Used Kenworth 10 spd in the mountains?

It's like a jake brake or a radio, makes your job easier but not necessary.

 

For 27k you can find alot of better deals- # of gears are only as good as their rear end ratio!

 

In my mind having a 13 speed over a 10 speed is like having an extra 75hp. You say the truck has a c15. But what is it rated at? If it is set at 450 and you can turn it up to 550 then you would end up with just about the same thing. Although I would rather have 450 and a 13 over 550 and a 10. But that's just me.

 

A 3.55 gear ratio is kind of high for pullin the hills of the northwest. Now it will depend on what the rest of the running gear is. At 3.55 rear end ratio you may or may not have an Overdrive. If it has an overdrive I don’t believe it will perform well in the hills.

435 the lowest rating for the C-15. Odds are you can turn it up. You need to get the info off the motor plate and find out from a cat dealer if it can be turned up. Most can. Then you need the info off the tranny plate to see if the tranny is rated to handle the added power the turned up motor will develop. This is determined by the torque rating.

It kinda sounds like this may not be the truck for you. Unless it has a tranny rated for 1850 and the c-15 can be turned up to 500 or better. Otherwise you will spend lots of time in the right hand lane getting passed.

If changing the parameters in the ECM is in your future make sure you get the password from the seller. The cat dealer will charge you to clear the old passowrd.

Some useful reading:
http://www.performancediesels.co.nz/catalog/resources/File/Cat%20C15%20Specs.pdf

http://www.roadranger.com/Roadranger/productssolutions/transmissions/index.htm

http://www.vibratesoftware.com/html_help/html/Eaton_Fuller/Transmissions/eaton_transmissions.htm

 

I drive a 18spd that would be my 1st choice but I would buy a 10spd if the rest of the truck was what I wanted. The 10 spd saves on weight and has less maint. issues. Will probably get a few arguments with this statement but...
A 10spd and a 13spd will top a long hill at the same speed. It is engine power not gears. That being said a 13 can get better mpgs on rolling hills because you can keep it in the power band better. The trick to that is turn the truck up and not at the cat dealer. PDI or Bully Dog.

 

3.55 rears are kinda steep for lots of mountain pulling. Also there are different final ratio 10 speeds. I would not buy that set-up if there were LOTS of uphill pulls.

 

I think that is about 10,000 too much money. That is a lot of miles on that KW emblem.

Does that Kitty Kat purr or is it lemon'y yellow? I would not buy a truck I could not verify the history on or run a test load on to verify mileage and power. I have heard of guys with identical trucks and one gets 6.5 and the other 4 MPG and or they have problems that have not been able to get fixed in multiple attempts.

How deeep is that hook set?

You need to shop around and talk to drivers and mechanics, not salesmen.

Do you have work for the truck right now?

If you have work for the truck, you can rent a truck while you get a better understanding of what you need.

I'm not sure any 10 speed would be optimal in the mountains.

How much weight?
How fast do you want to go uphill? Splitting gears helps going down too.
What kind of fuel mileage do you expect?
Is that MPG expectation rational for your load/route?
Does your truck have to say KW on the grill?
How many miles in the mountains vs How many miles in the flats?
If you're just running the corridor it's not worth it (gear for mileage).
Or find a truck with a 9 that you can install a 13 kit on.

Would a $17,000 Shaker with $10,000 in the bank to spend on it move the same freight?

 

Bent Wrench, sounds like your a mechanic. Let me ask you this. Will a Craftsman wrech turn a bolt as well as Snap-On? Which do you have in your tool box? Tool box I bet you have 1 of them too and not a bunch of plastic tubs. Craftsman and plastic tubs are cheaper!! Think of all the money you have wasted buying the best.


Just cause a tool/truck will do the job, does not mean they are equal. You get what you pay for!!!

Ps If JohnP3 reads this that goes for you too.

No disrespect meant. All in good fun!