Best Big Rig?

[Walker]

Just got my CDL, and I'm lookin' to buy my first truck. I'm gonna be buying soon, but thought I'd get some opinions first.

Which brand?
Which motor?
Which transmission?

Best mileage?
Best ride and handling?
Best features?

Anything else you think I should be looking for would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[illflem]

Most of the big rigs I've driven are so old I can't help you,but a driver making a delivery to my farm let me drive his new Volvo a couple of weeks ago. I was very impressed,very comfortable,plenty of power and smooth. If I was going to make a living driving truck I'd look real hard at the Volvos. Check out and resister at this website for the best infoIt will keep you busy for a month.

[This message has been edited by illflem (edited 03-06-2001). ]

 

[RobbyRam]

We have two Volvos with the big 8. 3? Cummins engines and they are real nice trucks. One is automatic and one is a 6 speed. You have to have a different CDL to drive the 6 speed than to drive the Auto.
Bob

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Y2K Black 3500 ISB 4x4, 4:10 LSD,Auto,QC,SLT Laramie,"EZ", LB, Polished Stull Billet Grill & Fog inserts, Chrome Smitty-Built Step Rails, Mopar Chrome-Tipped Mud Flaps, A-Pillar mounted West-Tach Turbo/Pyro/Trans Temp gauges,Rancho 9000's set at '1',Diamond Plated Tool Box, OEM U. R. Bedliner + other stuff.
Fact:The First Fords' had 'DODGE' Engines! The new PSD's need them!

 

[SOLER]

I'm sure you will get a few opinions on this, especially if some of the big-rig drivers are out there reading this.
I drove for awhile, and this is my experience and opinion (with a little fact, too).
I drove an old Ford dump truck with a Detroit Diesel, naturally aspirated. JUNK. It was gutless as all get-out! Then, I drove a '77 Kenworth with a 350 Cummins with a performance cam. What an improvement! It would certainly haul the mail, er, uh, asphault. It had I believe a Browning 10 speed. Somebody fried the transmission, so it got a used 13 speed. The Ford had an Eaton-Fuller 13 speed roadranger transmission. I didn't like the 13 speeds. However, both were either in a crap truck, or were already worn out.
Then the boss bought all-new White-GMC-Volvo trucks with 425 Cats. AWESOME!!! 80,000lbs + @ 65 mph uphill with the cruise!!! No kidding, they would GO! I liked those.
I was looking into the business about 5 years ago, but I was going to buy dump trucks, not long-haulers. This is what I had narrowed it down to. Kenworth or Peterbuilt. They had the toughest off-road, heavy duty frames I found. As far as everything else goes, it's all options. You pick which engine, transmission, dump bed (in my case), interior upgrades, etc. It'll usually depend on what your dealer will do for you at what price. Shop around.
What are you going to haul? How long will you have the truck? Lease or Buy? If I were getting one for the long haul, I would spend the extra cash and get the biggest motor I could afford, and have it tuned down to just above what your needs are. It'll last nearly forever. When my boss bought the Volvos, they were derated to avoid being burned up. And they still went 65 uphill with cruise and airconditining on.
Well, I can answer more specifc questions if you need. I did look extensively into this, although it was a few years ago.
Good luck to ya!!!

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Shane Oler
'01 2500 4X4, ETH/6 speed, ISSPRO Pyro (pre-turbo)and Boost Pillar mount, Dark Garnet/Camel, 4" exhaust (still in the box... It's freaking COLD in Oklahoma!), Kenwood deck w/10 disc changer, NON-OEM Infiniti speakers x 4, 10 inch sub, two 150 watt amps, 20K Reese 5er hitch

Other: '70 Olds Vista Cruiser 455 (future resto project)
30' Sandpiper 5er Super Slide bunkhouse(about 10k lbs. )

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

look up some trucking message boards and see what those guys are saying. I did and most say they have trouble making it as owner operators. Trucking has gotten real competative in recent years. That is why you see more trucks on the road that are aerodynamic. There is a great concern for fuel economy that is why detroit has done so well. they are supposed to be the best on fuel. From what i gathered about trucks, granted i have never done it just read what the guys are saying on the trucking sites. Detroit is best on fuel and the cheapest. Cat is the most expensive and parts are expensive. Cummins falls somewhere in the middle as far as expense goes. but is right up there with Cat in hp and torgue. So trying not to be biased here i would say cummins is the best engine to go with. I heard bad things about Freightliner and Volvo and good things about kenworth and pete and some really liked western stars trucks

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93 D250 5sp 3. 54 gears sans muffler, ISSPRO tach, K&N filter, needs to be bombed BAD
I would rather be cummin than stroken

 

[Champane Flight]

Here we go. Your livelyhood depends on how much weight you can haul legally. The lighter the truck the more payload you can haul. In the same sentence it does make a difference what you are hauling. If you are hauling funiture,or bulk items chances are you will never get to your legal highside weight.

