VOLVO

I wouldn't run one if they were the last thing on earth but.... if you plan on running a flatbed you had better be sure you know your empty weight before you buy anything... the lighter you are the more loads you will be offered.

 

i thought i like them when i first started but after being in a KW T200 and a Pete 379 i would never get a volvo they are heavy and not as much room inside and way more noisy..

and as said above they are too heavy and hauling maxi's the more i can put on the trailer's the more i get paid which is better for me

 

I own a 05 Volvo with ISX in it and a 06 KW W900Lwith a ACERT. Both are day cabs. The Volvo from a drivers point of view is a decent truck roomy, soft ride and will turn on a dime. But as a owner/mechanic I will not buy another 1!! That truck is a pain in the neck to work on. To get to the oil and fuel filters is tough. The wiring on the Volvo is way to small. I have had several issues from that, like lights in the hood and the mirror heat, anywhere the wire has to bend often its going to break.
The KW on the other had is much easier to work on. I have yet to have a wiring issue with it. I prefer the firmer ride, most of all when pulling something top heavy. I am used to it not turning as sharp. All the service points are easy to get to. I dont even need a creeper to change the oil in the W9. You can change the oil and filter buy just getting down on 1 knee.
My W9 is heavier than my Volvo but its spec'ed that way. It has heavy componets frame, axles and such.
When I replace the Volvo in a couple of years it wont be with another Volvo and it wont have an ISX in it either!!! It will be used or a glider with a cat.

 

I pretty much agree with DL550Cat. I own one '05 780 with an ISX along with 4 other trucks in my small fleet. The Volvo is a great riding, comfortable truck for a driver, but a nightmare for an owner. They are very difficult to do any work on yourself, and due to not being mechanic friendly, will cost you more in overall labor costs to have someone else work on. The parts on the EGR cummins motors are also extremely expensive compared to anything else I own or have owned(mostly pre egr Detroits and an EGR 14L detroit.). As for the weight issue, it is the heaviest truck in my fleet by more than 1500 pounds over the next heaviest truck(a pair of Classic XL's with 70" double bunks).

 

Not a whole lot I haven't been able to do mechanically on my Volvo. Although my free time is pretty valuable so I farm most of the stuff out to the local shops these days. Mine has a Cummins, and filters are in plentiful supply. No clue about actual Volvo filters, as I have zero experience with those motors. But, have you noticed how many LTL companies are running Volvo stuff these days? Almost all of them are, and they have the Volvo motors.

Yup, Volvo cant be beat for driver comfort. Quiet, plenty of space. They have this part nailed. Nobody even comes close to competing with them in this area.

I currently have my truck in a Freightliner dealer at their body shop getting the hood repaired from when I was backed into. While the truck was there and waiting on body parts I decided to have them do some engine stuff as well. EGR Valve needed replaced $800, and another $300 in labor. I also am having them replace the thermostat, flush and replace coolant, and pressure wash the CAC and radiator. Again, this is a Cummins motor, and you'd think I killed these guys by asking them to work on it. Whats the problem? Its NOT a Detroit. Whats my point? They work on Detroits not Cummins, so everything they're doing is a foreign language to them. Now, take that info and apply it to every other truck dealer. Of course a non volvo tech is gonna tell ya to stay away from Volvo motors lol...

Oh, and BTW. There was a guy who posted a week or two ago that Volvo's have throw away hoods. He said you cant repair them, only replace them. LOL, well... There sits my truck having one of the fenders being replaced. Not the entire hood. Guess that's one more misnomer about Volvo's blown to hell...

If you do go with a Volvo, something else to think about. Volvo's with side fairings don't have a lot of room for storage boxes on the truck itself. Maybe its as simple as putting the storage boxes on the trailer instead of truck? Might be a problem with a rental trailer...

I purchased a Cummins QuickServe account, so I can view the service manuals on line. I haven't really pursued service manuals for the truck itself yet. Cant say whats out there or what isnt. But, I do know Volvo truck has its own engine codes, even with a Cummins. They need to be transferred back into Cummins codes which is easily accomplished by buying a version Cummins insite. Although for us O/O's it is pretty much a read-code only kinda thing, as its cost prohibitive to buy the dealer level Insite program.

When the EGR valve on my Cummins went out, it started throwing codes. I had a pretty good idea of what went out, I knew it was the EGR. Retrieving the code only helped to verify I was correct. Most of the problems on these trucks (with any truck) can be diagnosed and resolved with only basic mechanical abilities. They'Re just not the electrical mystery that many would have you believe.

Dont be suprised if you cant get very far on this forum with questions about Volvo's. It will turn into a Volvo bashing contest eventually. For what ever reason some of these guys feel really threatened by the Volvo trucks. Mods do absolutely nothing to prevent it, and its always been that way. Havent seen a Volvo thread yet, that wasnt 50% full of "my Pete, my KW is far superior" crappola...

If and when it gets to that point, feel free to PM me. I will give you my non biased opinion, and help in any way I can.

 

Well he lost all credibility when he said the 387 was 'good looking'...

 

I first drove a Volvo back in 89' I think it was called a White/GMC back then and it was the smoothest riding truck on the road but the ugliest and yes it had a lot of room but a plain jane ride. In 07' I had some time to kill so I stopped at the Volvo/Mack dealer in Amarillo to look at a mid roof Volvo not sure of the model number and took it for a spin. First thing I hated the driver seat couldn't be moved back because of the cabinets behind it unlike my Pete where I can relax and have room to move my seat back where I am not stuck in the middle of the door. It had a Volvo crap engine and a automatic, the salesman told me this thing handle and drove like a sports car I don't think this salesman had ever driven a sports car in his life. Bobtailing it was ruff and did not handle all that great maybe if you had a loaded trailer on it might be different but with a $138,000 price tag in 07' I am sure their is some happy Volvo owner operator that thought it was a steal and drove of the lot with a grin from ear to ear.

One thing I have found out over the years when you go and buy new it doesn't matter what you buy they are all priced about the same but when you go and look at the resale value, a PACCAR product keeps their value a lot better then Volvo, International, Freightliner, Sterling. The only one that may come close is Mack but look who owns them and a Mack is not built like they used to be.