WHY SO MANY COMPANIES JUST RUN FREIGHTLINERS AND INTERNATIONALS

I offer this question. This is not trolling or intend to upset anyone.

If I can for example order a special duty 122 model tractor from Freightliner built with whatever spec I wish on it, I should be able to direct Freightliner to replace the plastic body with a steel one.

OR do you think I can have it built to the point that a cab will need to be married to the engine, driver cab, frame etc. And have a special cab of steel built for it?

IF they can take any wrecked truck in a heavy shop and rebuild to where it will pass with flying colors any level of DOT and return to the highway in good form you would think I can have a steel cab and sleeper built or installed from a say 1975 salvage tractor that have the body I need.

Or do I give this idea up entirely and get the truck speced to another maker? Mack perhaps? My intent with this exercise is to see how far I can have a truck built to order. Eliminate the computer wherever possible and put in a natural breathing engine for example. Keep the ABS since it's its own system and so on.

Or is this a fantasy imparted by too many dreams and not possible?

 

Mine doesn't buck and I've never gotten stuck in the seatbelt......

Let me amend that. If I jump up the clutch too quick I guess it might buck... dunno.

 

Freightliners are made for freight that is why mainly boxes are being pulled others clearly weren't informed when they purchased theirs.

 

Don't matter what brand you drive. They are about all made to look like a century on the outside and inside. They are being made cheaper than ever, and sold more expensive than ever. The only exception to this is a W9, and a 389.

 

We run international and freightshaker pretty exclusively and have great luck with them. They wouldn't have bought 1500 of them if they were junk that couldn't get the job done.... company has to pays me by the hour so if I'm sitting on the side of the road I'm getting paid and the flavored water doesn't get to where it need to be to get sold = they lose a #### load of money....they aren't in the business of that.

 

You ask a good question.

I would answer, based on a few decades of experience in production and sourcing, that if you are looking for a sturdy aka METAL truck (not fiberglass or plastic) you are FAR better off starting out with a truck that has metal body parts: Peterbilt 379 or 389, Western Star ANYTHING, etc. THEN spec out the drive line and interior as you want it.

Asking a company like Freightliner to built the hood of a Cascadia out of metal, for example, would require tens of thousands of dollars in tooling. That's just for the hood. Then those tooling costs for the fairings, etc. would add up.

Sure you could get an all metal one of a kind Cascadia, BUT you would be charged for ALL the tooling costs. That all metal Cascadia could easily cost over half a million dollars if you went metal for everything.

No, it would be far better to simply choose a solid metal truck off the production line in the first place...THEN order the exact drive train you want.

A couple of years ago there was a three year old Pete 379 for sale at City Trailer in OKC. It was my dream truck, specced just how I wanted. They wanted $135K, a tad out of my reach. But Jeez...650 HP Cummins, 18 speed, 3.85 rear ends, separate full lockers, three door, enclosed headache rack, platinum interior,...

...I still get a woodie thinking about that truck.

 

It's called advertising. There is no panel of experts that must approve advertising. They say things like those things are important because they can't say other things like "we pay more than other companies". Caveat emptor

 

Oh my that would be a truck.

Ty for the answer. That pretty much scraps the spec'ing idea. You are right, if I had a million to sink into the billing freightliner would have accrued building a steel beast...

They would then have to make a profit from all that expense and fabrication and so on.

I have learned to dislike the plastic. UGH. I tolerate it because thats all we got. My tahoe is all steel riding on two I beams prettymuch (Not I but channel steel) That spoiled me something awful. It's a love and hate relationship with that money pit but I solved the tire decision and a couple of other work that will be done to it in sequence. First up power steering. Then go over both axles in the differental service transmission and transfer. All fluids will have to be tossed and replaced with Factory OEM becuase the #### thng has 300,000 on the body and it's 3rd crate V8./

Ive watched way too much Counts for a couple of years in vegas on dish. The next engine I put in there is going to be going back towards the old muscle car engines Ive enjoyed. I am NOT trying to make a super truck. No way. But it will be adequate when ice shows up or deep snow. And be useful taking people to the hospital from the farm roads if need be. (Thats why the back seat is out.) And watch and wait for another 2001 quadcab with the 6.0 hemi v8 it's just a 2 wd with 5 speed manual. Plenty. They are starting to get rare around here.

Ty for taking the time to write. Clean forgot about the tooling that will have to be paid for for everything.

I think I'll call Oskosh in WI and see if any of their heavy tractors have escaped the Military logistics chain. Rather have one of those with full 4 axle drive and lockers, disc and terrain suspension and so on.

The 650 is a nice engine. But enough already lets' put in 1000+ horsies. Lets really get rolling.

Until company nanny ma'am yanks the leash chain at 61 mph UGh.

 

During my time helping entrepreneurs and companies source products offshore it often came as a huge sticker shock when it came to tooling costs. A guy could have gone through years of effort and cost to invent the world's greatest new widget, even paid thousands to get patents, then came to me to get production going.

The problem was always amortization. If your market could take a maximum of 10,000 units, that became a problem if tooling costs alone were going to be $100K and you had to wholesale your product at $5 apiece. No problemo if your market was in the millions of units.

Many an inventor/entrepreneur fell by the wayside when they realized how expensive it is to set up tooling for their invention. It was a shame. Some really good ideas never saw the market. Many an inventor sank family fortunes on multi year efforts, not realizing they were going to fail before they started.

 

I think the emphasis is on “ New”. Freightliner is the current Top Seller, a few yrs ago, it was International, before that Freightliner for years, before that International. And so it goes. The companies buy hundreds, or thousands at a time. Pitting manufacturers against each other. Freightliner flooded the market so bad throughout the 90s, out selling International.They paid dearly with re pos. Now they’re at it again.Volvos not far behind. It goes in cycles.