New truck-specialized application

just thought i would add my 2 cents. ( good luck on your build)

 

Just a newb so I'm trying to get informed... what do all the numbers y'all are throwin around mean? 386? 382? T660? Be nice guys lol. Like i said, I'm just a newb.

 

If you go Pete or KW get the cummins engine. I think detroit is being offered in KW again, not sure though.

Leave the volvo in the lot, especially one that will depreciate 30~40 percent when you buy it. The 09's and older will drop value fast!

Freightliner with a DD-15 or a Pete or KW with a cummins would be my choices for this.

Don't get the hendrickson air ride front axle. Rides nice but is not real durable in my experience. Eaton makes a 13,200 rated front axle that was very little in cost as an upgrade from stock.

Eaton or Rockwell diffs. The autoshift trans can be nice but remember it adds a layer of technicality that can fail and be $$$ to fix. Don't get an Allison automatic trans. Go with an Eaton 10 speed. Thats all the trans you'll need at that weight level. Go with an Eaton easy pedal clutch not the Solo type. The easy pedal is cheaper to replace and has 2~3 times the life of the solo

 

If you guys haven't been to a dealership lately have you at least looked at the websites?

Detroit Diesel is owned by Daimler (i.e. Freightliner) which is why you can't get them in a KW or Pete.

So the MX is manufactured by DAF in Europe for North America, it basically replaces the C13 and ISM though it is designed to be lugged. It makes about 1000 ft-lbs at 900rpm and is at its peak torque (1650) by 1200.

The 386 and T660 are basically the same truck... do you like the pete oval or the kw bug? If you do pick either of them I think the extended day cab makes the most sense for you if the builders are willing to work to integrate with the cab (the roof is higher in the cab then and you have the whole back open).

Other than International any new truck will be using urea so make sure to keep that in mind. Starting with a new rig I wouldn't be surprised if you end up pushing 200k+ in the end depending on just how extreme the truck body you're putting on will be.

If money isn't really the deciding factor you might think about test driving a few trucks as well. The new eaton ultrashift plus (with the real clutch that is electrically driven) is very nice and drives almost perfectly (it doesn't upshift as soon as it could with the new low RPM engines like the MX).

 

500,000 miles a year is fifty-seven miles per hour for every hour of every day of the year. Servicing monthly would mean over 40,000 miles between services. BS. There is no "g" in Cummins.

Sorry for the rabbit trail. Flashpoint, I think you'll find that Peterbilt and Kenworth dealers in general have better service and are open longer hours than Freightliner dealers. Freightliner dealers are kind of notorious for bad service, actually.

As far as the advantages of the pre-emissions engines, they're generally more reliable, get better fuel mileage, and are cheaper to fix. The downside is that starting in 2014, California isn't going to allow trucks with pre-October '02 emissions into the state. That's what they say now, who knows if the courts are going to let them interfere with interstate commerce like that. Something else to think about is ordering a truck with the wheelbase you need from the factory, and not have to fool with having the frame cut, spliced, and welded. These guys aren't showing any Peterbilts right now, but they can get them. fitzgeraldgliderkits.com

 

So nobody cares to help a newb out or something? Lol tried checkin out some manufactures websites, but no luck.

 

wulfsbergvw, the numbers are the various differnt models for the brand, 386 peterbilt, t660 kw, etc.

 

It's just the model numbers. Not sure if it really stands for anything!!

Bill