Sad but great memories.....................

[Barry]

I bought both of these trucks in the last month. The 2003 IHC in Ohio and the 98 FL 70 in south Florida. Both of these couples had reached that milestone where they could no longer RV but had tons of great memories.



The IHC with a DT 530 and an Allison MD 3060 trannie(95,000 original miles) pulled a 39' Mobile Suites from Ohio to south Texas each year and then several Good Sam rallies around Ohio. Now Gene and Janet could no longer get up into the truck.



The 1998 FL 70 with a full Western Flyer Conversion and an 8. 3 Big Block Cummins hooked to an MD 3060 trannie(71,000 original miles) pulled a 40' Teton... ... ... ..... plus their tow car!... ... ... 85' long all over America and Canada. Now both Huey and Eatta Mae can barely get in and out of the house... ... ... ... ... ... . but oh the memories!



So my friends, you can sit home and watch the world go by wishing you had memories or you can go make your own! Time behind you can never be re-captured!

 

[Barry]

A little over 2 years ago, I started buying horse trailers for DHMCO.com the largest volume horse trailer dealer in the US. Then a little over a year ago I got them started in medium duty hauler trucks to compliment their HT business. We have found a niche market in nice pre-owned, pre-emmisson (before 2008) trucks. With all the pollution controls on the new one ton trucks, these older pre-emmission trucks typically get the same fuel mileage as the new polluted trucks... ... ... ... ... ... ..... and do it in twice the style and comfort... ... ... ... ... and cost less than a new pick-up.

It ain't no trick to sell them, the trick is to find them! We hunt all over the US for these nice low mile rigs.

When I picked up the IHC in Ohio, I was only 140 miles from the Bison Factory in Milford, In. so I slipped by there and picked up this unit going back to the dealership in Al. Hate to see a good truck deadhead! Other than the truck rode better, you had to look in the mirrors to realize you were pulling a trailer!

Had I not just bought another Dodge/Cummins, I would have kept this one. It was that sweet!

 

[NIsaacs]

RV towing doubles @ 85' I think Wyoming is the only state that allows that. Most states have 65' limit on RV combo's with a few states at 60' 70' or 75'. With my Dot luck, I wouldn't get out of Az with that load



Nick

 

[Bill Stockard]

RV towing doubles @ 85' I think Wyoming is the only state that allows that. Most states have 65' limit on RV combo's with a few states at 60' 70' or 75'. With my Dot luck, I wouldn't get out of Az with that load



Nick

RVers can get away with that since they aren't commercial. They sail right past the "chicken coops".



Bill

 

[Barry]

Mr. Isaacs, I agree! I even double questioned them about the 85 feet. The truck plus a 40' Teton and the tow car behind. She said nobody ever questioned or stopped them! Oh the bliss of the retired senior citizens!

My personal experience was quite different. I hooked a 34' trip slide Travel Supreme behind my '06 Dodge 3500 SRW and then my TDI behind the 5er. Left Ft. Worth at 0:600 and headed for Florida. When I crossed the Florida line just west of P'Cola, there were 2 FDOT guys sitting in the median. I did not make it to the 1st exit. He was on me like gravy on a chicken fried steak. He said " You can't do that. " I said; sure I can, just came 700 miles today to prove it! He said;"You cannot do that in the state of Florida. " OH; I said. So I limped over the the nearest Wal-Mart. Dropped the TDI where it would be safe and came back for it in a few days. In hind site, I should have gone back out of Florida up into Alabama and kept going east until I was closer to my destination of Orlando to spend the winter.

 

[Barry]

Sometime in early to mid January(depending on weather) I am going after a 2006 IHC 4400 with the DT466 set at 300HP. It sports a manual 6 speed. Very unusual truck as it was owned by Harley Davidson to pull a mobile shop around to dealers and to Sturgis once a year for the rally. Slick rig... ... ..... I love my job!
2006 INTERNATIONAL IHC 4400, 300 HP 6-SPEED MANUAL "SPORT CHASSIS",

 

[KB0OU]

I had a DT-466 running 300HP with a 7 speed manual, used it to haul RVs to Alaska on a winch trailer. That rig was a sweet ride.

 

[HBarlow]

I've always admired those MDTs set up with the comfort options and rigged for pulling big fifthwheels but everytime I got a little too interested in one Bill Stockard threw five gallons of cold water on me and my big dream of an MDT vanished.

It is cheap and practical to admire them from my computer. Owning and driving one is an entirely different matter. A properly set up Dodge-Cummins dually will haul most average sized fifthwheels safely and and are a lot cheaper and more practical to own than an MDT.

I stil admire the MDTs though!

 

[Barry]

Uncle Harvey, I agree. But now that some pickups are approaching $60,000 and are laden with pollution devices mandated by the Environmental Persecution Agency, in some applications, nice low mileage pre-owned MDTs are an attractive alternative. It is a niche market with us for our larger HT customers.

