To upgrade or buy newer

Build yours or buy a bigger truck...

Anyways, here's the problem that you're going to run into. If it's a heavy haul truck, it's been worked hard. Your truck might break. The newer truck may just as well need the engine, transmission, axles, radiator repaired too.

I have an old truck like you. I decided to build what I wanted. Price the transmission you want. Find out what the biggest radiator you can fit under the hood costs. If you run it, and don't like the pull, the gears are next. But right there, we are talking about $20-25k plus downtime.

What I do is order parts and have them delivered to my mechanic. Then I go home and ride the motorcycle for a few weeks/month and the mechanic calls me and tells me when it's done.

one things for sure, I sure as hell won't buy a new truck. I will keep my old iron as long as I can.

 

Quoted for truth and great knowledge....

My boss decided to keep our super load hauling in-house, and went out and got 2 identical Pete 388 daycabs. Mine he decided to put a 4th drop axle on, and doubled up the frame. We are on our 5th drive axle (snapped the previous 4) and have torn the bolts out of the ring gear twice. He refuses to upgrade to heavier rears, so about every 6 months or so, something else breaks (I do a majority of our hauling in mud, clay, sand, etc.). When pulling over 150k lbs. in those kind of conditions, with legal load setups, things can break pretty dang quick. Even though it's not my truck, I just wish my boss would come to his senses and stop pi$$ing money away by getting a real heavy haul rig. Sure would make my life easier.....

 

it sounds like you have a nice truck, it seems more economical to upgrade your current truck and keep it... why go into debt when you will have a paid off rig?

 

Here's our latest fatality-




Happens, when trying to haul 156k+ with legal load setups in jobs like this-

 

For 5 and 6 axle stuff, stick with it by all means. It will do fine with a 13 or 18 in there. for anything bigger, I stand by my original statement unless you just love the truck and want to make it into something it wasn't to start with.
you can go tall gearing if you have the trans and/or power to get it rolling up a hill, this is where an 18b trans comes in really handy. The lower end is LOWER than the 18a, which helps when you catch that red light at the bottom of a steep grade on some state route road.

Martin

 

Highwolf If your staying 6 axle or less I would keep your truck and put the 18 speed in you will love it.Thats what we did never regretted it.I agree with leftlane and mudpuppy and Triplesix.Ive been reading this forum for 2 years and they know what there talking about!

 

But it's a new truck, therefore it shouldn't break!

 

Nah, it was just new to us. It's an '08 that had about 275k on it. The first year (I believe, could be off) that they started crudding them up with all that emissions garbage. But those issues are for another thread....LOL

I'm sure it was a good road running, legal weight-hauling screamer. Off-road and well over legal weight.....Well, not so much.....

 

Depends on how good you are at changing things yourself or know good shops to do it.

The irony is that people sit here and think that a highway truck can't be retrofitted into a stout heavy haul rig. A good chassis shop can sleeve a frame or even do a full double frame. Outfitting heavier rears is a matter of modifying spring perches, shortening or lengthening the driveshaft, same goes for switching transmissions. Same about the perches if you double frame since the sleeve sits outside of the frame (double frame has same interior frame width as a highway truck). And if you have 3-piece cross-members, sleeving, aside from a lot of unbolting and lining up, is a matter of disassembling the crossmembers and narrowing them up (sleeved single frames have the sleeve inside the rails, whereas a double, the sleeve sits outside the primary rail). Want to do it brand new? Talk with PG Adams, they'll cut and shape your rails to length and even pre-drill if you provide measurements. Heavier fifth wheels can be bought and fit to the frame.

The only modification I do not believe in when retrofitting a truck to a heavier heavy haul rig is to stretch the frame. The potential to create issues with trying to develop the same strength in a frame after it's been cut in two and welded back together is too high. If there's a weak point in the weld, it'll find it.

It's also important to know the conditions you'll be operating in. The monster 4-axle rigs with double frames, monster rears, etc. are awesome for the worst of the worst situations, but, if you're simply running the asphalt, you needn't worry quite so much. At that point, gearing becomes one of the most important issues to deal with.

I'd retrofit and build something as soon as I'd buy a "true heavy haul rig".

They're just components.

I've seen 48,000lb. axles fail.

In heavy haul, when #### hits the fan, even the stoutest components will fail.

One of the big reasons why a lot of people prefer to buy versus building is two-fold:

Shops are expensive.

And they (the owner) lack the knowledge to do it themselves.