Would You?? Or am I thinking wrong?

Hello Gentlemen,

O.K. Heres the situation,Now that I have been rebuilt in the neck and back area and was able to pass my DOT physical and a thorough one at that I am truck shopping. There are a few things I have decided I have to have for my own reasons in my truck,One of those things is a Big House Sleeper of at least 144",Plus all the ammenities that go along with it and being a Peterbilt only man it has to be a 379. I am also a Yellow motor man,Nothing else will do,So here is the questions, I have found a Pete 379 that I like with the Sleeper that I want,It has a 600 H.P. Cat engine,18spd. transmission,Those are things I wanted. Here is the problem areas,It was a road tractor with a single frame and 12,000 Front Axle and 40,000 Rears. My thoughts are to do the following, Stretch the Frame and add a tag axle in front of the tandems,Replace the 40,000# Rears with 46,000# Rears,Replace the Front Axle and Springs with a 20,000# Axle,Install wide tires and new aluminum wheels,While we are working on the frame,Have them Double it from the Radiator to the Rear of the rails,Should I have them add additional crossmembers other than the ones needed to do the frame stretch for the 3rd Axle?,Upgrade the complete DriveLine,UpGrade the Clutch,Maybe add 2 spd. to the Rear Ends.Hopefully I can find some Full Lockers when I start my search for rear ends, I know this may seem like a lot of work to do to a truck and most will say to buy one with all this already done,Well I would but I cant seem to find one with the Sleeper and other stuff I want.So I have the money to do it,I thought I would just make the Frame and Driveline into a Heavy Hauler.I am not going to buy a new truck speced right,Dont want to spend that much cash and dont like the cat options in a new,Thought about a glider,But the cost would be greater than just doing the upgrades to a 379 and I dont really want a 389 any way.I can buy the truck and do all this with cash,No financing and get what I want and what I need to do the job at the same time. Is there anything I am leaving out on my upgrade? and what are some of your opinions?

Another question for those that know? Will I need Dual Steering Boxes on a 20,000# Front Axle? I have never had a 20,000# steer,The most I ever had in the past was a 16,000#,But because I am going to do all the other work I want to go with the biggest from the start.

And another thing I have NEVER been good with is rear end ratios,What ratio should I look for pulling a 60 Ton RGN with tri-axle with a booster axle and a extendible neck for a Jeep? I will try to find a late model rear cut-off from a wrecked truck for the swap and maybe it will have the front axle I need.

Instead of the 2 spd. Rear axle,Would I be better off puting a 4 or 5 speed auxillary transmission in behind the 18 Speed and have Twin Sticks?

these are things that I am dealing with at the moment,I have to make a decision pretty quick on the truck so it dont get away and then I can start shopping for the upgrade parts, I have plenty of time to get all this done as I have just reactivated my old Authority and it is waiting on me to go to work and I am in no hurry until I get everything right!!

This may seem like a lot of stuff to do to a truck,But I dont plan to EVER get rid of it as long as I truck this time.Iwill just keep rebuilding it for the next 20 years,At that time I will call it quits for good!!!

I am not a dreamer and dont mean to be a pain asking all these questions I just know what I want and have an ideal what I need and would like opinions on making that all happen.Thanks in advance!!

Robert

 

Oscar the KW, Thank you for your answer to a bunch of serious questions. I am wanting a particular type of truck above the frame rails and need a different type of truck from the frame rails down. I cant be the only one that has ever wanted a serious duty,Heavy-Haul Truck with a Big House Sleeper on it!! Can I? The type of work I am planning on doing and with the wife going with me,We are wanting comfort and you cannot always fit into a truck stop with your load,So I am trying to put something together so if we get stuck at a job site or rest area with the load at least we can be comfortable. In my opinion using a regular road tractor with a single frame and 40,000# rears and a 12,000# Front pulling a 60 ton Tri-Axle with a Booster Axle and a Tri-Axle truck for a 8 Axle Rig unless the Jeep comes in it will be a 10 Axle,It will just pull the truck apart in no time?? Does anyone try to use a single frame,road speced truck for Heavy-Haul? My previous trucks have all been Heavy-Duty with just the Peterbilt 63" Sleeper on them,So I dont know what would happen using a regular duty truck in Heavy-Haul. All I am wanting is a Heavy-Duty Tractor with a large Sleeper and I cant find one,So I thought about just building one is all?

And for THEROOKIE,I will overlook your comment based on your lack of expierence as noted in your profile. I am sure you did not learn RESPECT in your 3 week truck driving school.But I am sure you payed attention to the part about wearing sweat pants and flip flops to drive in along with your hawaiin shirt!! They should teach new recruits that if you dont have something pertinent to the subject or nice to say,Just keep quite!!!

 

Oscar,Thats what I thought about the single frame,It's too weak and the gvw is too low. My last heavy haul truck was a triple frame Peterbilt but it only had a 63" Sleeper onit. That is whu I started thinking about buying the truck with the top part the way I wanted and then building the bottom up!! That is a good ideal to look for a vocational truck,Only problem is then it would have a spliced frame. I was going to order new rails from a frame manufacturer in Vermont that custom makes the rails for the truck model and let them make them double or triple and then just have the shop take the old frame rails out and put the new ones that are the correct wheelbase for the added axle and all in. That way there would be no splices,I know this is not going to be cheap,But it will be what I want/Need to do my chosen job and want be a hacked up,chopped up mess. I believe it will be easier to just replace the complete rail with it doubled than to splice the existing one and double it. Buying frame rails are cheaper than buying a new sleeper. To buy the Sleeper I want new,They are talking $125,000.00 to 150,000.00.So I am thinking I am going to buy the truck with the engine,trans. and sleeper I want and then change the frame rails and rear axles and front axle and springs and add steering boxes. That should be a lot less expensive than buying a new sleeper and I can do some of the work myself to save money at my home shop!!! Just trying to put this all together. Thanks for the answers,I appreciate your time and knowledge.

Robert

 

I just sent for a Estimate on new frame rails for a 360" Wheelbase with a inner and outer liner,So it will be a triple frame truck with each frame rail being 3/8" thick. The name of the company that does it is P.G. Adams. I have seen them at truck shows before. That is the first step in figuring out the cost of this monster. And Oscar I take your advice serious,So in your opinion a 18 speed transmission is enough?? No need to install an Auxillary? Now would be the time!! I am only thinking about it to help get 200,000# rolling!! I would like to have it geared with the 46,000# Rears to do at least 80 M.P.H. for when I am empty,So it is not a choir to get around because I am empty a lot more than loaded!! Just thinking and now is the time to do it!!! While it is all apart,It would be easier to have the Custom Drive Shafts made!! Oscar,Thank you for you time!! Robert