vertical integration? Cummins vs Volvo vs detroit...

Don't buy a Volvo lol.

Ethan

 

I'm just talking trash about them. Never cared for Volvo lol.

Anyway, I've been told by a few people Volvo engines aren't to great as far as longevity. But that's hearsay. Personally ill take one of the big two (cummins or cat) over a truck brand engine such as (Volvo, Mack, paccar, and maxxforce)

Ethan

 

Exactly, there was a Pete sales guy who wanted to push the paccar on me( I went to a dealer to look at some Pete's)

Anyway, if you buy a Volvo with a cummins I don't see why you couldn't take it to a freightshaker dealer. Just like if i bought a Pete with a cat I could take it anywhere they work on cats. Don't let him fool you. Honestly I think you'd be better off with a cummins than a Volvo engine. But that's from me and i don't have any experience with Volvo. To me it just makes sense to get an engine that has a wide range of places and parts available.

Ethan

 

Yeah I bet. The Pete dealer I stopped at had (4) 389's. 3 with a paccar Mx, one with a 525 cummins. The one with a cummins had less features than the others and it was $15k more. I woulda still got the cummins. The paccars were 70" sleepers, the cummins had a 63" flat top which is my dream truck. 389, cummins, 13spd, 63" flat top sleeper.

What exactly is vertical integration anyway?

Ethan

 

Took my Kenworth to Rush truck center in Idaho Falls. They're an international dealer. Had them install a webasto. Well during the job, the "tech" claims that the sleeper lighting system was fried and asked if I wanted it fixed. It worked when I pulled into the shop. They said it wasn't anything they did. Total lie. So 2 billed hours later the "tech" comes out and asks if I have spare light tubes for the sleeper dome as he was SURE these were burned out.

I walked with him back to the truck, asked him to put them back in and show me that they didn't work. He proceeded to toggle the CAB dome light switch all the while saying "See? I told you it was toast". I climbed in, turned on the sleeper light main buss on the dash, then walked into the sleeper and turned on all the lights including the "burned out tubes".

They still billed me for it and claimed that he ran a new ground to fix the problem. Yeah- the new ground actually interferes with the factory configuration of switching in the sleeper for various lights.

So if you ever need non IH chassis work done in falls, reconsider Rush truck center. Idiot punk kids with no integrity to own up to the mistake, and an a-hole shop foreman (phil) that doesn't give 2 hoots about the customer.

Van Sorg, the service writer there is a good guy though and helps the little guy. Unfortunately he was on vacation when this occurred.

 

It is one of two corporate models, the other is Horozontal Integration...

Vertical is one company does everything from raw materials to the finished product VRS a horozontal company that owns all the factories but buys their raw materials elsewhere...

So a Pedigreed Mack has all Mack components and is considered a vertical company [gee dosen't Volvo own them?] while Paccar used to be a horozontal company building the basic truck using engine trans and driveline from any and every producer who will sell them components.

I think the vertical company was almost dead [Mack in the 80's] until Volvo and Mercedes [freightshaker] started pushing the vertical concept again.

Paccar & Farmall have joined the process but still offer alternatives.

Why build a line to make transmissions & rear ends when Dana, Spicer, et all are already good at making them and standing behind them...