Freightliner Classic XL

guys my mom used to own one so I know first hand what the goods and bad are:

Pros: Cheap as hell, an easy to read dash, easy parts, tougher than most aero trucks

Cons: The turning radius

Note: Iceroad truckers use these for their toughness.

Hunter

 

Did you just say the word toughness in a Freightshaker thread? .....(grin)

 

No they use them because of the price and nothing else, you will freeze to death in that well insulated machine, nothing tough about it, just like any other truck.

The doors on a freightliner, well lets just say they havent fixed them in 20 something years, drafty as hell.

 

I've driven over a million miles in Freightliner Classic and Classic XL. Each new one would turn shorter that what I had before. We had some of the light blue Werner rejects. I hated that one, twenty minutes behind the wheel and my neck was killing me. I had 475 Caterpillar, a couple with 525 Cummins, and a couple of Detroits. I liked the Classic, have no use for the Classic XL, ten inches of hood I didn't need. Over ten years driving them. 140,000 miles a year. I loved the Classic until I changed jobs and went into a 2008 Western Star, I would never go back to the Classic if I had the choice.
The Freightliner had more storage space inside, but the Western Star has more room inside for the same wheelbase as a Classic XL. I have the 84 inch midroof with the Western Star, bigger bed, less storage space, than I had with the Classic 70 inch condo.

 

I seen Ice Road Truckers and I seen Freight Shakers Petes K.Ws Autocars but nothing else.

 

And the guy driving the shaker was freezin his ##### off.

 

I must own the only shaker the throws heat, lot's of heat. This winter I struggled to stay cool when sleeping. I know shut the truck off, but no heat would suck too, so let'r run and cook.

 

I had 2 and they really werent that bad. The only drawback I found with them was (as a few others have noted) the turning radius. You need a 40 acre field to turn it. As far as the trucks themselves went, I drove a '01 with a Series 60/9spd and avg'd 6.3 mpg, and the second was a '03 w/Cummins N14 celect+/10 spd and it got 7.3 mpg and pulled a whole lot harder than the Detroit did.

When I got out of my '03 Classic, I picked up a '04 379 (non-exhd) and it was better all areas except for 2. The Classic blew it out of the water in the room & storage department, and the fuel mileage sucked (I only avg'd 5.4 mpg w/475 Cat/10spd). It rode smoother, turned tighter, etc.,etc. Other than those 2 issues, the 379 was a far better truck.

 

Then you didnt watch all the shows. There was a kid on there, I dont remember his name, but he started for a guy that had a brand new Volvo and had an accident with it on his first load.

 

CaptJack, his name is TJ Tilcox. The Volvo VN670 was loaned to him by Al Donovan. TJ took his spot and due to a faulty trailer brake, he hit a Chevy 1500. Trinity Transport sends them up there all the time. Rick Yemm hitched a ride in a VN780.