engines/trucks

My family's trucking company out in CA has a '97 T2000 with a DDS60...2,200,000 miles on the chassis, they did an inframe about 200k ago.

 

I've got a 1996 FLD 112 with 1,541,000 on it without an overhaul. It's got a junky little 3176 Cat in it. Not a powerhouse, but she still gets 7 mpg or a little better in the summer and 6.8 to 7 in the winter.

 

M.P.G does not count when idleing or bob tailing.

 

. I really don't do either. I idle long enough to let it warm up, drive 250 or so miles, do a trailer swap, and come home. I don't bobtail at all, save for the occasional trip for repairs. Idling hurts the mileage, so if I ever have to wait, it gets shut down. I don't sleep in the truck since I'm home every day.

7 mpg is pretty easy in this worn out old beater. I drive 61 or 62, don't idle, keep the overheads run, keep the oil and filters changed every 10 to 12 thousand miles (made a great deal with an on site mechanic), keep the fuel system clean, etc.

I also believe in and use Motorkote and the Fleet Air filters. I have an oil analysis done every other service to help spot issues early. My grandpa told me to take care of my truck and it'd take care of me. So far it has.

running the same run nightly and coming home daily helps, too, I think. Gives me more time to tinker with it and give it a little TLC.

I think, also, that the reasons it gets good fuel mileage is also why it's got 1,542,435 miles on it and it runs just fine.