Look at what my customer is building for a pick-up truck

[mwilson]

This is the next pick-up on my list.



425 hp 3406B Cat, this is not a mini-truck on a ton chassis, it is the real deal. Notice air brake Maxi-Cans and axle size!!!!



Wow... Oo.

 

[Simplysmn]

Boy's and there Toy's I guess Bigger is Better ???? look's kool

 

[RustyJC]

Sweet!! I should have built a crew cab version (gotta have room for the Shelties) for a 5th wheel puller - I suspect I could have done it for less than I paid for this new truck. :{



Rusty

 

[NIsaacs]

Wonder how long the drive shaft is? The transmission must be almost touching the rear axle.



Nick

 

[mwilson]

Nick,

I'll have Seth call him tomorrow and ask about the driveshaft. It certainly can't be very long, wonder also about the pitch of it.



Mike.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Nice rig, Electrical Co. I worked for ordered a 1980 Kenworth 400 Cummins Big Cam II. We specified a 5 speed main, 4 speed Aux with power tower. Kenworth engineers said we needed a 240 inch wheel base to keep the drive shaft at a max. of 7 degrees if memory serves me. 2004 3500 4x2 DRW Quad Cab 48RE 373 ( Power all stock ) DDPan, Stull stainless running boards, bed caps. Autometer trans, boost, pyro gauges.

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

That's awesome!! Very creative indeed!!

 

[HBarlow]

A very nice looking conversion. It will draw a crowd of tire kickers everywhere it goes. I'll bet it rides stiff.

Rusty, do you ever browse the HDT forums of the Escapees website? The posters are either fulltimers who use retired OTR tractors to pull their very large fifthwheels or wannabes who are inquiring about purchasing one. Those guys swear by them. They do, in fact, pay less for a converted tractor than the price of a new diesel dually.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Rusty, do you ever browse the HDT forums of the Escapees website? The posters are either fulltimers who use retired OTR tractors to pull their very large fifthwheels or wannabes who are inquiring about purchasing one. Those guys swear by them. They do, in fact, pay less for a converted tractor than the price of a new diesel dually.

However, they never discuss the cost of repair and/or the potential large cost of repair of those "retired OTR tractors". They were retired for a reason.



Bill

 

[mwilson]

I think there is some merit to using a retired power unit, however one would have to be very careful in regards to specs, overhaul history, etc.

For example to me a 3406B that had been derated to 350hp from day 1 with a 9 or 10 speed transmission would have higher odds of working out versus a maxxed out, worn out 425hp 3406B with a 13 or 18 speed. Much less wear on the components and a little less complicated to own.

With some guidance from knowledgeable people it could work out well.



There was a post on a forum somewhere regarding a man that bought a used Volvo tandem tractor to tow his big fiver and sent it out to have one rear end removed. The shop removed the back rear instead of removing the forward rear and moving the rear rear ahead. Was concerned about the output yoke spinning around hooked to nothing and he also had to keep the power divider lock engaged at all times just to get the truck to move.

That poor man went through hell getting the truck somewhere near right.



A fracus like that is not created by knowledgeable folks... ... ... . ::

 

[HBarlow]

Bill,

You're right, of course. The owners also never tell anyone how few miles they actually put on their big trucks either. Most seem to be used only to move their "homes" from one destination to another with the weather and to attend their big rally three or four times each year. I"ve not read any of them reporting sight-seeing trips to AK or around the US and Canada.

A lot of them recommend and encourage the autoshift or fully automatic transmissions. I could probably buy another house in Crosby County for the price of a full overhaul on a big truck automatic.

Big truck fleets probably have 30 years of records and know exactly how long and how many miles to run those tractors before they dump them to avoid soaring maintenance costs. I think I've heard and read that the factory provides an excellent five year warranty and many of them are leased for the five year period then dumped.

I've long been fascinated by big trucks but your advice has prevented me from ever getting closer than reading about them on the Escapees website.

