best tractor for end dump?

You can pull the sleeper on a T6 orT8...buy the rear panel with rear window size of your choice, & gee the basic interior panel, rivet it in, paint, install the window & gasket, And you are good to go. When I was pushing parts I prolly did 20-30 @ KW in Sacramento. I used to keep a "cheat-sheet" with P/N's & quantity of rivets, gaskets,etc. Gone now. Any experienced KW parts person should be able to help ( if they have time )...BUT...I'd find a truck like what you have that has no sleeper....get the S/N, & that way you have a known unit to order your parts. Parts dude will be much more cooperative. KW /PACCAR may have the info to, but tuff to get cooperation sometimes.

IMHO; 4:56 sounds a little short unless you have big rubber & an O.D. trans. NOthing wrong with tall tires & extra clearance in the dirt business.

 

If you are going to be home every night, look for a day cab because of the weight savings. I have a 2005 day cab Columbia with a 455 hp Detroit 13 speed 3:90 rears 11R-22-5 tires and it works fine. I have friends that have big Petes with big sleepers they are just a little heavy. They run high horse power Cats with 18 speeds 3:55 rears 11R-24-5 tires and they run a hole in the wind. It is just your preference.

 

I'm running an 03 pete 379, 475 cat, 18 speed w/ 4:11's. We haul heavy (120000) in the lower seven counties of NY. So if your here that would be a spec to model after. If not base your build on your legal weight, your bridge formula, and who's going to drive it. Obviously if your going to drive it yourself put emphasis on your light weight for the most payload

 

I have a 2008 Mack Pinnacle with a sleeper on it...not a big one though its one of the smaller ones...its not bad. You'll learn what to look for when dumping with no backwindow....13 speed eaton with a 485 I think...mp8...

 

I'm the foreman of a Mack shop, and I can tell you they are as good as anything you take care of, and better than most. The most important thing to look at, in my opinion, if you're any thing but OTR is parts and service in your area. If you've got a good Mack house nearby, get one. But you can't rely on the aftermarket for 95% of what you'll need to fix them, more so after 2007' because the red motors (MP7, MP8, and MP10) are Volvo. Also, with the emissions on all makes after 2010, the dust and dirt is the enemy for off road use. Find a good grey motor (E7) with the camel back suspension and a cold air conditioner and you'll be set. Any Mack guy will warn you DO NOT BUY A 2008! Regeneration was a pain in the ##### until later into 2009, and then the SCR trucks (uses DEF fluid) came. Hope this helps, as Mack info is often hard to come by.

 

Mack info is hard to come by.

My dad is an old school trucker, he loves mack. He used to drive lots in the 70s and 80s and he really developed a love for them that hasnt left him.

Ive always been a little scared of the macks. My budget is usually in the 2003 ish age range for mack and older, and I never know what to look for, whats good, whats bad, and find it very hard to find good solid info on the engines, unlike the cat/cummins/detroits of those years.

 

I ran a mack for 17 years, bought it brand new. Had a lot of weak design issues. Fuel tank straps breaking all the time, throttle cable sticking, needing constant attention. I had a mack 12 speed trans.,it was difficult to shift. I could go on and on telling you all of the repetitive issues i had with that truck, but it would get too boring. I now own a peterbilt. This truck is set up with a big cat, 18 speed, with 3.90 ratio in 46,000 rears. Ive been running this truck for 13 years now. the cat engine has it all over my old mack. The power difference is night and day.I would not go with more than 4.11. You end up running too high of an rpm on the highway. If you get the right tranny and rear end gears you will enjoy it much better. I like the 8LL or the 18 speed for all around work. I think you will find most guys that run dirt trucks dont like the 9 speed, 10 speed, or even the 13 speed for off road work because of the first gear, gear ratio is a little too tall. You can get by and make them work, but you will have to be careful. When your fully loaded and you come to a complete stop in a landfill, and the dozer operator is yelling at you to dump the load in a different spot, trying to let your clutch out and get that truck rolling with the wrong tranny, and gears can be a real challenge. This is when 40,000 lb rears go BANG! Good luck hope this was helpful

 

I know a logger that runs macks and is running away from them,opting instead for kw's and peterbilts.

anyway,shop for a truck that has heavier rears,44-46,000 lb and a heavier duty drive train.there is more stress on an end dump pulling tractor than on a regular van pulling truck imo.stay away from the skirted sides as they are more prone to damage because you will be loading or unloading off road.some inlets/exits will be more like a trail than a road.also install a dual wet line for slow speed end dumps and higher speed walking floors.the difference in price should be recouped quickly unless you are going to only pull an end dump.you never know.

a double framed truck may be overkill as the weight will increase and during the times you are paid by the ton,it MAY make a difference.it could be negligible as well.

the freightliner SD series,severe duty,should interest you.

edited to add that the logger i referenced does have the 2007 and a 2010 or three so that may be why he is not pleased.he just rebuilt the 2007 (485 hp i think) from the ground up and it still is unreal weak.it always runs but he can't keep drivers in it.2010 the same way.weak.

 

so as a thought, i own a Pete short nose tri-axle dump, bed is in rough shape and in NY we have a wonderful new law coming on in Jan that all tag axles have to be steerable {trackable} so i have been kicking around the idea of knocking the lift and the bed off the truck and buying a good used triple down end dump, it would be a long wheel base tractor which i prefer, my concern is the kitty CAT motor, she's only a 3176 {early C-12} with an 8LL trans....ive gotten mixed opinions from no way will it pull 32 tons to why not when i was drivin 270 horse was a big motor {old timers} whats the general consensus here ? it has 44k rears, air leaf suspension 18k front axle and double framed so as a tractor she'd be reasonably heavy speced to start......

A.

 

How ya doin Dirt, I wouldn't be opposed to the small motor as I used to pull heavy loads back in the days of the Mack DM 800 with a 673, not much more horsepower than your's, actually less. Being an O/O you'll make it work. My first Pete was an 8LL and it worked fine pulling 120000 for many years. I don't particularly like 3 down on the trailer as they will wipe out your rear drive axle tires pretty fast. Had one Fruehauf and hated it. They claimed it had a shim in the center axle to help when turning, not with 120 on. Looked like the tires were about to come off. Anyway, best of luck, keep the shiney side up.