Newbie - T600 KW 2007

I'll agree with oil analysis,not the dyno, all that tells is HP, not whats going wear wise.

 

it would be a good truck for eastern runs.

 

Ok, I'll talk as the guy who has gotten wrong and eventually got it right. First off, the things that you have mentioned are good ideas as a pre purchase inspection is concerned, but my thoughts go back to what one other poster has mentioned which is do you have the extra capital in reserve to deal with breakdowns and rebuilding systems because of age? Failure in business comes down to undercapitilization ( fancy word for "not enough cash to handle everything" ) and given the mileage of the truck and the engine that it has, you are looking at all the EGR equipment including the turbo ( EGR cooler and valve ). These need to be considered wear items, and if you don't have proof that they were changed, they need to be done ( all in price near 5000.00-6000.00 ). If the brakes and tires are 60 percent or better, you could ride for a minute, but another 5000.00 for tires, maybe 1000.00 or so for all the brakes, 275.00 per month for pm's, 5000.00 or more for insurance per year. Then add in for meals, showers......Do you have your own trailer? Tires, brakes, insurance.

Are you sure you want to do this right now? Do you have the freight to support the venture and what kind of freight will you haul?

You don't want to make this kind of investment into a tractor with those miles, go under 500k. Get the lowest mile tractor you can afford that has documentation for EVERYTHING that has been done. Your goal is to get past the first two years running consistently without a major failure. View every time the truck is not making money you are losing 1000.00 per day.

Another thing, the Cummins ISX does not get the best mpg in the world with stock programming. Factor in some money to get the ECM recalibrated so that the truck doesn't eat you out of house and home. If I had to do it all again, I would buy a well maintained fleet truck with a Series 60 Detroit Diesel and a 10 speed, reprogrammed it and had great power plus near 8 mpg.

 

Stepped out a minute, just a few more thoughts.........Tractors take your money, trailers make you money. If you are going to the East Coast, you will need to have a combo that is optimized for mountains, has a tight turning radius and a relatively low profile so that you don't smack those low bridges ( unless you're pulling a van then you need the tall top to block the wind ). Engine wise, if you are running at or near 80k, you'll need every bit of 475 hp or more with the higher torque rating ( not 1650 ft/lbs but 1850 ft/lbs ) and 13 speeds. The 13 speed does not have such a wide ratio gap as a 10 speed on the high side, and when going through the mountains sometimes you just need a half step lower to get over the hill. On standard profile tires ( 22.5 ), go with 3.58, 3.64 or 3.73 gears with overdrive or 2.64s, 2.80s, or even 2.93s with a direct drive transmission ( direct drive transmissions are more efficient than an o/d style ).

 

Depends on the motor and tuner. Check out PDI, Dieselspec, Pittsburgh Power, and there are people here that do that kind of work ( look up Mr. Haney and pm him ).

 

A good dyno test will give you blowby #'s which is some indication of wear.

 

That's a good lookin rig but if you're planning on signing on with Landstar or any other dry van company you'll need to put an air dam on the roof to divert air flow or you'll lose a lot of fuel mileage with wind hitting the front of your trailer

 

Hope to see you succeed my friend. My opinion would be a 206 to 220 wheel base. Trust me. I run north east and a 232 wheel base is rough. I'm also a new guy and have 2 years probation before I can fly solo (thank you OOIDA). My advice would be to learn more before you go solo. Best thing its talk to Kevin Rutherford. He us knowledgeable. And regards to the isx. I'm running the isx and my most recent fuel fill up was 9.47 mpg. Before was 8.76. I'm hauling dry van at roughly 40k and north east. Always have one trip that's almost 80k and I still maintain 7.8 or better. Key us to relax that foot. I cruise at 60mph. Just my advice. Take it as you will.