Diesel Force or Pittsburgh Power

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Transportacion R&R, Sep 25, 2020.

  1. chasedog

    chasedog Light Load Member

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    Howdy fellaz, i wanted to post a follow up to my October 7th rant on disgusting Pittsburgh Power. To clarify, the $10,000 extra that they wanted was for a brand new One Box for my 2016 Cascadia. Many of you guys are having One Box problems, and even if you do decide to buy and replace it, it's on back order 3 to 4 months. So i had to get creative because the rates are too juicy right now to sit for several months. If you are getting an engine light, a check engine light, and a flashing def light, and you can't clear it without one or two forced regens, you've most likely got a problem with your One Box. It typically happens when you are pulling uphill and/or heavy. And you can get derated to 55mph and in one case i got derated to 5mph.

    So here is what i did. I hit Youtube like a savage. There are many really good channels on Youtube where diesel mechanics discuss the problems they are seeing with semis. I'm in Ohio and the first one i found that i liked who was talking about One Box's was in California. Too far away. Then i stumbled on to this local Ohio mechanic named Ryan. He is out in the Akron area, only two hours from me in Columbus. I watched his videos and liked them. So i called him on a Friday night and spoke with him. Told him my situation and he said his experience is it is rare that you have to replace the entire One Box. He seemed like a good, honest guy so i drove up there with my rig on Saturday morning. My truck was throwing codes the entire way.

    His solution was to remove the unit using a fork lift and send it out to a local supplier who specilaizes in refurbishing One Boxes. That is their specialty. He quoted me $1300 plus the labor and any other bushings, sensors, etc. My prayers were answered. The entire thing took only two days. The supplier came out to Ryan's shop and picked it up and took it back for reman. While we waited for the One Box i had Ryan completely replace all my brakes, shoes, and drums. Now i have a working truck with 600k miles on it that is not throwing codes, with the potential to take me off the road during this time of fantastic rates. I couldn't be happier.

    I am not endorsed by Ryan. I am just passing along my experience. The name of his company is Fox Truck & Tractor LLC and he has moved to Ravenna, OH which is one city over from Kent, OH. You can search for his number on the internet. Or check out his Youtube channel, "Trucking & Fixing with Ryan"

    My entire repair was $4,600 with ryan and he did a lot of extra things i didn't list here like replaced my def filter and more. The One Box refurb ended up costing me all in around $2000. And it works great! No more codes, no more 45 minute regens on the side of the interstate. They also cooked and cleaned my DPF's. Guys we are always looking for an honest mechanic to work on our trucks who quotes a fair price, does solid work, and does it on time.

    Despicable Pittsburgh Power wanted another $10,000 on top of the $4,500 i paid them for nothing. Steer clear of those scam artists. Yes there are some bad diesel mechanics, but there are also some really good, honest ones, and they are worth their weight in gold once you find one.

    If you need a good one give Ryan a call. Let's support our small independent diesel mecahnics. You can check out his November 4th Youtube video of my One Box repair. The blue truck is mine and the One Box on the pallet is also mine. It's about 9 minutes long.



    Good luck drivers. Now go out and earn.
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2021
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  3. LoneRanger

    LoneRanger Road Train Member

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    When you say one box all in cost 2k does that include the $1200 labor?
     
    JoeyJunk Thanks this.
  4. chasedog

    chasedog Light Load Member

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    The original quote by the reman company was $1300. They found some damaged parts not normally needing replacement so their total was about $1,630. Ryan discounted some of his labor to remove the One Box with his loader, and also to put it back in my truck when the One Box was finished being remaned.

    So my all in price was right at about $2000 for everything. I also got some other work done while we waited 48 hours for it to be returned. You will need a mechanic to unhook and hook it back up, and it is quite heavy. Ryan then needed to tap into my computer using his mechanic's software and clear old codes and force a regen. So he charged $85 per hour for about four hours of total labor on the One Box. All in all i was quite happy as it is a far cry from 9 or 10k, and 48 hours instead of 4 months.
     
  5. LoneRanger

    LoneRanger Road Train Member

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    I might need to talk to Ryan, about some work if he’s honest. I have a long list of things that need to be done. Just can’t find a reputable person to trust.
     
    JonJon78, JoeyJunk and shooter19802003 Thank this.
  6. JonJon78

    JonJon78 Road Train Member

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    I've been watching his videos for a while, he definitely seems like an honest person to deal with. Up until a couple months ago he was an owner operator out here on the road, that's another plus in my book, someone that can actually relate to what we do.
     
  7. LoneRanger

    LoneRanger Road Train Member

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    I talked to him today and looks like he’s on vacation till the 29th so I have to see about scheduling something with him after. But he sounded like a normal dude straight up explained everything.
     
  8. jackoboyo

    jackoboyo Light Load Member

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    Dec 30, 2014
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    Hunting season
     
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