what tractor/truck do ya'll prefer

[ameristar1]

Forgot to mention..... she has no front brakes. Was ordered, built and shipped that way..... so for anything fast, your drivers are all you have when empty. (Better then my K100.... it has no front brakes either, but it's a semi... so it doesn't have the benefit of the empty log trailer sitting on the back end when bob tailing...)

I'd rather have a semi with no front brakes, better than ABS any day, at least with a twin screw.

 

[ameristar1]

1982 L9000. Hendrickson sprung rear end, 44000 eaton rears, 4.63's, 15 speed overdrive, 855 400hp cummins, untouched engine rotating assembly and heads/gaskets.

She'll go up a damn good grade and not lose a gear. It's no powerhouse, but it gers the job done!

But by FAR the best truck I have ever driven in comes down to two trucks.

1996 Western Star 4900 set back tandem dump truck. 3406E 550ho Cat, 18 double over, 42000 rears and Neway air ride. Power like there was no tomorrow! Would blow black smoke like a tire fire. It had a fairly narrow cab, but it was the Cat's ass for power. The only thing that sucked about it was the Neway would make you get stuck in off road situations...like on jobsites.

2008 Peterbilt 388 tandem tiltload. ISX Cummins 600hp, 18 double over, 44000 rears 3.55's and EVERY option known to Peterbilt at the time in the cab. This truck would go like it was kicked in the ass! Easily able to break 100 MPH loaded or not! There was NO downshifting on the hills and it never lost 1 MPH if you were paying attention. I hauled all the counterwerights for the 70 ton crane with it from northern Nova Scotia, and never lost a gear coming back on ANY hill.

There's the best reason to have a big power truck. It makes life easier, and more fun.

 

[Captain Morgan]

My first "big truck" experience was in a 1989 Ford LTL 9000, 3406B that dynoed 508HP to the rubber, 13 double over with 4.56 gears in 56K rears, 11R24.5 tires. It weighed 57K empty truck and trailer. I regularly grossed over 112K and never was passed by much of anything in the way of a truck.

My favorite is the 1972 Extended hood 359 "little window" with, of course, Yellow paint under the hood.....

 

[VanBoy]

My first "big truck" experience was in a 1989 Ford LTL 9000, 3406B that dynoed 508HP to the rubber, 13 double over with 4.56 gears in 56K rears, 11R24.5 tires. It weighed 57K empty truck and trailer. I regularly grossed over 112K and never was passed by much of anything in the way of a truck.

My favorite is the 1972 Extended hood 359 "little window" with, of course, Yellow paint under the hood.....

Dang... lots of power out of that 6. A friend who use to work for Cat said he worked on a customer's truck with a 3408 Cat. Any how, at the time, the dyno they had could only handle 600 HP (at the wheels) and this thing was maxing out that dyno.....

 

[ameristar1]

You can't argue with 893ci of mad, bad, Kitty. The only other motor that can out beast that thing is a KTA Cummins (1150ci).

 

[opusd2]

Yup, all this computer emission stuff is really bad. The C7 Cat's w/ the new regeneration exhaust system is a pain in the but. Dang buses have been down longer then on the road due to that.

All the trucks you folks are talking about are way to NEW for me. The few I own for the farm (in my sig) are just as old as me. Heck, I'm thinking of getting another one- spare- an early 80's IH S series twin screw with a Detroit 6-71T!!! I only use two trucks for about two months out of the year. Round trip is usually under 80 miles....

For some reason, I like cab overs. Yes, I said cab overs. Reason, the turning and where I drive, it gets tight. Heck, my single screw IH below seems (no, wait) does outpull my K100! And the IH has a very, very short wheel base and rides better too. Guess I need shocks on the Kenworth...

I used to drive an old 80's FreightShaker cab over when I would deliver tractors for an implement dealer/service facility that my brother used to work at. A person has to have mighty small feet, or at least normal sized feet to make that GO pedal work without hitting the brake accidentally. At least I had a problem because I have some mighty wide skids. Then again, it was quite the tractor with air powered windows in the cab that sometimes moved when air was applied. It was old, but a fun setup, mostly because I cut my teeth on it.

 

[Goofyexponent]

I hate the fact that all the new engines have that re-generation BS on them...and then claim to get better milage and efficiency out of them...It's fine if you are running down the highway, because it will burn off while you are driving. But drive around town for a while and you need to re-generate. You have to stop to re-generate....how is this efficient? Most of the guys don't realize what that little "RE-GEN" light on the dash means...and keep driving around....these guys are the reason for 40 ton Louie's

Comparing the 30 year old engine in my current truck, to the brand new MBE4000 Mercedes in an 09 M2 112 Freightliner...
I get the same milage
weigh the same empty
and my parts are cheaper than his
He might have 450 hopsepower, but I have 444, with more torque to boot!

My boss owns all 5 of his 1979 - 1982 L9000's. The other guy's boss is making payments on 5 new Freightliners and one fully loaded Peterbilt, with the airshift 10 speed?? Plus the other guy pays his guys like $4/hour more than anyone else....he must HATE money.

So,who's making all the profit and being efficient here, you do the math!

 

[opusd2]

No one profits in the end, no one!!! It's just a power play by CARB and the EPA as well as brain dead Tree Huggers and others that want to feel in control

 

[opusd2]

My old POS trucks get the same mileage as new ones, with just good upkeep and maybe a little upgrading. I don't get it. Sure the new ones look pretty, but I don't make payments

 

[VanBoy]

Yup, if you own the 'pink slip' as the old 60's song says, it's great.

If it runs okay, everything is "okay" in the eyes of the DOT/Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, then why change? Just so that you might attract newer drivers who don't want to drive old trucks? As long as the truck is clean looking, starts/runs okay, it's fine......

Unless its true that come insurance companies that insure long haul trucks want newer since they are afraid of loosing a load and having to pay out.....

 

[ameristar1]

My attitude about it all is any big truck built after 96 is a throwaway. The old metal will keep going as long as there is a good owner and driver to show it some love.