Pete vs freightliner vs KW

The kiss of death. The beginning of the end, been there,,,I've seen companies with Petes or KW's slide, buy Freightliners or the "V" word, as a cost saving measure, according to how a boss thinks, anyway, next thing you know, maintenance suffers, crummy wagon tires, then they pull the plug. Freightshaker is ok, I swear the nicest riding truck I ever drove, but it signals trouble ahead buying throw away tractors like that.

 

Is it literally just "today" the x15 outsold everyone else? I honestly don't believe there are that many people putting that engine over all others. If I were to buy new today, I would categorize them as such. DD15 1st, MX13 2nd, A26 is what I think it's called 3rd, D13 4th, and then Cummins. You only have to look at the data to come up with same list.
The MX 13 seems to be proving itself a winner and the A26 a strong contender. The D13 is indeed a good engine from what I gather, but a wait time longer than Paccar to get fixed is pretty ridiculous!
The X15 Performance seems to be a winner for those looking for big power, but I would look at anything else. Does Detroit still offer a DD16?

 

Also, I would put a DD13 over most in that list. I sometimes forget it comes in that flavor.

 

If you want a DD15, you are limited to either a Cascadia or Western Star. You can get an X15 in any truck, Peterbilt, KW, Volvo, International, as well as Daimler products. If Daimler would sell Detroits to other truck manufacturers, we would probably see more DD15 than X15, and would not have that engine that many think is a dog, the MX13.

 

Yes I do

600/1850

No issues with it - running 170k-200k gross

 

If you are driving it right, more hp will equal better fuel economy...it's all about your boost.

 

If you're never going to pull more than 90k I wouldn't worry much about the 3:36 gearing if its 22.5 tires, it's nearly the same as 3:55's on 24.5.

If the trucks are already on 24.5 rubber I still wouldn't worry unless I was in the mountains all the time or frequently pulling heavy loads, 90k and up I would likely do a gear swap, otherwise 565 hp @ 1850 ft/lb is plenty, probably won't be working very hard most of the time unless you like to go fast or are too lazy to shift gears.

The FL is set up to pull a half loaded box all the time, would not be my choice to go decking with, although I like a DD a lot better than I like Cummins.
I don't care much for FL's, so I would probably start looking at WS for the DD engine and a more rugged truck.

But to go decking, out of the three, if they're all in the same price range, I would go with a Paccar truck, whichever one fit me and my needs the best, and I would consider shortening it to make sure I was the legal length in every state and province.

 

Based on looks alone, get the KW. It's by far the nicest.

Based on the specs alone, I'd be curious to see how the FL would work in that operation. We know the Pete and the KW specs, while not totally ideal, will work. But that Detroit with 3.08 rears seems like it would be great on the flat with light loads. But, having ng no experience with that combo, I could be very wrong.

Overall, I'd go with the KW everyday and twice on Sunday. Between that an the Pete, the specs are the same, you said price is about the same, so now it's a personal preference.