Older cabovers OTR?

Plus they look cool.

 

If done right, they look buff.

The only problem I see is that you might have a degree of difficulty leasing on (if that is desired) with any of the mega carriers. They insist on newer model trucks.

The good side is you wouldn't have to deal with all the emission equipment that seems to break frequently, and, no special computer programs would be needed to tune the engine. Manual pumps rule.

 

Depending on what kind of operation you are going to run a,well maintained cab over will work just fine. With that being said you will have a problem with most carriers, because they do have a age limit on the trucks they will let lease on. But other than that............... HELL go for it .

 

Fuel mileage might be your greatest problem. The newer C/O's are just like all the trucks in that year- the fuel mileage was improving but hadn't topped out yet. In the 80's, 6 mpg's was impressive. By 1990, 7 mpg's was something to brag about.

Anyway- hopefully a reworked cabover should include some gearing and tuning updates. And of course, you know to stay away from two stroke engines and V-blocks, no one can afford a 4 mpg truck today.

All trucks in those days were expected to idle a lot and the bodies lack ventilation. As soon as you turn a C/O off the cab becomes an oven- the engine is directly under you and the doghouse is always hot. Nice in winter, not convenient in the Southwest.

What I liked about the older C/O's is that your girlfriend (or wife) could lay out on the doghouse next to you while you were driving.

The bad thing about them is trying to stand straight after driving one for a few days. There wasn't room to stand in them. The later models have much more room and lower floors. Come to think of it, some of them had exhaust fans in the sleeper vents.

They were fun, though- Ford and Mack trucks sat the highest- sometimes you had to open the door to reach down to get a toll ticket at the booth. I see a lot of nice ones on the west coast.

 

I agree 100% The value buy will always attract buyers, but always keep in mind that comfort and some fuel mileage will,,,,,,,,,,,,, suck depending on your expections. ( can you lay down or hunch over and dress without cussing and hitting your head). FOOD FOR THOUGHT. But it is old school

 

I've only driven 2 cabovers: 1. A '75 GMC Astro, for a day 20+ years ago, with a 270 cummins and a 10 spd. and 2. A Hino with a euro style 10 spd and a turbo V6 diesel, in Saudi Arabia and Iraq during Desert Storm. The Hino ran and handled like a sports car. It was fast fun to drive.

I believe you could do well with a cab over nowadays, say with a 60 series, a 13 spd od and .350 rears. You could probably get 6 mpg out of it. The cab overs with air rear suspension and air ride cab suspension were suppose to have ridden fairly well. I saw a '93 freightliner with only 95,000 original miles on it in the truck paper recently.

 

For OTR I would not consider a COE.

When you add the fatigue from the crappy ride to the lack of benefits drived from a COE in an OTR application it does not make any sense.

I can't imagine living in one, you would quickly learn to be a minimalist.

The Price of used trucks is low enough that you should have little problem finding a rig that best suits your uses.

Older trucks are cool but you have to look at the parts availability and the quality of the rebuild work, also your ability to work on the rig and space to carry tools. Also older trucks don't have the features newer trucks do (if I don't have cruise control my speed creeps) AC / Defrost systems have improved dramatically, steering systems are way better, air ride is a godsend (cab & chassis).

If I was going OTR I would be looking at fuel mileage (includes aero footprint)(don't buy a condo if you are hauling a flattie or cans), then creature comfort (includes ride quality), then power.

Your fuel bill is your biggest expense, your second largest hit is emotional & physical comfort. Shop accordingly, a couple of grand could make the difference between a smile and hell on wheels. Don't buy for looks, that is feeding your ego, a paint job and chrome and lights don't help pay the rent. And since appearance is a big pricing factor you can save some coin there.

WATCH FOR RUST!!! especially on double frame rigs.

 

as said above, the biggest factor in making a profit will be MPG, as not only is it a square brick, but it also has a mechanical motor which is terrible on MPG's as well..... but #### do I like the old cabovers too

If you are planning running coast to coast as and OTR then I would think about it over and over again as you will get terrible MPG's and not have any room inside, plus it gets VERY cold in the winter time (tho the old K100 I drove would cook you out sometimes)

Now if you plan on doing regional or maybe even hauling steel beams (for the lessened length) then I would consider it. Especially if it has all new parts, a fresh engine and can be gotten for under $20k

 

They don't ride as bad as everyone thinks, the Pete air leaf and KW 8 bag air ride have been around since the sixties. Air ride cab, link-mate can fix that, electronic engines have been around since the late eighty's.