The Freightliners are the lightest with aluminum alloy rears. I like the looks of the classic Freightliner along with the comfort. I also like the Peterbilts classic styling and comfort. The Kenworths are a good truck however the heaviest. The rest are OK,but these are the top three for comfort and trade in value.

Engine and transmission options are another game altogether. You want longevety,power, reliability,and mileage. I personally like the Cats,Cummins,and Detroits. In that order. Salesmen will tell you different,but with gears (trannys)the more the better. Keep your engine in a smooth powerband area. This is done with gearing. Fuller 15s with od. Stay away from tens. Rearend gearing at least 4:10s or higher. This will give you plenty of topend for todays 75mph+highways.

Instrumentation,the more the better. Remember this is how you keep a eye on the heart of your investment. You can spot problems before they become headaches.

Now for the good and bad news. The good news. The truck market is the best it has been in years. Truck manufacters are cutting some of the best deals ever!The used truck market is good also. You can pick up a good one year old truck for half of what it sold for new. The bad news. Freight rates are the same as they were ten years ago. Fuel costs are through the roof!Without a good lease you are most likely going broke. You are still going to be living in whatever truck you buy to pay for it and make a decent living.

Not trying to scare you,but some of the oldtimers I know are selling and driving for someone else. If you don't have connections to a good lease and your not willing to give up your home for months at a time forget it!

Take a local driving job or try to get on with a longhaul outfit for awhile. See if you like it.

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95 Dodge 2500 Luverne grill guard,headache rack,running boards and Amzoiled. Soon to be mildly bombed. 84 Dodge d-150, 318 Hooker headers,Edelbrok intake,mallory ignition,Carter Afb,Accel coil,and Custom dual exhaust. Boat,fifthwheel,motorcycles,and shop. 72000 as of 3/1/01,not even broke in yet. Old Dodge 126000 miles and running better than new.

 

[Alan Reagan]

The best I ever drove was the Peterbuilt with a 475 CAT and a 13 speed. But that baby was expensive to maintain. The best I drove as far as maintenance and reliability was an International (now Navistar) with a Cummins 350. It had the Roadranger (Eaton/Fuller) 10 speed. With the higher horsepower engines, the 13 speed is probably the better choice because of the split you get when climbing the hills. Also, with the big engines you can go with the higher ratio rears like the 3. 73 and still have pulling power in the mountains. The Pete definitely has the ride down to a science.

 

[WileyCoyote]

For what it is worth--

We have a 95 Pete 379 (long hood) 63" standup sleeper with a Cat 3406E @ 475 HP. The transmission is Fuller 15 speed with all Eaton/Fuller axles.

I like the Pete 379 because is all aluminum construction like an airplane. The 379 hood is the only all aluminum hood in any big truck I know of. A few components in the sleeper are fiberglass, but not many like some of the other class 8 trucks.

The KW 2000 series is mostly all plastic, with most of the other trucks with a mix between lots of fiberglass to a little.

The Western Stars and the Sterlings use a steel cab which seems ok, but I like the Pete better.

The Pete is a class act. The only thing I would change if I bought another is the transmission. I likely would buy a 13 speed or an 18 speed. The 15 speed is not as user friendly as a 10 or 13 speed. The 18 would give you more flexibility with really heavy loads.

Hope this helps.

Harry

 

[Guest00]

I consumer report had rated the Volvo it would be #ad
for needing repairs right out of the box. Freightliners ar ok but not Century Class, extremly difficult to service & repair. Western Star ok as are KW & PEET's

Before you order or buy a ready made, make an appointment with the service dept foreman. Tell him what you want to do with the truck and he will tell you how to spec it so you don't go breaking things cuz it was specd wrong. ie. engine, trans, rear ends and ratios, suspension and tire size. He sees every thing that can break and knows why. The sales man is just out for a buck.

 

[JHansen]

I drove for 6 years in the Alberta oilpatch for a guy leased to Gibsons hauling crude oil, produced water and condensate (hence the crudeboy nickname). My tastes are slanted a little from my experience-up here our GVW's are higher (5 axle is roughly 88000 lbs, tridem is around 101000 and Super B trains (8 axle-tractor with a tridem lead and tandem pup and both trailers coupled together with 5th wheels) go out at 137000 lbs. -I drove a tandem with a 3 axle full trailer that licensed at just over 110000 lbs. ) and the service was quite a bit more severe than you'd see just running over the road. I had a Western Star for the first 5-1/2 years-it was old ('86) and crude (quite a few changes made in '89 that made them nicer) and rough riding (short 46000 lb Hendrickson leaf in the rear and 9 leaf 14600 lb leafs in front) but it did its job. The truck I got right before I quit was a T800 KW-nice truck but quite a bit narrower in the cab then the Star-longer cab though. I wanted a new Star Constellation bad but the boss said KW or nothing-worse things in life then getting the keys to a new KW. If I was spending the money I'd look to either Western Star, Kenworth or Peterbilt with Cat power. A Star does still have an all-steel cab-but they're not a bunch heavier than a Kenworth-not sure about a Pete. Star has a light spec that gives you aluminum hubs and a bunch of other stuff to cut the weight-and I think that Star Light sleeper is the lightest in the industry. Star would still be my first choice, but the wild card is the DC purchase. Will quality or option availability go to hell? Your guess is as good as mine... .

