T660 or T700?

I would love a modern cabover, as a east coast driver this would be helpful for me. You would think there was a good market, I see lots of car haulers and hhg movers who run cabovers, having a modern choice from kw would be well received by them I am sure.

 

I drove a 2013 T660 for a few months. great ride, nice and quiet in the cab. I got in it out of an 05 freightliner condo. The main thing I noticed is I could drive twice as far and not feel fatigued like I did in the Freightliner. mine had the smaller sleeper, 60" or whatever midroof. It was pretty tight after leaving the big ol' Freightshaker. I made a little desk shelf thing for my computer though and got along alright, but if you guys spend many nights in your sleeper you'll want to see if your boss can go for the biggest. cuz let's face it, there ain't no room in the driving part. And yah, my ### brushes both seats when I move from drivers seat to sleeper. It's a squeeze ! Oh, and personally I'd go for that automatic transmission ! I've never had one and also used to think they were for sissies, but you know the older I get I think it might be nice to pull away from a red light without juggling my cigarrette and running through gears.

 

Well I have an auto in this 09 T660 and I'd rather go back to my 07 T600 with the 10spd. It gets worse fuel economy than the manual and starts out in 2nd gear in drive unless you put it Low but then you have to shift back into manual or drive to shift up through the rest of the gears. Granted in traffic it's easier on the leg with an auto but I find you pay more attention to what you're doing driving a manual.

 

I have a 2010 T660 been it it with my dog 2 years come March. Very little room cabinet wise and for your paperwork etc, only 2 small drawers in the sleeper area. Tight squeeze between the seats, cannot sit up on either bunk without bumping head on roof ceiling or upper bunk.

As far as handling, superb. Turns sharp like the Volvo. Advantage of the narrow cab, ease of looking out the passenger window when blindside backing.

T700 to me seems just an updated version of the T2000 which I absolutely hated. If you were to turn the wheels all the way to the left or right, you'd have to go a country mile to come back full circle again. Ergonomically, interior basically sucked. Having said that though, I would still like to test drive a T700 because they are boss looking on the exterior.

 

Someone correct me, but I would think you would be able to scale more in a T660 than a T700. EZ, you mentioned in one thread, your current t/t combo weighs 38 something. Is the boss looking to get more in the box?? If considering T660, I would consider the Pete 386.

KH

 

I happened to look at both of these this weekend. I like the T660 better

The T700 is a very nice truck, but the ergonomics are not that great. They put a cabinet directly behind the drivers seat so if you are tall like I am, you can't really move it back, and if you do you'll just be bouncing off the cabinet thus doing away with any kind of travel the seats suspension has. I also don't like the fact the T700 is not offered in a mid-roof. Even pulling a van trailer I would buy a midroof for the benifits of driving in a side wind. I hate that they get tossed all over the road, it's very fatiguing.

As for the T660, it is the exact same thing as a W9 but with a short hood and SBA. They can come well equiped or just bare-bones.

Like every truck purchase tho, it comes down to spec'ing the right truck for the operation.

 

You are correct, but why does the cab need to be large when you are only taking up about 7 feet of space in the drivers seat? You don't need to be able to do jumping jacks in the cab LOL

Also, the narrower cab and smallness helps cut back on road noise and squeaks that will drive you crazy. I've had both condo'd and flat-top trucks, and the flat-top wins hands down every time. But I also don't need to be able to build a fort, cook a gourmet meal and do flips at night when I go to bed, I just lay down and sleep.

 

I drive an 08 T660. I cant compare it directly to the T700. But for an overall OTR truck its a very nice truck.

The over all ride is very smooth. Roll the windows up and its as quiet and comfortable as any luxury SUV out there.

I have the 72" double bunk sleeper in mine. I have had to share my cab with a co driver a couple times. And for obvious reasons, this is really not a truck that is well suited for team driving, despite the roominess of the sleepers. The cab itself is very narrow. So if your used to a wide body truck,.. you may feel a little confined at the wheel in a T660. The step down in the sleeper never bothered me. That much more head room if you ask me.

The gauge lay out is pretty retarded. The gauges to the immediate left and right of the steering column are not readily viewable. At least not the way I sit in my truck. I have my seat all the way on the floor (I'm a tall guy) and I have the seat all the way back as far as it will go. I then have the steering column tilted down and telescoped out toward me. Just like driving a sports car.

The other thing that I found annoying (Used to it now) is the cruise control (Steering wheel mounted) and its relationship to how the jake brake functions. You have 4 buttons for the cruise control, on, off, set, and resume. On the other side are 4 buttons for the Jake. Off and stage 1 - 3. If you have to hit the brakes while cruise is on and you want the jake to come on, then the jake will work the first time you hit the brake and it will remain breaking until you hit the gas. But here is what used to screw me up. If you let off the gas (Say you hit the brake because you got into some traffic) a second time the jake will no longer work,.. even though its turned on. It will only start working again after you have 'manually' turned the cruise control off on the steering wheel. Nothing like hitting a 5% grade at 79640# expecting the jake to come on and not understanding why it wont. Doing your best not to smoke the brakes on the way down.

As far as turning radius goes. No,.. it doesnt turn as short as a Volvo. But,.. compared to any long nose with similar wheel base the turn radius is fantastic. Its about the same as a 387 Pete. Very similar in terms of steering agility.

The only mechanical issues I've had were due to the ARD head as mine has the ACERT C15 motor. The other was the cheap Bridgestone tires these trucks come with. Michelins are a much better tire.

This was in Bronx NY, I had to blind side a 90 off a narrow street with vehicles parked on the opposite side. Dumpster, utility pole and other obstructions to contend with as well. She backed in there beautifully. I couldnt ask for a better truck.



Here you can see the battle scars from other trucks where drivers obviously left some parts behind.


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In my opinion a T660 is a very beautiful truck.
Here is mine in a glamor shot after getting her washed,.. I've named her Momma K because she looks after and takes care of me.


Hurst