389 pete or KW W900l. Glider

It's a matter of personal preference. I think KW is a better built truck. I will always drive Pete because they are more comfortable for ME!
I'm driving a new 389 with airride front end and love it. Pete is miserable with QC.

 

I used to work for a guy who had all W900L's and 379s ... the pete's always rode better, seemed to be more solid. I had a 2009 KW, and it did not even ride as good as the petes did. If I ever get a new one, it will be a 389.

 

There's only one choice , your choice. If it were me it would be a new Peterbilt. I'm kicking around the idea of a glider myself , only thing is I wouldn't be able to run Cali , I like the w900 studios too but very partial to peterbilts , can't beat that ride. Go drive a cascadia through the Bronx pulling gross then a Peterbilt then you'll see which is better. Good luck whatever you choose!

 

I know you can't run gliders in California, but has there been an announcement of when gliders will be illegal for the rest of the states? Some guy told me that something is changing in 2017, but I'd rather have actual facts than taking his word for it.

OP, I love the look of a W9 with an aero cab. I vote that

 

There's always going to be rumors but I spoke to the guys at West Carolina freight liner who buy gliders from Harrison. The salesman said that 2023 was the magic number but who knows. The thing is, how can they make certain trucks illegal if they're already on the road. They would have to make many other trucks illegal even if they have some form of emissions. Where do you draw the line?
But you know the Govt will probably come up with some dumb scheme. Nevertheless I think gliders are a good buy.
personally, I would probably buy from Harrison rather than Fitzgerald.

 

I just turned 100k on a 389 glider I built last spring. I suppose it would depend on the application as to what I would choose. I'm in tanks, so lightweight was priority number one. I rarely ever sleep in the truck, so creature comforts aren't tops on the list. If I was in an OTR operation, I probably would've gone with a KW... I had a T600 before the glider, and the comfort, convenience, and little cubbyholes all over were fantastic... it was just HEAVY.

 

I was in a similar situation a short while ago. Mine, was choosing between the KW T800 and 367 Pete, both new and identically spec'd for my application. First, with KW you can get into so much more details while specing, Pete doesn't even come close. Second, KW feels more solidly built and sat more firmly on the road. While Pete is comfortable, it doesn't feel as solid and has some sway that I felt when driving it, probably the way the cab/sleeper suspension is setup. KW steering is also felt more precise, while Pete steering felt too loose for me. I'm coming from Volvo, which basically mimics car like steering responses. Finally, the trucks I was choosing between where both set back axle configuration, with identically sized hoods wheelbases and sleepers, and as I already mentioned identically spec'd. The T800 chassis had a better weigh distribution then 367 Pete. In KW, all of it's weigh was on the nose, leaving the tandems lightweight, strangely enough the 367 Pete had a light nose and heavy tandems, which is pretty unusable.