FL Classic XL versus Peterbilt 379

I pulled the heat/ac unit out from under my bed so I'd have more storage. The dash is plenty when your bed is right behind the seats.

 

The door quality on the fld is a big problem. Most of the ones I have driven needed the doors rebuilt. I recently sold my 379 because I didn't have enough to rebuild the motor. I am kicking myself everyday because of much better it felt going down the road than the ten year newer Volvo I am driving now.

 

Peterbilts with door mounted mirrors are horrible at killing door hinges to so I don't know why that's such a big deal. Worst thing about old flds and classics in my mind is I hate the dash petty I know. Suspension wise flat top vs flat top they feel just as planted, that being said I can't drive a condo frieghtliner feel like I'm gonna turn over.

 

Petes are superior to freightliners and guys take pride driving the best truck out there.freightliner owners have no desire to polish a turd.

 

I have an 01 FLD Classic.

The doors are terrible. I tried re-alaigning the hinge myself and redid the weather stripping, but I barely improved things. I always feel bad slamming my door at the truck stop.

For some reason the window channels are notorious for rusting out and swelling not allowing the windows to roll up.

The passenger mirror is hard to see out of. I have cab mounted mirrors and cant just crack the door and watch the mirrors. I have to open the door and lean out a little to see around the stack.

There is zero leg room. My knee and right foot are just mashed up against the cup holder and under dash covers. Very uncomfortable. I have the seat all the way back and still feel cramped.

The dash is nice and tight though. No road rattles and noises and aside from the loud turbo its not as loud as my last truck. The handling is nice. I replaced my steering shaft u joint and had an alignment and she holds the road comfortable. The longer wheel base takes a lot of bumps out of the ride and my back started to feel better compare to my old truck.

I've never driven a Pete. The only other truck I drove was a 2006 International 9400i, and it was so loud and uncomfortable.

Every Kenworth I've sat in, I've just sat in awe and wonder at the pedal placement. The off right accelerator pedal allowing a comfortable relaxed seating position just makes me so peanut butter and jealous. Having my right leg almost pushed left of center all day is really uncomfortable.

 

I run a 4900ex daycab, it's a 2013 glider, prior to that I was in a FL classic xl daycab. I've also driven a 2000 Pete 379 daycab which is our spare.

Of the three, I like the Star better than all of them. The doors actually close, there's more room in the cab than I'll ever need, and it rides better than my grandfather's Lincoln town car.

The FL would be second on my list. Suprisingly, after a million miles, the interior was tight, no rattles. But the dash sucked and as mentioned before, the doors were comparable to a dilapidated barn door.

At the bottom of the list would be the Pete. I know, I know, I'll be burned at the stake for this, but here goes.
The ride was like an Amish buggy. You felt EVERYTHING. And bone jarring. The interior I found to have plenty of leg room, but I still felt claustrophobic in it. And it rattles, which is a pet peeve of mine. At only 800k, it should be tight yet. And even though it's a spare, it was well taken care of all it's life.

When it comes to the OTR trucks, I've only driven and FLD, and a couple Pete's, and one International. The sleeper in the Pete was top notch in my opinion. Cabinets and storage space were nice.
The International was a close second, and the one I spent most of my time in. The rest of that truck, eh, not so much. The FL was horrible.

Give me any Western Star, any day, and I'm happy

 

How tall are you?
I had a 2000 Classic and had plenty of room, I'm 6'5" also.

I've driven a 379, cab is way to narrow for my liking, and I don't like how flat the hood is, when the sun gets overhead it glares off the hood.

My W9's I've owned are by far the most comfortable trucks I've ever driven, but they do have a firm ride.

 

I have owned 2 379s, both over 10 years old, and neither had ANY problems with the door hinges. As a matter of fact, I've NEVER heard anyone say they had problems with any Peterbilt hinges, except you.

FLD hinges are a completely different story. I only know of one FLD that was over 10 years old, and some were only 5 years old, that didn't have a problem with the doors. The owner may have had them fixed, and I didn't know about it.

 

I think that when it comes to this part of the issue, what one driver likes, another may hate. I've owned 2 379s, and I like the narrow cab. It reminds me of the conventionals I rode in as little kid. Despite the doors being junk, I also liked the FLDs I drove, and I would buy a flat top Classic now. I would like to get a W9 too. Anything but this VNL Volvo!

 

I think it's all in what seat you have and where its bolted down. I moved the base back in the 379 I drove and the W9 I'm in now.