Best truck for long haul

If you want comfort,fuel economy,and pulling power I'd go with a Volvo 780, ISX 500HP, 3:42 rears and an 18 speed. That's my preference. Like was said earlier, you're gonna get a whole bunch of different answers. Every driver has his likes and dislikes. Read them all, weigh your options and make a choice. I wish you good luck.

 

If you're really set on those model years, I suggest a Mercedes motor. They were the most fuel efficient and reliable engine of that era. They also had the simplest and most reliable EGR, a simple turbo and (thanks to Carbon Credits) used the least amount of EGR.

 

One engine I haven't heard any reviews of stateside ! They would be a million times better than a maxxforce engine and 10 million times better than a Paccar engine!

 

I've heard plenty on the Mercedes engine and most was not complimentary.

 

They used make a great engines , older ones were tough as nails although I've heard newer ones weren't as good but then again most manufacturers are Havin problems no doubt caused by this emissions rubbish. Mercedes aren't a big seller in this country so I don't get much contact with them but we also have maxxforce and Paccar/daf engines here for many years and mercedes would be much better than those!

 

The biggest problem with the MBE4000's was/is the people working on them.

 

A bad mechanic can be the death of any engine! A mechanic that knows what he's doin is worth anything especially on these type engines

 

Early MBE4000s had head gasket problems. The fix was to install new liners that had an O ring on the top and bottom. But because the heads come off individually, I suspect many were fixed by just pulling the leaking head and replacing the gasket. 100k later, they leaked again.

I can't understand how somebody cannot like an engine that pulls as good at 1100 as it does at 1500 and has a 600 HP engine brake.

 

Under warranty, all 6 liners got pulled, and so on. So the HG issue should be a none issue, unless a monkey worked on it.
Mine has been good for the most part, not as good as my old S60 Detroit (pre egr), but a lot better than the other guys running Emission motors where I am leased onto.
I always get better MPG than they do, but I have lower power too. See what works for you and run with it. For me, a trade off in HP is worth another 1+MPG.

Martin

 

some thoughts on long hauling

as mentioned comfort is key. Some of the guys are telling you, oh you can make money with any truck but I can tell you that personally if I drive a Freightliner 8 hours I'm wore out, cranky, and frustrated. Give me a long-nose Pete and I'm still smiling and ready to go. It's not the looks, it's the longer wheel base, sitting back further from the front axle where you don't feel every bump as much. You'll want a good seat. That can make a big difference. I also always replace the truck mattress with as high quality of a mattress as I can find. 5 hours sleep on a good mattress will do more for you than 8 hours on the crappy camping pads they come with. Another factor is noise, the smaller aerodynamic cab on a KW tends to be the quietest I have driven. But on any truck you can reduce noise by cutting in some carpet for the floor or adding some insulation to the firewall.