Installing engine brakes on 03 FL Century

i know pacbrake kits for cummins are about 1600 plus labor any dealer or engine shop can quote it installed

 

That truck actually looks a little on the expensive side to me, even if it had Jakes, unless you know something else about it that's not in the ad, or you've talked them down quite a bit already. Are you specifically looking for something with all steel wheels and no cab fairings?

I had a look real quick, and saw these-

This one is closer to you, has aluminum wheels, and already has Jakes. It does have a couple hundred thousand more miles on it, but you could get the engine rebuilt for the difference in price plus the cost of adding the Jakes.

This one is a little more, but has aluminum steers and Jakes. I don't know much about Selectrucks, but I think they all come with warranties.

This one is a little far away from you, but it looks the best to me. Jakes, nicer interior, $3k less..

I've never looked at Freightliners much, and there may be something that I'm missing about the one you posted, but I think you could do better for the money.

 

ok that's a penske just like one that my company has it has a switch for the jakes on the dash I can tell because I drove the same truck. twin 150's or twin 120 tanks

did you also notice that it has all steel rims? that is gonna add a lot of weight. It is exactly like the one my boss has, it gets pretty good mileage the engine brake was so so, but it weighed with an empty trailer over 35000 full tanks put me and the reefer unit over 36000 mt. Get rid of the steel rims and get aluminum ones. My boss paid less than 17,000 for his up here in Wisconsin and it had the same amount of miles on it. It's not a bad truck but I would rather have a t600 kenworth. It may be a smaller interior but is a better all around truck in my opinion.

 

You're certainly welcome, sorry for getting this so far off track..

You very likely wouldn't need to rebuild the engine in either truck anytime soon. I was just throwing that out there to compare the huge price difference between the two trucks. Detroits commonly go over a million miles without problems. Some go 600k and throw a wrist pin or the bull gear goes down. That's part of the risk when you're buying an older truck.

That truck in Michigan is far away, those are just examples, I'm sure you can find one closer. Look at it this way though, that truck is advertised for $3k less than the one you found. Add in the $2-$4k for the jakes, and you've just made a minimum of $1250 a day(assuming 2 days each way). That's good revenue for just bobtailing!

I have no idea what your situation is and how much you have to spend, but you might look at buying something a hair older that's already had everything rebuilt, and put the extra money back for maintenance. You could get a nicer truck that way too. I second Nik on the T6 being the better value.

If Nik's right (and I suspect he is) the dealer may have just put the ad in Truckpaper wrong, and it does have Jakes. So while we're this far off topic, what are your plans for the truck?

 

I dont have any jakes either. wish I did.

 

Oh, you've got all kinds of time to find the perfect truck then. I think equipment prices tend to go down in the winter, but with the way things are right now, who knows..

 

That's a fleet/lease truck, no doubt in my mind. Be very careful there friend. The last couple of years maintenance and safety were the first things to go in many fleets. If you're a company driver, think about how many of your fleet's trucks you'd consider buying? That's what you're gonna get at most of these volume dealers like select. Their yards are full of them. If you must run ex-fleet I suggest looking for those from a tanker or other specialized fleet operation. They're usually better spec'd on "comfort" stuff because they want to attract and retain the best drivers. Less chance of getting a rig that has had 14 different drivers in the last year. TMC and their black Pete's comes to mind.... or Maverick for example.

One other option. Have you checked with Penske and Ryder? They often sell "just off lease" and they're pretty solid on their maintenance programs.