How many miles can a Freightliner daycab last?

Notwithstanding major overhauls, I'd say who drove them and how they were cared for in their early life has a lot to do with it.
If you get a used day cab from somebody like Schneider that's been gorilla shifted / driven for 6 or 7 years, you're gonna be a little disappointed.

 

IF I got a pumpkin truck ... I would have to install a right hand side body and all the things that go on it he he he.

I swear there used to be a time I see a Pumpkin and then see the little gourds painted orange and white blocking lanes as if the great pumpkin was a father.

 

If your FLD has the transmission I am thinking of, coming out of 5th Low into 6th high from the far right and back into nuetral and then all the way across the box to the left (Next to you) and back into 6th that click-clack-snap you hear is the splitter going about it's work as you go from low range into high. I sometimes have trouble with that shift even today because it's such a long shift. So I might slap the hammer and kick that engine a little bit once to keep RPMs where I need them to accept the 6th gear. AND vice versa coming downstairs.

 

They probably lugged it in 5th and 6th because the guy that had it was lazy.

 

One of our trucks is a '95 Classic. It has 300,000 miles on it. I won't go so far to say they are junk but IMO they are a cheap truck compared to a KW or Pete. Nothing major but it's just little things on the FL body that keep breaking. It came in the other day with the sun visor just flopping, the only thing that holds it is a little piece of plastic and they get brittle and break.

Another thing to watch out for is FL doesn't have much parts support for older trucks. You'll run into cab parts that are no longer available and you either have to go to the junk yard or make something work. On the above truck, a couple of years ago the electric horn quit working and the horn button was worn, only option from FL is the replace the whole steering column with a newer model. It now has a button on the dash for the electric horn.

All that being said, a older high mileage FL will suit you fine if it has been taken care of and you don't abuse it. They hold up ok if treated right but won't take the abuse other brands will.

 

trucks will last as long as your willing to keep fixing them.

as far as how long without major work. it really hard to put a number on it. depends a lot on how its used how well its taken care of how well the last guy took care of it. short haul local work a day cab normally sees typically sees more wear per mile than a otr truck. then theres driver abuse and then there is the luck factor as well.