New to the forum, planning for O/O

Hi all,

I am new to the forum. First, I would like to thank each and every trucker out there, and I greatly appreciate, and am thankful for all that you folks do. I have been reading many of these posts, and am just floored by all the helpful tips, the passing on of knowledge, etc. that is within these posts. You folks rock, and I am glad to be a member of the forum.

I have been around trucks for a while, and there's been a fire burnin' for trucking for as long as I can remember. I have some friends that are in the trucking business. One hauls mainly machinery, and the other hauls a mix of machinery with a lowboy and also various materials with a dump trailer. They are great people, and never have a problem answering my questions, and teaching me what they know. I always believe that the day is lost if you haven't learned something. If my friend is doing maintenance on his rig, I always try to make time to run over there to learn about the maintenance task at hand. I do have mechanical, and engineering experience, so it makes understanding things easier. I have the military, and many others whom passed on knowledge to me to thank. I always make a point in my off time to ride shotgun if my friend is haulin'. The great thing is, I get to drive sometimes too!

It's not all fun and games, there can be some rough times. There are so many regulations, costs, fee's, taxes, forms, and so on that it'll make your eyes bleed. That and many inconsiderate individuals on the road in which I have some choice words for. When I'm driving in my car around trucks, I am courteous and even help them get into a lane, while other folks would rather cut them off, race in front of them and then slow down, stay out of their line of sight, and all the other nonsense that goes on. I don't stress, as it can burn one's self out and be a real distraction. A few words and on I go.

So, I have made the decision to purchase a truck and become an owner operator. I have been doing a lot of research. This forum has been of great help. There is still so much more to learn. I have decided on the truck I want. It will be a Kenworth W900L. There is still the issue of which diesel to get, but I have narrowed my choice down to either Cummins, or a Detroit. I am a big fan of Caterpillar, however after looking into replacement part costs, overhaul costs, MPG, etc. it sadly is not going to be a choice in my purchase consideration. The range of years I am looking for are from 99 up to around 04. If it's a Cummins, I am leaning toward an N14. Were they available up to 2002? If there is a choice of an ISX, or Detroit would I be better off going with the Detroit? I am not looking for payments, as I would like to own it outright. I have been setting aside funds for maintenance, fuel, taxes, tags, registration, insurance, and catastrophic maintenance. If I can find a well maintained, good running truck that is a 2000, I would definitely go that route, as that would be more funds dedicated to the O&M budget. I have a question though, would it be also worthwhile to save for, and then maintain a spare engine, gearbox and rear end on hand? I was thinking of putting some more on the side for just that purpose. It may sound like overkill, but I feel it is better to be prepared for the worst, while maintaining the truck to be the best it can be.

I am looking to haul equipment with a lowboy, or hit my head and drag a flatbed. Is it possible to haul a dump trailer, or is it even applicable to haul a dump trailer on a Wopper with a sleeper? I am looking for a truck with 12K front's, and 40K rears, 18 Speed gearbox, and a shorter gear ratio, around 3:55's, and maybe shorter if possible. As for Wheel Base, I don't think I should go over 270"'s. I did see a rig I was interested in with an 18 speed with 3:70 rears. Would that be too tall? I would like to hear what you folks would recommend. Advice on truck inspection prior to purchase would be very much appreciated, along with any other advice. There is just so much to learn. I hope you folks don't mind all the questions.

Thanks again,
Vampire

 

Thanks Lil May, all the best to you too.

 

Thanks for the welcome Toro.

Thank you for the correction 'Olhand, much appreciated. I really need a new notebook binder dedicated to truckin to write these things down. Right now I have a bunch of notes stuffed in a folder, but I want the notes to be more organized, kind of how my military papers are. Gonna make me a list and go to the store tomorrow.

lolz Thanks for the welcome, and u are indeed right about great folks being on here.

 

Thanks Turker. You and 'Olhand got me thinking (the coal is burnin up there). I was looking to gather some figures in regards to rear axle ratio's, speed, RPM's and so on. I found a nifty gearing calculator on the Cummins website. Less of a chance for me to mash up the numbers. So I plugged in some specs and it gave me some general numbers and their recommended guideline. Am I able to post a link to it?

Turker, you were dead on right. Hauling 50 - 65K lbs, with a speed of 63 MPH with the RTLO 18918, 3.70 rears and 24.5 LP Goodyear G167 A rubber # 496 revolutions per mile, it would put me at the recommended 1400 rpm range for the Cummins. However, this is for the ISX. This brings up some other questions. If it were an N14, would the recommended RPM range be lower or around the same? For those hauling flatbed, what weights do you normally haul with what length flat bed? Also, which would be better, a step deck, or just flat?

As for tires, what would you folks recommend as a durable, but low rolling resistance tire. There are so many on the market.

I was real interested in a 99 Wopper with the 3406E. The Cat sure sounded great, it had excellent throttle response too. The only thing is there was no paperwork. This guy was totally honest with me about everything. He even took me all around the truck and showed me the things he didn't like. Showed me a small crack in the glass on one of the sleeper eyes, wires that were ran poorly, and a bunch of other stuff. Grabbed out the ladder, and showed me some of the paint that was faded and the clearcoat that was peeling. Showed me some rust spots on the exhaust welds, and a small leak on one of the axle seals (which were just rebuilt with along with new brake's all around to boot). Grabbed out 2 creepers and a flashlight and showed me underneath the truck. Very stand up individual. He has a real nice Pete 379 EXH with a huge sleeper, double frame and a 3406 Cat. Real beauty, with all the paperwork. It was out of my budget, but such a sweet ride that was definitely well maintained.

Thanks again all.