give me a 444 cummins with a 5&4 both over's, 3:55 rears, on low pro rubber; maintenance not bad but #### no cruise control on it lol

Detroit, 13 spd, 3.55 ratio - i doubt there is anything better

So 2005 or older.. or basically something brand new.. most likely a dd15 or dd16 by the sounds of it.. it's getting harder to find the older trucks now, and I'm guessing that's why.. there's plenty of 07's ++ but I guess I see why. I'm running 53' trailers only at this point in time.

Has a perfectly good recently overhauled379 with a 6NZ..

How much he want for it?

Thanks so far.. I keep checking back

Have your friend call Kurt to fix the ecm, and he can do the rest himself.If he's not mechanicly inclined I know a shop in Richwood Ky. that does Kurt quality work. They have several customers that say their reflashes are Kurt quality also but I do not have any personal experience with either.(A top turbo failure temperarily cancelled my plans to talk to Kurt). But with any luck I too will be the proud owner of a "Cat by Kurt" in about 30 days.

Originally Posted by rollin coal

A friend of mine looking at a used '10 model 389 with SDP or whatever the last crappy choked up C15 they produced was. Try to tell him '08-'10 trucks are troublesome,costly lemons and he's looking at about $15k to delete all that crap. Has a perfectly good recently overhauled379 with a 6NZ..

I would not be afraid of any of the newer Cats they can all be "adjusted".But I've heard the exhaust police are pretty hard on you guys north of the border, so taking all that into concideration I think if I were in your position I would go with a DD16 would be my 1st choice then a DD15 or a ISX15. A Maxforce or Paccar would have to be almost free to get me to try one. Just my $0.02

Originally Posted by Knightwolfen

Hi guys:

I'm new to this forum, just registered tonight and I'm from Canada and stumbled upon this forum while doing research. I'm looking into becoming an O/o doing mainly short hauls, but heavy loads. I've started doing a little research on which engine is good for heavy trucks, but it sounds like alot of the new stuff with all the new pollution crap they've added are nothing more than headaches and even downtime, as well as possibly higher fuel/operating costs. Of course, whether I go new or used will also depend upon what I can get for gov't grants and financing, but I'd just like to know what I should be looking for in terms of a good reliable, powerful, fuel efficient engine that isn't going to cost me alot of downtime first. I'm hoping you guys can help me out with some good, honest info.

Since you all have alot of experience I'm sure in this department, I thought I'd ask and see what peoples' opinions are. Is it best to go with a used unit, pre-2007 or 2008, or is there a new truck with a good engine in it that isn't going to give me alot of grief? From the research I've done so far, the new cummins are crap, and apparently the paccar MX series are poor too.. (good at everything, but short longevity, which is a big negative imho). Are the newer C15's good, or just as bad as the ISX series Cummins? I read that C15, C16, DD15, Cummins N14 are all good, but does that include newer versions, or just older versions before such n such a date? Think I read the Navistar Maxxforce 15 is good too, but I'd like to know the details of what I should really look for.

Currently I'm doing linehaul subcontracted through a buddy of mine driving one of his trucks (running about 600 miles/night up n down hills, up to 6-7% grades, as well as flat ground combined and hauling up to 70k), and I also am still employed with Pepsi hauling for them by the hour. I plan on changing jobs since I'm getting older and my body is getting alot more tired of heavy physical work that is required of me with pepsi, so I'm looking for a change... I've been trucking for about 6 years now and have always wanted my own truck since I started working in the industry... tired of companies not wanting to fix ####, and even having piss poor equipment to work with in the first place. It's quite frustrating when you take a truck into fleet to get some problems fixed and the next time you drive it, those issues haven't been addressed and yet, the blame is on the driver if you're ever pulled over by DoT and get fined for something not working properly. On top of that, with that company, we never have the same unit so they're never taken care of and are neglected more than most trucks imho. Things like that add up to my frustration with working for other companies, so that's why I'm looking to become an O/o. I know it won't be easy, and I know I should have some cash in the bank for emergencies; that's something I'll figure out before I actually start on my own, but for now, I need the best information I can get on what to start with, especially engine wise, and even truck brand wise in terms of reliability. These are key imo; with today's high costs and lower wages, it's even more important than ever to make the right decision buying a new/used truck than ever before; there's little to no margin for error. So, I've given you a little of my background info, so please, feel free to shoot away with your opinions/suggestions!
Thank you all in advance

I dunno if anybody knew here or not.. but I just found out that the Maxxforce 15 is basically a C15 cat adopted by Navistar.

"The new MaxxForce uses the block, oil pan, crankshaft, connecting rods and head castings from Caterpillar's C15, which Cat stopped selling in the U.S. truck market at the end of 2009. Navistar engineers adapted the MaxxForce 13 common rail fuel system, air system, twin turbos and "advanced EGR" system to create a diesel that meets 2010 emissions without SCR and diesel emissions fluid, according to Shick."
Source: http://fleetowner.com/management/new...istar-15L-0513