rig is very speed sensitive. If you get a little quick and firm, this ball goes through the break point. If you get a little soft, the ball reads too faston the backend. I haven't found a place where i can get a nice confortable reaction.

LH tweener with 15.5mph ball speed at the pin deck. I track more like a cranker with the track father from my thumb than my fingers.  

Ball Specs:
15.03lbs
3" pin
3.5 top weight.

Drilled it with the pin about 4.5" from the PAP, under ring finger. CG is about in line making it a 75 degree layout. Weight hole on the VAL down by thumb.

I tried to throw this ball with the factory polish on it, but it just wasn't working out for me. On a house shot I was getting a lot of over/under, and the ball was real jumpy at the break point. I tried it on a longer, flatter pattern and it wasn't as over/under, but it it was still jumpy and seemed carydown sensitive.

I took the surface to 1000 abralon and it became a different ball. It doesn't have that over/under for me anymore and it's move at the breakpoint is smoother, but still very strong.

I've thrown it twice in leagues since resurfacing it and it's worked great on 2 different shots. One is a 43' flatter pattern that has more than the minimum oil volume on the gutter, and the ball responded great playing 6 out to 3. It makes a strong move at the break point and keeps driving. With the polish it seemd to be to jerky and loose to much energy trying to make it's break. On a house shot it's a little more archy as you feed it out to the drier boards, which seems to give it good recovery. But trying to move deeper and play in the soup isn't something this ball let me do. It's also not going to allow me to play up the lane when there's light oil outside or shorter oil with screaming backends.

This will now be my new first ball out of the bag. I've gotten good looks with it on two pretty different shots and I know what the ball is not capable of. It's to soon to say, but this ball has the potential to end up being one of my all time favorite balls.

I drilled mine (15#) a few weeks ago.  I used the medium rg - strong layout pattern with the cg in the stacked leverage position.  The ball hit like a marshmallow with the factory polished finish.  I hit it with Ebonite 1200 grit polish over the factory polish and it turned into a monster.  My son (lh) had the similar results until he took his down to 1000 abralon finish.  Lanes in both houses are synthetic.  One has a house shot (ez) and the other a modified house shot.