Muck Boots 'n' Slickers - Life of a Livestock Hauler

Jost is the easiest to adjust imho.

 

Define dominate.

 

I like the Holland FW heavy duty series. If I had my own truck I'd order one with Teflon to avoid having to grease the top plate.

 

I was fortunate enough to have a1693TA in the ‘78 Pete I operated. True enough, it was a Clatterpillar, it was a fuel drinker at about 4-4.5 MPG if I ran it easy. Running hard it would drop under 4 but it would pull. I was running a15 over with 24.5 rubber. Not sure of the rears. It was certainly not the fastest truck on the road but it would dang sure stay steady in the hills. I miss that old truck.

 

Thanks for all the replies on the 5th wheel question, I was just wondering because out here 98% of the ones I see are Holland FW35s with grease on them. I didn't know if there was a reason for them being the most used or what the deal was. I will probably go back with the Holland FW35s and grease because I do pull a few trailers that aren't mine from time to time and they all run grease.

 

A little grease doesn’t hurt the Teflon. Just make sure you don’t have any grit on the plate before you hook up. I drop and hook for a company who loves grease. I scrape my Teflon off with a putty knife when I’m home on the weekend.

 

A little grease is good Dirt not so Bueno. And never use one with a mechanical RGN, it will not last long.

 

CAT held the market on power and torque.

Simple, left Cummins scratching for ground trying to play catch up with their 855. Many poor boys still bought Cummins because they claim they couldn’t afford a CAT. By the mid 80’s CAT was by the the predominant engine found in class 8 trucks. It hurts a Cummins cheer squad feelings but why? It’s not a big deal. Course then the Cummins boys wanna drag out the KTA…..very few, not same engine class and still junk. You could drop 30k in a dealer overhaul in the 80’s and still have a boat anchor. During the fuel crisis I guess everyone has forgotten CAT won the fuel wars I believe they were referred to with the 3406 and 3408. Cummins started to gain back the market with the N14 and then the ISX. I agree which is truly better is opinions and luck of the draw. I’ll take a 425 over a 444 all day long.

 

I’ll have to disagree on one thing. Cummins out sold cat 3-1 in my neck of the woods. And a 1693 or even an A model were nowhere near as fuel efficient. A B was comparable on fuel efficiency as a big cam. But I’ve heard a lot of old hands say they’d take an 8v92 over all of them. Idk I can’t say. Never had an 8v92.

I guess I disagreed on two things

 

Well said Wore out. Cummins was the go to from the mid 50's until the Cat 3406B hit the market in the early 80's. The Cat starts easier in cold climates, has more torque, lasts longer between rebuilds and gets about the same fuel mileage as a Big Cam. I have a 359 with a 3406B, 359 with a 400 Big Cam, and a W900 with a 525 Red Top N14. Pulling a loaded cattle pot 75-80 mph in Texas all three get about 4.5-5 mpg. In the flat country all run about the same, but hit a hill or a stout headwind and the Cat doesn't work near as hard with that cattle pot. But I will say the Cummins have tremendously better Jakes.