W900L Hood Weight

The three W900s I have owned were all easy to open, UNLESS the hood wasn't adjusted properly, a hinge was broken, or the truck was parked on un level ground, causing the hood to be twisted. If I park in a certain spot in my yard, I have to open the hood just as you mentioned; pull up three feet and it opens so easy you have to scratch your head. Parking in that spot will also make the leveling valve leak constantly, losing 60 PSI in about 5 hours. Pull up three feet to that level spot, and truck will hold air all weekend.
Maybe that spot is not un level, but POSESSED? Hmmmm..........

 

The trick to rolling big hoods is to lift it from the fender
on the side.Lifting up rather then pulling back.

Piece of cake,even for smaller women.
Truck position has little to no effect on this technique

 

My hoods must be different from yours; on mine, the grab to open them is at the very front, top and center of the grill; the big silver thing with the "KW" emblem on it. To my knowledge, Kenworth does not provide grabs on the fenders, for the simple reason that they are to NORMALLY be opened from the front, using the provided grab. If you constantly have to lift from a spot other than the designated grab, something is wrong, out of adjustment, or other problem.
As I previously stated, if I park my truck in a certain spot in my yard, I do not even climb on the bumper to open the hood. Back up three feet and I'm tempted to use the front bucket of my tractor, and a chain.

 

are the helper springs broken?

 

Thats what I was thinking. The springs work in both directions, to help open and close. Also may want to check the rubber things the hood sets on when you close it, they may need adjusted.

 

A side note about lifting the hood from the side or fenders. If the hood binds up, which is happening on most hoods since they don't get adjusted and the bushings lubed, you could damage the side of the hood. I've seen a couple of 379 Pete hoods tweeked because of this and remember that W9 hoods are fiberglass. This means they are a little less forgiving. Like was stated earlier check your hood springs and make sure everything is aligned and lubed.

 

There's your problem! Get them put on and it'll make a world of difference.

 

If the hood hinges are worn out KW wanted 200 or 400 bucks a side for the hinges, no labor, I took the old ones to a machine shop and had bushings put in them for less than $100. the hood springs are cheaper from KW than aftermarket in our area. even mud on the mud flaps makes the hood hard to open. check everything.