Comparing my new T-680 to my old Volvo 780

Been asked a couple times to compare my new T-680 (2014) to my Old (2013) Volvo 780 so here we go.

For those who aren't familiar with my random musings over on the flatbed forum I haul mostly oversize aircraft parts, often light with an occasional 105,000+ load on more than 5 axles.

So on August 2nd of this year the truck lady here took my 2013 Volvo 780 away from me and gave me a 2014 T-680. The Volvo was equipped with a D-13 Volvo (Swedish Meatball) motor and 13 speed single overdrive manual tranny. My new T-680 has the 15 liter Cummins set at 500 hp (due to transmission limits) and an Eaton 10 speed Auto-shift. So to date I cannot comment on the Cummins - Eaton combo at heavy loads in the mountains, I've only been over 80k # with it one time and that was in the southeast where it's mostly flat. Did one hell of a job, out pulled other door slammer trucks so I'm assuming they were at or under 80k #.

I keep track of my fuel mileage on a spreadsheet with a 30 fill average and here's the numbers as of my fill up yesterday morning. To date at 27,000 miles the KW is averaging 5.641 and the last 30 fills on the Volvo was 5.101. I have pulled one legal size load with the KW but it was a whole load of tooling that was less than aerodynamic. So that about covers power train comparisons. The Cummins/Eaton out pulls the Volvo/13 spd, out performs it in every way under the sun including mileage and my left leg doesn't get tires in Seattle or Atlanta traffic where I seem to spend a lot of time stopping and starting.

On to comparing the trucks.

The first thing is, the Kenworth is set up and laid out very nicely but has nowhere near the room and storage of the Volvo. Not even close!! I love the desk/table setup in the KW but it's definitely not the dinette setup the Volvo had. I have found the swiveling passenger seat to be a pain in the ### and haven't used it since the first couple weeks. You have to clear all the floor between the seats, in front of the seat etc. then slide the seat forward to start swiveling it then back to get it past the center console then back forward again to get past the Peoplenet then back again once turned around to use it. So to make a long story short, waste of time and money in my opinion. I wind up sitting on the edge of the bed all the time and as such this "high quality" mattress is caved in where I sit on the edge. But I love the space for the satellite receiver and the built in flat panel TV mount. The swing around table is okay but again a pain in the ###. I can't leave it stowed when sleeping because my feet get into it so I have to swing it out. But when it's out it takes up half the floor space so it's a catch 22. The other squak with the table is the squeak that it makes going down the road if I clean it too clean before swinging it back to the stowed position. If that makes sense, there's some rubber it rides in and when the top is too clean it creates friction and squeaks.


The rest of the interior ROCKS and I love it for what it is. The dash is laid out perfectly, has way to many computer things to play with, gives me more info than I could ever use blah blah blah.

The first thing I noticed, when I close the door it's a solid "thud" where the Volvo was kind of a tin like clunk when it closed. The visibility out of the windows is about the same between both models.


To Be Continued, company arrived.

 

So your saying that because a design itself is 10 years old that a company cannot make improvements over that time to give a more solid product? So the Porsche 911 which is based on design sketches from 1959 and first built in 1962 as a 1963 model and still being built today has not or cannot be improved upon?

FYI, I have owned a 1964 911 and a 2009 911 and the `09 was radically improved although still the same basic original design as Ferdinand Porsche first sketched in 1959.

Volvo constantly makes improvements to it's 780 and again I had a 2008 780 and a 2013 780. Yes the same design but the 2013 had a lot of improvements over the 2008. Volvo could make some changes to the doors, latches, cabs to give a more solid feel.

 

One thing did make itself known this trip on the T-680. I was hearing a buzzing noise near the top of the windshield and for the life of me couldn't figure out what it was. Seemed to come and go with no particular pattern such as speed etc. Finally I attached my GoPro to the outside of the windshield looking up and discovered the rubber holding the windshield in would get air up under it at the top and vibrate like heck against the glass. Not sure what or how KW plans on fixing that but it's going back to the dealer next week for that.

I also discovered a leak in the cab. Water is getting under the floor mat on the drivers side. After drying everything out and removing the mat itself I discovered the water coming in under the little foot rest on the far left side up in the corner. It's coming in under the plastic and making it's way under the floor mat. I removed that panel and found that is the main electrical center for the cab so definitely something needing addressed.

The squeaking table has to be dealt with, it's driving me nuts and I haven't found a cure except to spray a very light coating of PAM on it, swing it to the closed (rear) position then clean what's visible.

More to come---