Our whole fleet was Cat power at the end-he had Detroits once upon a time and then Cummins. The boss said he had a few less problems with the Cats but whenever he had warranty work with the Cummins they looked for a way to get out of it while Cat stepped up and fixed it no questions asked. Keep in mind the last Cummins we had was a 444 in '90 or '91 so this may not be reflective of them overall. Good power too-the WS had a 425 B series that pulled hard-the KW had a 475 E that would have sucked the Star through the air cleaners. The new C15 and C16 are the same basic engine as the 3406 with a little diet to bring them closer to Cummins and Detroit weights.

We had nothing but 15 speed trannys-if I was buying I'd go 18. The new KW I had with 15 over and 3. 70's was within 10 rpm at 60 mph of a friend's new W900 with 18 double over and 4. 11's-and he had a wider spread between low and top gear then I did. The 15's deep reduction is good but the splits are pretty big-and if you can achieve a lower overall low gear ratio with the 18 why not go for it?

We ran 46000 lb rear axles in the trucks that pulled pups all the time-the straight tandems ran 40's. I know they have Super 40's now-46000 lb center sections in a 40000 lb housing? The shafts are still smaller than a true 46K-again it depends on service.

Basically it boils down to intended service and specing accordingly. Good advice given earlier about talking to the service manager. Sometimes you do get a good salesman-the salesman at KW in Calgary that we bought all our T800's from was pretty good at specing for the oilfield. My truck was geared a shade fast for the gravel but purred good down the highway (1450 rpm at the legal speed limit of 100 km/h)-with less power it would have sucked but it worked good with the 475. All brands have their good points and their bad points-my experience is mainly with Star so that's why I lean that way. But if I got a good deal on a Pete or a KW I wouldn't be too hard to sway.

Hope this is of some help to you. Good luck on your purchase.
Jason

 

[Walker]

Thanks for the input fellas. I'll be hauling near the 80k max on a daily basis. Intermediate runs with some long highway runs, and many in town and in traffic, and no major hills to pull.

What "specs" should I be set up for?
- gear ratio?
- motor tuning?
etc...

What's the best set up for plain ol' everyday performance?

 

[Ram_Kowboy]

I was looking into the business about 5 years ago, but I was going to buy dump trucks, not long-haulers.
This is what I had narrowed it down to. Kenworth or Peterbuilt. They had the toughest off-road, heavy
duty frames I found.

Soler,
You have got to look a little harder. You will never find a vocational truck as tough in the dirt as a "Mack". Some people love em... Some people hate em, but they are far and away the toughest truck in the agregate.

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98 Properly Valved 4x4 SWB QC ISB A/T Metallic Red w/ tan cloth interior, DC nerf bars, DC two piece mud-flaps, 275 h. p. injectors, Monroe Gas Magnums, Armor Tuff spray in bed liner, Goodyear Wrangler ATS 285/75r/16, BD Heavy Duty Valve body. Walker 21468 thru flow muffler,Cobra 29 NWST CB. American Racing Wheels. Power Edge EZ control module.

 

[SOLER]

Ram_Kowboy
Hey, I see you're from SLC. I'm from Provo!
I did look @ Mack, the guys I worked for had one (it was the better truck they had when I was driving the Ford) but our boss/owner, who didn't have a CDL, was trying to save some time. The truck had been in the shop, and he decided to drive it back to the yard. He is a complete dumba$$. He didn't notice the pto was engaged, and it was barely in the "up" postion. The bed was slowly going up, and he slammed into an overpass!!! That truck got all kinds of BENT!
I should have been more specific. I didn't like Macks because they were a bit too rough for me. I agree they are tough, but they take Texas to turn, a little scarce on options, and dealers wouldn't "deal. " I narrowed it to the KW and Pete because the frames were good, heard good things about them, many good options, and dealers were dealing. The Volvos we had were cheap. Yeah, they were tough, but all the little stuff, like everything in the interior fell apart, and an electronics nightmare.
That's just what I experienced.


