Power or Speed

I would say you need to spec the truck to the kind of work it will be doing.

Fuel is our biggest expense. Make every gallon count.

The goal is to put the most money in your pocket as possible.

 

Insulation is nothing. 80000 is nothing to a snorting powerhouse full of horsies now 140,000 yea it's time to earn that paycheck. I did those weights with 1960's era power. Imagine what I can do today with 500 plus horse and say 18's Much easier.

 

I dunno, I have a 475 cat with a 10 speed, 3.73 rears that runs up the hills every bit as good as my last truck. That one is a 550 cat, 13 speed and 3.36 rears.

But the 550 with those 3.36 rears will stroll down a flat road nicely at 85 mph, whereas the 475 with 3.73 rears is working a bit harder.

 

Why only 600hp?

 

Yeah I don't normally run 85mph lol. As far as the 475 with 3.36 rears, I'm not saying it couldn't work, but I'd think it would suck in the hills where I spend most of my time.

For what I'm doing, the current combination works very well, really the only thing I would do different would be to throw the 10 speed in a river somewhere and put a 13 in it. I realize it won't go faster in high gear, but those extra couple gears would be nice on the hills.

 

Why not have both?

 

Not to me it isnt.

I'll take my engine from Idle all the way to red line. Provided Mr Pyro has a say. I will run that 1700 all day no worries, it's only about 50 to 75 RPM faster than say 1650 or so. Give or take.

I choose power so I can lift the load over with sufficient gearing. The 85 mph will just take care of itself at 1700, just loping along. Not in a hurry. Its plenty making time. I have grown seriously sick and fed up with the grannys at 61 mph. Its a waste of hours.