Best and Worst trucks

The best truck is the truck I can Coast down the road pop the clutch and the mechanical engine will run for the next 30 days if I want it to run that long.

The worst truck is anything with any kind of a computer any kind of electronics any kind of electronic nonsense.

I am a Dino Soar, for me real trucks only need fuel air and compression.

The rest is extraneous nonsense that will only burn a hole in your pocket.

 

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Owned by the same company does not mean the trucks are identical. Does a 389 look like a W900? Does a 579 look the same as a T660?

 

If you compare cars from current production to 30 - 40 years ago, there is no question that today’s cars are definitely more complicated. But cars today are faster, much more fuel efficient, safer, handle and stop better, get better tire mileage, ride better just to name a few of the major improvements.
I still like to work on a 50’s pickup truck, where the straight 6 engine was easily accessible, and was mounted north south, and much less complicated to diagnose and repair.

I think much of the same is true for heavy trucks, and the advances far outweigh the complications these new technologies bring. I’m truly a dino-sour too. Have many memories from the old days too. Old Brockways, Mack’s, Whites, Diamond T’s. Any of these could leave you on the side road. Brakes left a lot to be desired, poppin clutches was a daily fix. Huge V8 gas engines (B4 Diesel), 2 speed rear ends.

Life in the old days had plenty of fun, but we all have “built in forgetters” of the hard times. Trucking has never been easy, and never will be. Just the way we like it!

 

I agree with a lot of what zig zag said. I don't think I would want a car from the 1930s as a daily driver.

Cars have come a long way, trucks I think not so much. For example, I have a mid-nineties tractor with an air ride cab air ride rears and a mechanical engine.

I don't see anything that is that much more advanced technology that I would go through all the computer BS.

If you had a dump truck from the 90s with air ride and an air ride cab, is there anything made now that the chassis and cab is that much Superior? I doubt it. Put a mechanical engine in it and you've got a 100% nice truck.

To me, and this is my own opinion, the electronics are worthless. They are just an unnecessary unneeded added expense, for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

When God created the diesel engine he blessed it to run with fuel air and compression.

Then like all things that man does, he put his hands into it and decided to put his own human Brilliance into it and now you have a mess with all these nightmare of electronics. To me, that is pure human stupidity.

With all of the expense to repair and diagnose, the minuscule Savings in fuel for a few trucks operating does not offset that. Nor does it offset all the downtime that you have no money coming in while spending a fortune to chase down some Phantom problem. Check the threads. It's all there.

Not for me.

Nothing is more reliable than a mechanical engine. Reliability is the name of the game. And not blowing excessive money on nonsense that's not needed. KEEP THE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET WHERE IT BELONGS!

When you want something to work every single day, reliability is what counts.

 

In my opinion there hasn’t been a decent truck built in the last 15 years. There all plastic and built cheap. And the worst part is they are building them to mimic cars, cheap little plastic switch’s, plastic panels that start falling apart or squeaking after a few thousand miles.

 

I hate that!

Trucks should be trucks not made with plastic junk and they certainly should not feel like a Toyota.

I used to drive electronic series 60 engines. I hated that those trucks had to spin and spin and spin and spin before they started. They sounded just like a Toyota to me.

Now the Detroit two stroke is really a dinosaur, but when you hit that button if that engine is primed and ready one quarter of a turn and it sounds like a beast. Same as the Cummins big cam. Real engines for real Truckers.

Where has all the Manliness and dependability and Common Sense gone?

 

When a bunch of angry, frightened women and castrated Pajama Boys somehow took over the country and decided that everyone should get a Participation Trophy every time they took a breath, and nothing bad should ever happen to anyone ever...common sense and manliness said, "F this" and bailed to Costa Rica with a forged passport, a .38 in their pocket and a hot chick on each arm.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I feel triggered and microaggressed, so I'll be retreating to my Safe Space with cookies and Play-Doh.

 

New or old?

I am looking for a tri axle dump truck right now. I found a really nice mid-nineties truck with air ride that was Faithfully serviced with all records from new. I hope we can make a deal for this truck.

But I will tell you the truck has an n14 in it. I understand N14s are great engines but they have a problem with injectors shorting out and they tend to short the computer out also if what I've heard is true.

So I figured at least 1800 for injectors, I'm guessing at least 1500 or so for the computer, and at least another 500 for an injector harness. That is just under $4,000. And if I let someone else do it I'm sure that would be 6 or 7 thousand. And that's only the first round.

Myself, if I buy this truck, I will convert it over to a mechanical engine. I'm 99% sure I can do that, but I will research it further. The n14 really is a big Cam that has a computer that meters the fuel opening and closing, aside from that they're about the same engine.

So unless there's something I don't understand about the n14, I would just time it to my favorite big cam CPL use the same turbo and injectors from the big cam and I will ensure that never ever ever ever ever ever again I have an idiotic repair like a bad wire or stupid computer.

If your engine blows up and you're on the side of the road that's one thing. But when you're stuck on the side of the road with a big giant tow Bill and you have to go someplace else that someone else has to fix that truck and it cost you thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars.... because of a stupid wire or stupid electronic idiotic thing. That to me is just moronic- no offense- to be stopped dead in your tracks over something so completely stupid. And something that idiotic and unnecessary costing you thousands and thousands of dollars?

No thank you.

And if for some reason it's not possible to convert that engine over, then I would just put a big cam engine in it and forget about it.

I place a very high value on reliability.

 

And now we have
"snowflakes".

 

Yes similar, and yes.