What do you call it when they customize their truck to have an extra long catwalk?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by TruckRunner, Jan 15, 2018.

  1. TruckRunner

    TruckRunner Heavy Load Member

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    When you see some custom trucks where the sleeper section of the truck is stretched far away from the drive tires? Is this just to be cool or does it serve a practical purpose? Because there are some tight places I go with a standard sized truck where there is only three inches of space to work with to get into a door so those extra long trucks that stick out four feet longer than my truck have no chance. Once I saw a truck like this at a really tight dock and he had to drop his trailer and bobtail out so the other two trucks could back in beside him. It's not worth all that to me.

    Actually the truck that I am referring to just now pulled in front of me so I took a pic this is what I am talking about:
    20180115_074710.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2018
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  3. Ruthless

    Ruthless Road Train Member

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    Then don't do it........?
     
  4. USA Trucker

    USA Trucker Light Load Member

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    You get an extra 40 cents per mile with a stretched truck.
     
  5. TruckRunner

    TruckRunner Heavy Load Member

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    I am asking why they do this. I know I won't do it to my truck. I am wondering if there is an advantage or is it just to be cool.
     
  6. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Cool has nothing to do with it.

    These are "Large cars" and the ride with them is pretty good. You can do all sorts of things with extra room on that frame. More fuel tanks, water tanks, gennies etc. And the sleepers. Let's build a apartment custom back there.

    Flatbeds like long frames sometimes, you can hang over length off the front of the decking and not have to worry about oversize because technically it's not.

    I have driven long framed tractors and they are a pain to back into anything. But the positives outweigh the negatives.
     
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  7. Tb0n3

    Tb0n3 Road Train Member

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    I'm pretty sure it's all cool points because I've never seen any extras installed in no man's land.
     
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  8. TruckRunner

    TruckRunner Heavy Load Member

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    Good points thanks. Yeah I figured maybe for some of them they are going to later extend their sleeper to make up for the gap but after a while I only see trucks that are stretched like the one in the pic and not having any use for them. Nothing added for storage or anything just a long bar of nothing. I also asked since I speculated perhaps since they cannot jackknife easily it gives them a better turning radius.
     
  9. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    I call it dumb. I've seen a few recently, must be from the south. I was passing one and my daughter said the gap was large enough to put my prius between the cab and trailer with room to walk around the car.
     
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  10. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    I like to think at some point there will be oh.. 300,000 dollars saved so that they can do something with that space. Someday. Who has a spare third of a million laying around? Not me...
     
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  11. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    I had a truck like that out of Little Rock and she was a shaker. It's one time that I was told to shut up and drive it or find another work. I drove it. I ended up finding another work.

    Another sign of a southern rig is those that have a lean to them. Them big boys come out of there and they stay leaning. He he.
     
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