Is this truck right for frac sand hauling?

I get paid by the ton, but I'm also willing to sacrifice a heavier tare weight for increased durability. Sure, there are lightweight components that will allow you to haul more paying freight, but at what cost? Lightweight parts are typically less durable, which means you're more likely to break stuff....and breaking stuff gets EXPENSIVE!!! You aren't making ANYTHING if your truck's in the shop...and the cost of the broken parts is a lot more than what that extra little bit per trip is going to pay.

...and leave the 2.whatever rear end gears for the highway cruisers. I wouldn't even feel comfortable running off road with a 3.something ratio. My truck has a 4.17 rear end gear...and I'm seriously considering swapping them out for 4.42's.

 

I beleive that 4.42's are a bit low for hauling sand but it's your truck so it's whatever floats your boat. I think that 3.90's are about perfect for general hauling in the patch with a 13 or 18 Spd. But hell my winch trucks pulling heavy assed rig iron are only geared at 4.10 and they do fine on soft roads and leases.

 

I've got tall 24.5's on my truck...so that 4.17 is like a 3.73 with LP22.5's...and I'm not entirely happy with it. The log truck I used to drive was set up pretty similar....E7-460 engine, T2130 transmission, 4.35 gears in Mack rears, and 11R22.5 tires...and that truck would pull like a MF'er, even when running considerably overweight. Mine is an E7-460, T2180B, 4.17 gears in Mack rears, and 11R24.5 tires. 4.42 gears with the tall 24.5's would give me the same overall ratio as that log truck.

 

That's a good deal if most of what you do is off highway. But when your about half and half highway and off road hauling 80 to 100k gross it's a little low. In my experience 3.90's are about perfect. But it's all about what you want out of a truck.


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Thanks for this