Truck too low to the ground

Hi DANl3L, something doesn't sound right. Was the truck running, as the air suspension may have bled off, and resulting in the low appearance. I don't think it's legal to "slam" a truck, and common sense would advise against that. I agree, buying a truck is a huge deal, and perhaps you may not be ready for it. Regardless, I'd keep looking. Oh, one more thing, "big" rubber is getting hard to find, and I'd advise against that too.

 

Really 8 inches?

Wow that should be illegal on the road. I think my prius has 7 inches clearance.

Look I am going to sort of repeat the others in a different way with a warning.

There are thousands of trucks out there that are chasing owners, you shouldn't never never have to decide on one or another truck based on how it looks (cool looking) or any other emotion engaging thing.

Look for something that is spec'd to do the job you intend to do without putting a bunch of money into it to modify it to do the job because trucks are not what you can equate to a pickup or a car by changing one or two things to get it to where you need it. If you need a wet kit, then look for one that has it on it. Follow the same "standard" buying practices (ECM dump, OA, etc. ...) and select it logically.

My neighbor a few doors down owns one of the many Michigan Train companies in the state and his trucks are specific for that work, we talked about trucks and he runs macks, would never consider Freightliners unless it was 122SD or something like that. So it would be an idea to run some heavy or severe duty not a OTR truck.

Caution deflating statement - A truck is a tool, just a tool and because it is one of millions, it can be replaced.

 

Not really. You have wide radius tanks that hold more gallons in less frame space, and then you have narrow radius tanks which are longer but offer extra ground clearance. There are trucks with aerodynamic fairings that dern near drag the ground, then there are trucks without. There are short little LP22.5 tires that are roughly 40" tall...then there's 11R22.5 and LP24.5 tires that will give you another inch underneath...and then 11R24.5 tires that give yet another inch. Then there are the different suspension options. Some suspensions have the frame riding closer to the ground than others, which puts everything hanging off the frame that much closer to the ground.

My Mack has quite a bit of clearance under it...last step is a doozy getting out. On the company trucks, the bottom step is quite a bit lower...half the distance from the ground as my truck. Wide tanks, shorter tires, and a different suspension.

It all depends upon the truck's specs. If it was spec'd to run long distances and bump docks, it's probably going to sit close to the ground. If it was spec'd for vocational work, it'll have more ground clearance.

 

Didn't willie nelson sing a song about this..............?

 

Ground clearance won't vary much from tractor to tractor, but the issue he will find is with wheel base, there are times when he will need to ether drop down or up onto a pad, the longer the wheel base the more likely he could drag is tanks and possible poke a hole in one or even both, I seen it and have had it happen to me, the shorter the wheel base the better, if going from pavement to dirt, especially if he's doing house pads

 

Not entirely true. Last place I worked had a pencil-pusher spec'ing the trucks instead of somebody who knew WTF they were doing. I worked jobs with company trucks and had the ONLY truck not tore up, despite having a 42" longer wheel base. Why? Because I had significantly more ground clearance. Narrow tanks, bigger tires, and a suspension rides a little taller. I can put a hydraulic pump on my chest and still roll under the tank on a creeper to install it...plenty of room. With a company truck, it'd be a tight squeeze just me sliding on the ground without a creeper OR hydraulic pump. Big difference...more than just a couple inches.

 

I'm running the oil fields in an '07 Freightliner that was originally specced for OTR, for Swift. It's gutless and at times clearance becomes a factor.

Had to replace all the spring mounts when they got bent bottoming out on a rough road. Most of the bottom faring were removed, so it gives a bit better clearance, but if I were the OP I would find a truck that better fits the job.

A truck is a tool. It can be a pretty neat tool, but I wouldn't want a saw to do a hammer's job.

 

As someone who has poked a hole in the bottom of a fuel tank on a dump truck. Yep you don't wanna do that!

It was on my 1st truck when I was just the driver before I bought it. Was a converted highway tractor, 96 Pete. Had the big 26" fuel tanks behind the cab. One of the first things I did when I bought it was ditched those and put a single 23" diameter tank under the passenger's door and relocated the air tank so I could get that fuel tank up as high as possible!