Can a 400HP truck carry 35K 53ft van load on steep grade easily?

Well, that’s because it’s a large car, silly, not a big truck.

 

You’ll be fine. Back in the day trucks had much less horsepower and still moved 80k lbs across the country. The only problem lies with your definition of “with ease”.

 

Remember to pay attention to the gearing as it’s just as important as the HP and Torque.

 

X1Heavy is that you?

 

I’d look into what area the driver is more likely to be in. If he’s OTR cross country then the 400hp should be fine he will lag in the mountains and hills but it’ll do the job. If he’s going to be doing a lot of mountain runs I’d make sure to get him a 500hp truck with some lower rear end gear ratios cause either way he’s going to get horrible fuel mileage might as well go faster and not bog down traffic also being in that area would probably mean he’s going to be doing backroads and those can get mighty steep better off he’s got the extra ponies so he doesn’t get stuck and have to call a creeper.

 

Alemiss

Q to google: is horse power better than toque for towing
A: To sum up, torque plays a greater role in towing than horsepower. This is because of the 'low-end rpm' generated by the higher levels of torque, which allows the engine to easily carry heavy loads. A high torque vehicle will be able to tow trailers or other objects with an extremely low value of rpm.

Think the difference between 400 and 455HP the driver will not notice anyway, but the minor difference will add up dollar wise. Brand of motor is probably a better question to ask.

Diff ratios play a role in a good hill climber, but the flip side is they are slower on the flat and vice versa. You need to work out hill running miles to flat running miles and what ratio will work best over all for fuel.

If Walmart is anything like McDonnalds, they have done more homework than imagined to work out the most economical way of doing business. I think a casual observation of what is being used says a lot. They buy just enough to get the job done. Looks, bling, whistles matter little.

Of course bigger HP = better driving experience as less patience is required. It also equals less dollars in the bank generally, because you are spending it on fuel for a better driving experience. I imagine the few dollars potentially spent in labour climbing a hill does not compare the overall fuel bill.

Like I previous said, ol mate competitors boss bough him a 510hp because the driver wanted it. I have a 460HP towing the same weight. We both leave and arrive the same time because of road conditions and the speed limit. The 510 however spent more getting there. The driver will say she's a ripper because its big, but that's about as far as the thinking goes. But maybe if that's what it takes to have happy staff looking after the gear, then why not.

 

A 400 hp with 1850 ft/ lb will pull as good as 500 hp with 1750 ft/ lb on big hills on small hills the 500 hp will pull away slightly.. smaller hp just takes longer to get up to speed mostly . Once the speed is scrubbed away at the bottom third of the hill the torque keeps it going the rest of the way .

 

I beleive engines back in the day were 300 hp. I don't know when 80k was allowed. Economy was the pits though. And they were probably climbing the western mountains at around 10 mph.

My first otr truck was 400.
My next couple trucks were 455.
The last truck was 515.

More power provided better economy. It also provided less fuel used per trip.

You spend less time climbing mountains with the pedal to the floor. You spend less time making your trips.

515 shaved 2+ hours off a trip over the 400. In the rocky mountains.

 

350hp used to be big power.