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Shane Oler
'01 2500 4X4, ETH/6 speed, ISSPRO Pyro (pre-turbo)and Boost Pillar mount, Dark Garnet/Camel, 4" exhaust (still in the box... It's freaking COLD in Oklahoma! #ad
), Kenwood deck w/10 disc changer, NON-OEM Infiniti speakers x 4, 10 inch sub, two 150 watt amps, 20K Reese 5er hitch

Other: '70 Olds Vista Cruiser 455 (future resto project)
30' Sandpiper 5er Super Slide bunkhouse(about 10k lbs. )

[This message has been edited by SOLER (edited 03-09-2001). ]

 

[Lil' Dog]

What. . No Macks????LOL

The 15 speed is good for the highway, but on the tall grades much prefer a 13 or 18 for the narrower RPM bands between OD and direct. The 250+ RPM drop on the 15's means hitting the slow lane too early unless you have a Signature LOL...

I like the new vision series Macks now that you can pick and choose the powerplant and running gear. The Petes are nice, but never had enough cab room, seat rubs against the back of the cab while the knees rub the throttle knob. The Frieght shakers also too small in the cab, and gauges need magnification on them to see the speed/Rpm.

Really like the W900 Long hoods, heavy sure, but nice rigs IMHO.

J-eh

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Jason Hoffman
Lil' Mack - 89 D250LE 5 Spd 3. 54 LSD Reg Cab. K&N,"tweaked pump", BD Injectors, Banks Pyro/Boost, 3. 5" Exst tail section straight. E&M Custom seats. Bosch H4, PIAA 80W/80W HdLites. 100W Drv,55W Fogs.
237,500 miles (380,000 Kms) 7850 Hrs. Cummins Power Booster member.
The Original Turbo Diesel

Lil' Mack Pics 07-00

 

[Champane Flight]

Well,If you are running allot of in town miles,and no big hills or dirt. Lets see,change transmission options.
Maybe 400Cat/super 10 fuller/4:00 rears/AC,and shorter wheelbase. You probably won't need a sleeper,might get in your way in tight situations. All the above options in makes are fine. I have driven them all. You choose the look you like. Remember you will spend ALLOT of time in it. Make sure in fits you and do not skimp on seats,instrumentation,or comfort.

My background,Earliest memory was shifting the Brownie on a old Binder for my Dad. Who drove back when they had Solid rubber tires,25 gears forward,and top speed of 25 mph. My father put me behind the wheel at the age of 13. I owned my own at 20(after a stint in the Army). Drove for 17 years before I realised that I didn't want to grow up to be a trucker. I now work for a major oil company and monitor truck loading operations. So I still get to see my old buddys everyday. Anytime I miss it,I just go talk to some of them for awhile. After that I know I made the right decision getting out.

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95 Dodge 2500 Luverne grill guard,headache rack,running boards and Amzoiled. Soon to be mildly bombed. 84 Dodge d-150, 318 Hooker headers,Edelbrok intake,mallory ignition,Carter Afb,Accel coil,and Custom dual exhaust. Boat,fifthwheel,motorcycles,and shop. 72000 as of 3/1/01,not even broke in yet. Old Dodge 126000 miles and running better than new.

 

[Sled Puller]

Whatever it is, get a Cummins. Then call Diesel Injection of Pittsburgh. They have a link in the TDR classifieds.
They have been BOMBing big rigs since the '70s.
Coast to coast without shifting is impressive!
Gene

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1997 Cummins Dodge 4x4 Bombed & Amsoiled. Amsoil Premiere Direct Jobber, Member of: NRA Business Alliance, GLTDR, WANTED: Wrecked Dodges.
www.awdist.com

 

[Alan Reagan]

I'm with CF. A lot of city or stop and go get the 4:10 rears. They're not bad highway gears with a 13 speed. The new engines are computer controlled so there is not much tuning on the engine side. It will have to be muffled though running city..... no straight pipes and watch the Jake Brake. A lot of communities don't allow them because of the noise. Things you also need to be looking at are tire/wheel sizing, tread design, wheel types, seat type, sleeper, air ride or not, and on and on. Take your time and spec it right. This is not something you can flip flop on once you are in it.

 

[Champane Flight]

Colorado went with a madantory muffler law for rigs. The jakes and straight pipes were a little much for the poupulace I guess.
It is kind of stupid,some guys are running small resonators and everything is fine. Caught without=500. 00.

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95 Dodge 2500 Luverne grill guard,headache rack,running boards and Amzoiled. Soon to be mildly bombed. 84 Dodge d-150, 318 Hooker headers,Edelbrok intake,mallory ignition,Carter Afb,Accel coil,and Custom dual exhaust. Boat,fifthwheel,motorcycles,and shop. 72000 as of 3/1/01,not even broke in yet. Old Dodge 126000 miles and running better than new.

 

[Lil' Dog]

Guys up hear have mufflers, they just ram a straight piece of pipe down the middle, instant straight pipe. The scale operators don't know the difference.

J-eh