I can haul most of the HTs we deal in with my Dodge 2500(air bag and 19. 5s equiped)... ... ... ... . that is I can haul them empty. But you take a 4 horse, 14' shortwall with a 12' slide out... ... ..... and you put all of Moma's stuff in it plus 4 1,000 lb Nags and all their feed, water and the paraphernalia associated with them... ... ... ... ... ... ..... You have got a load. I cringe when I see a big LQ HT going down the road behind a one ton.

 

[HBarlow]

Barry,

Yep, I agree. Some of the trailers our fellow TDR members think they can haul with a Ram 2500 make me cringe also. A good used MDT set up for towing would be the minimum I would use for many of the trailers some TDR members say they pull.

The $60k price tag of a new Ram is simply not real world to me. I think most of them can easily be purchased for $10k - $15k less than MSRP but I would never pay what some do for those shiny new trucks. What my age has taught me is those shiny new trucks with all those wonderful comforts and conveniences soon become dingy and dull old used trucks with superfluous gadgetry that doesn't work well if at all and the odometer is all covered up with large numbers instead of those nice clean zeros.

 

[Barry]

But I will tell you this; If you can afford it, bubbling along the interstate at 65 mph on air ride suspension, air ride cab and air ride captain chairs is worth the price of admission!

 

[HBarlow]

I don't doubt its a really nice ride but its not really a question of "if you can afford it" but am I willing to pay the price? I have determined that for me it is not.

My ordinary old Dodge has never required anything more than routine maintenance at 120k miles and even when it does I am familiar with the costs and have sources of inexpensive repairs. A MDT would be an entirely different matter when something is required.

Very nice trucks but no thanks.

 

[Barry]

Been chasing this truck for a month and they finally let me have it. Super Rare FL 70... ... ... ..... with a 12 liter MBZ engine factory set 450HP @ 2000 RPM. Power and torque are brutal! 1500 RPM is 67 MPH by GPS. I just love finding treasures like this... ... ... ... ... ... ..... that's why they call me The Dixie Picker!

 

[RVTRKN]

So Barry, what would one expect to pay for that rig? We rarely agree, but I'm on HB's side of the argument, a properly set up 5500 C&C can do just as good a job for the setup you described in an earlier post. But your maintenance costs are a lot cheaper and usually is only maintenance required. When you pull that rig into a truck stop requiring repairs, its Ching Ching goes the register and cry cry goes the owner, even maintenance only is expensive, if only that's is required. It reminds me of the class A rigs that go for a quarter of a million dollars with the repair costs of big rigs when required, when a 5500 CTD can pull the same luxury 5th wheel equivalent in size just as well, but also have the added benefit of not having to pull behind the grocery getter. JMHO, but those horse trailers must be loaded with million dollar horses that race in the Kentucky Derby, to warrant that kind of money.

 

[RVTRKN]

To add a little more to my post, it must be a prestige issue I imagine, when pulling a horse to the Kentucky derby. I could just imagine the whispers, if you pulled into the Derby with a 10 year old rust bucket pulling a two horse trailer just as rusty.



:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf

 

[Barry]

RV, I never cease to be amazed at the money that is in this industry. This rig was originally ordered for a little barrel racer in south Florida. It had to have cost a fortune in '03 to have SportChassis build that unit. And the cost of these big Nag Wagons is mind boggling... ... ... ... When you see a late model SportChassis pulling a big fancy LQ horse trailer, you are looking at a quarter mil plus in many cases.

With regard to cost, maintenance, upkeep, etc. , I am not at all concerned with that. We are selling these rigs as fast as I can find the ones we look for in our niche market. And if you happen to see a big horse rig at a fuel stop, thank the driver for not trying to pull it with a one ton.

 

[mwilson]

View attachment 84128



Been chasing this truck for a month and they finally let me have it. Super Rare FL 70... ... ... ..... with a 12 liter MBZ engine factory set 450HP @ 2000 RPM. Power and torque are brutal! 1500 RPM is 67 MPH by GPS. I just love finding treasures like this... ... ... ... ... ... ..... that's why they call me The Dixie Picker!

Barry,

I didn't think that hood was ever used on an FL70. Had only seen it on FL112 trucks.



Let me have the last 6 of VIN just because I am curious if you don't mind. You can e-mail it to me if you prefer. .

-- email address removed --



Mike.

 

[Barry]

Mike, check email... ... ... ... ... thanx.

 

[RVTRKN]

RV, if you happen to see a big horse rig at a fuel stop, thank the driver for not trying to pull it with a one ton.

You don't think a 5500 would do the job?

 

[Terry Jay]

Interesting, Barry. My sense is the MDTs were originally used for the heavy RVs because of the braking and handling. Then a lot of folks went to the HDT for the same purpose, and the are usually cheaper.



I have a 98 FL50 with full air, a Cat 3126 300hp, Spicer 6+1, and juice brakes. It towed a heavy toyhauler and mounted the car on the 13' deck. Slow up the hills and 8. 5 mpg to Alaska and back. I got a 2012 3500DRW to tow a similar size 5th (15,000) and the CTD does a better job up and down the hills. The mpg is better too, at around 10 when towing to and from Alaska.



Glad you are enjoying the job. I really like driving the FL50 but the wife is more comfy in the CTD.

Terry