Mike,

Yes, there have been some horror stories there. Apparently there was some slick used truck salesman operating there several years ago who claimed to be an expert on selecting, purchasing, and outfitting retired OTR tractors for the RV crowd. A few buyers were hurt pretty severely by some of the junk he sold them and half-assed conversions like the rear axle fiasco you wrote of above.

 

[The patriot]

I'd have gone with the 379 hood.

Looks cool, I've seen one or two of these in the Englishtown nj event.

 

[HHhuntitall]

No way!! I love the short 359 hood for something like that!!! I've got an extended hood 359, and it's a slick ride!! Retired!!?!? Rebuilt, you mean. My 359 has gotten a little relief, as it's now adorned with a 24' grain bed instead of a 5th wheel, but I still love it. A million and a half miles, an inframe, a full out frame overhaul, and finally a new transmission, and it's still going strong!! Real strong, in fact!! After the last overhaul, David Brodnax at formerly Warren, now Holt Cat in Irving dynoed it at 428hp at the rear driver. That's a hoss for a '79 motor without charge air cooling(It was a glider kit, and the engine and drivetrain came out of a '79 KW cabover)! My '90 KW will barely do that after it's last overhaul..... but it gets really good mileage, so it's a give and take, I guess. One of my friends has a 79 W900 that I'd love to pull the front driver and make a single axle air ride..... quite a bit of money, but still half what a new light duty Dodge would cost. Anyone really serious about it, I can recommend David Sparkman in Quanah, Tx. He's twice the fabricator of the Chrome Shop Mafia boys..... just doesn't have his own TV show... .

 

[BIGNASTY]

However, they never discuss the cost of repair and/or the potential large cost of repair of those "retired OTR tractors". They were retired for a reason.



Bill

The reasons vary as much as the trucks I retired my 72 longnose pete because I couldn't afford to feed it any longer. When I first bought it fuel was less than a buck a gal. and the 1693 TTA that was in it drank it like I owned a fuel pump. As far as a rebuild you get allot more miles out of the old girls than they do now wth the crap they have on the new ones . In their day the big bore motors of witch there were plenty were put together to last now everything is disposable. I bought my pete with a fresh In frame Minor rebuild. I ran that for 350K and wanted to play with some of the big boys on the grape vine I 5 for those that don't know N of LA. Rules were easy rolling start in Castaic first to the top for $500. 00. That brought out the big boy toys. The motor didn't need a rebuild but when your about to make some LARGE power you pay for it. We rebuilt it again and put another turbo on and to keep the oil temp in check another oil cooler. I didn't do the rebuild there were just as many mechanics that wanted the reputation of the builder than the owner. The mechanic works at Johnson Cat Riverside Ca we chained it to the Dyno and the shop foreman came out to watch. We fired it up and just started to crack the throttle and the foreman said to get the bomb off his 800hp dyno before we tear it up. Never did know how many ponies but we did well with the motor. As compared to today's motors the cost was less then than now. Technology comes at a price back then it was the guy with the best wrench and knowhow its hard to get fuel mileage with BIG power and 80,000 lbs (or more). So to say that they were retired for a reason in my opinion it wasnt because of the rebuild cost

 

[MMeier]

Thats cool ! Whats he running for a trans ?

 

[mwilson]

He just brought it down for us to see today, will post pictures at lunchtime.

He has done an outstanding job on this thing, I'll tell ya'... .....



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

Thats cool ! Whats he running for a trans ?

Fuller 13 Speed Double Overdrive transmission.



Mike.

 

[The patriot]

I'd bet it's an interesting ride on wet bumpy roads. :-laf

My brother has a Pete 379 with all the bells & whistles and a cat 425 hi torque, 15 sp (DR) trans.

That thing was a FREAKIN monster!

110,000+++ loads... no problem! Air ride everything, 40' spread axle Ravens dump trailer. It has gone 100+ loaded. Not by me, I'm not that crazy.

Any time I was over 85K my little Mack with the 300 and 5 speed was huffin and puffin. :-laf

 

[mwilson]

I'll let the pictures do the talkin... ...

 

[BGlidewell]

wonder what his mileage is? 8?