PLEASE give me your two cents....

Discussion in 'Peterbilt Forum' started by SavageSam, Jul 30, 2017.

  1. Pedigreed Bulldog

    Pedigreed Bulldog Road Train Member

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    You can't have it both "light" and "strong" . If you're going to do anything that leaves the pavement or pull heavy loads, you need "strong". If you're going to stay on the pavement running legal loads, you can get away with "light" for a while, but "light" has a shorter life expectancy than "strong" . If you're paid by the ton, and plan on trading the truck off in a few years before "light" wears out and/or breaks, then you can get away with "light" ...otherwise it'll cost you more in maintenance and repairs down the road. And that long wheel base might provide a great ride on the highway, but you'll be prone to dragging hard parts if you leave the pavement, high centering on anything hanging off the frame rails (fuel tanks, etc). 24.5 wheels may look nice, but it pretty much eliminates van work as you'll be over-height...especially if you've got a tall 5th wheel for tanker, dump, or any other "vocational" type trailer. Gear ratios in the rears are another consideration. Highway running demands one range, off-highway running demands another. If you "compromise" and pick a ratio in the middle, you'll use more fuel running down the highway and still be more prone to twisting drive shafts if you go off road...ESPECIALLY with the kind of power and torque you're considering. Transmission is another key component, making sure you have a low enough low and a high enough high gear, with proper steps between the gears suited to the loads you'll be pulling and the terrain you'll be pulling them through.

    Get an idea on what you want the truck to do, THEN you think about the specs needed to do that job. Otherwise, you'll end up with a truck that is a jack of all trades and a master of none. Sure, it might do a wide variety of jobs...but it'll cost you more (fuel, maintenance, repairs) to do EVERY job compared to a truck that was properly spec'd for that specific job.
     
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  3. Pedigreed Bulldog

    Pedigreed Bulldog Road Train Member

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    You may not need the extra money for repairs, but the bank is still going to want that note paid...whether you've been working or sitting in the shop. Every month until it is paid off in full, you have that note hanging over your head that needs to be paid. Hopefully your warranty is going to be longer than the length of time you're carrying the note or else you'll get into the situation where you have to come up with the repair money AND the note.
     
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  4. SavageSam

    SavageSam Medium Load Member

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    Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU. FORGET the 24.5s. I'll get the 22.5s. You see that, I didn't even know that put a whole line of work off limits. 22.5s are more versatile? That's what I want. It sounds like I better forget the long wheel base and listen to those telling me no longer than 250.
     
  5. SavageSam

    SavageSam Medium Load Member

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    I'm guessing this rig will be between 180-200K by the time I add what I want to it. I want to put 90-100K down on it up front, but there again I have people telling me "Use the banks money". I could put 90K down and still have a decent reserve in the bank to run my household and make the note.
     
  6. Roberts450

    Roberts450 Road Train Member

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    Also know that anything over a 290"wb from the pb factory will require a rear frame insert. They dont add much weight but it does add up. I just ordered up my 389 and shipping weight from the factory is 21,000 before fuel and all the gear I will be adding, Im guessing she will be around 23,500 by the time she is road ready.

    If I was looking to do OTR/5 axle flatbed work I would spec one at 280 with a 72" bunk, 3.58 rears sense you are wanting 24.5's at least one locking diff and at least a 48" slider on the 5th wheel sense you might get into tankers. Also keep your fuel capacity to 200 gallons max. Remember less tare weight the better. The flatbed devision of my company wants trucks to be lighter then 21,500 when outfitted so they can pack at least 48,000.


    But like the others have said you really need to get the type of trucking you want to do figured out first and then figure out how to built the truck.
     
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  7. Pedigreed Bulldog

    Pedigreed Bulldog Road Train Member

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    I've got 11R24.5 tires on my truck, with a blocked 5th wheel for frameless end dumps. Pull the blocking pin out and it articulates for regular trailers...but I'm just shy of 13'9" tall when pulling a van trailer. With lo-pro 22.5's and perhaps a slightly shorter 5th wheel, I could pull vans just fine...but then the 5th wheel would be too low for tankers and I'd be way heavy on my drives before I was fully loaded.

    There is no magic spec. If you have a truck that is great at one thing, it'll be miserable at another. Compromising is just that...it won't do ANYTHING well. You aren't going to find any way to spec that truck so that it DOESN'T rule out an entire segment or two of the industry.
     
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  8. SavageSam

    SavageSam Medium Load Member

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    Thank you sir. I'm thinking about renting/leasing a aluminum Fontaine flat bed. I was hopeing I could get it built at 20K or less pounds. I guess that's not going to happen. I won't go over 280 because of the inserts. 290=insert. 300"=double frame.
     
  9. Kenworth 4life

    Kenworth 4life Medium Load Member

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    a lot of tire for a hiway truck!
     
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  10. Roberts450

    Roberts450 Road Train Member

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    My 389 is 312" and only inserted from the back of the sleeper back. Full inserts/double frame wouldnt be spec'd for a OTR truck unless its heavy haul. With the 280 you will be looking at right around 19-19.5 dry. I looked at a 4 axle shorthood that was 280 and shipped at 20,300.
     
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  11. SavageSam

    SavageSam Medium Load Member

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    This is what has kept me from pulling the trigger. Right now, I haul fuel and oil and I'm comfortable doing that. I didn't know a truck had to have such a narrow sweet spot as far as what you could do with it. On the flat bed idea I had, I was going to order full locking rears. I didn't know about the 24.5s being a no go. The dealer I'm talking to orders the final ratios so you are @ a good R.P.M. when driving down the freeway. This will be an 18 speed transmission.
     
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