Help Me Pick A Truck

[thirdcoaster]

I've been looking at trucks lately & would like a little input. I'm a rancher and homebuilder/real estate guy. I have a F-450 that I pull my 15-ton gooseneck and cattle trailer with. On any given day, I may haul a backhoe or dozer, each at 19,000 pounds on the gooseneck which weighs about 7,300 pounds. We also have a toy-hauler RV that has a loaded weight of about 21,000 pounds. The F-450 is a little out-gunned. I also have an R-700 tandem dump that is used for hauling gravel for roads and fill dirt. Both trucks are licensed as "farm", and thus limited to 48,000 pounds gross. Each truck costs over $1,000 per year to license and insure, so just owning them gets expensive even if you don't turn the key.

My idea is to buy a short sleeper tractor and a 20' belly-dump to replace both the F-450 and the R-700. I would modify the sleeper to resemble the "work station" in a Volvo to allow my family to ride. In order to make this work, I need an auto trans truck so that my wife can drive it. No, I'm not going to teach her to float-shift, I would prefer to remain married . These trucks are few and far between as you might imagine, but here's an example of a possibility:

http://www.arrowtruck.com/docs/search.details.aspx?invstkno=165281

I would prefer a single axle over a tandem, but those are really rare. I've located a nice factory single Volvo in Cali, but it's expensive. What pitfalls are there with singling a Mack like the one above?

Is the engine in the unit above at 355hp generally reliable and is it up-ratable?

Lastly, feel free to tell me I'm nuts.

[Rob]

I've been looking at trucks lately & would like a little input. I'm a rancher and homebuilder/real estate guy. I have a F-450 that I pull my 15-ton gooseneck and cattle trailer with. On any given day, I may haul a backhoe or dozer, each at 19,000 pounds on the gooseneck which weighs about 7,300 pounds. We also have a toy-hauler RV that has a loaded weight of about 21,000 pounds. The F-450 is a little out-gunned. I also have an R-700 tandem dump that is used for hauling gravel for roads and fill dirt. Both trucks are licensed as "farm", and thus limited to 48,000 pounds gross. Each truck costs over $1,000 per year to license and insure, so just owning them gets expensive even if you don't turn the key.

My idea is to buy a short sleeper tractor and a 20' belly-dump to replace both the F-450 and the R-700. I would modify the sleeper to resemble the "work station" in a Volvo to allow my family to ride. In order to make this work, I need an auto trans truck so that my wife can drive it. No, I'm not going to teach her to float-shift, I would prefer to remain married . These trucks are few and far between as you might imagine, but here's an example of a possibility:

http://www.arrowtruc...invstkno=165281

I would prefer a single axle over a tandem, but those are really rare. I've located a nice factory single Volvo in Cali, but it's expensive. What pitfalls are there with singling a Mack like the one above?

Is the engine in the unit above at 355hp generally reliable and is it up-ratable?

Lastly, feel free to tell me I'm nuts.

Naw, I don't think you are nuts at all. You have a need, and are willing to do the research to find the equipment to fill the need. Good way to go. I don't know much about the newer stuff and some will tell you to shun anything in the years you are looking at due to downtime. If it were me, I'd look for an HT-740 Allison to stick in that R-700 you already have, (I'm partial to that style of truck with three in my shop) if the automatic is a necessity. A CH-612, or CX-612 is a single drive axle variant just as you pictured and there are a few out there for purchase. Call a VonMahr, (sp) clothing distribution center as they maintain their power units very well with regular service to find where they are auctioned off at.

Not much I know and hopefully someone else will chime it to help you along.

Rob

[thirdcoaster]

I may not have been clear. The R-700 is a dumptruck and my wife never drives it. She does, however drive the F-450 when on the ranch or RV'ing.

Oh, BTW, I would want to put a simple flatbed on any truck that I buy. Just a giant pickup .

[Rob]

I may not have been clear. The R-700 is a dumptruck and my wife never drives it. She does, however drive the F-450 when on the ranch or RV'ing.

Oh, BTW, I would want to put a simple flatbed on any truck that I buy. Just a giant pickup .

I seen the R700 was a tandem dump truck but didn't you state you wanted to replace both the R700, and the F450 with a single truck? That is where I came up with the idea of converting the R700 to your needs.

I'll bet she'd drive it with an automatic. You are not going to work the truck to it's capacity in your application, so an automatic would work fine. Lot less expensive to insure also being a bit older.

Rob

[JerryB]

If it was me I would try to find a truck with a pre EGR engine in order to stay away from the EGR headache. Up to a 2002 is pre-EGR and it's not really that big of a deal to convert a tandem into a single axle. I don't think you're nuts, it sounds like you have a pretty good idea. A 350 or 427 Mack will get comparable fuel mileage to the F450 on the load description you gave.

[thirdcoaster]

Rob, whatever I do, I still need to be able to haul minimum 4 people. The R-700 cab would be a little cramped, even with an auto .

A sleeper tractor with a converted bunk would take care of the people capacity. The same tractor could tow my gooseneck trailers or RV with ease. A short belly dump trailer would do my dirt and gravel hauling (they are pretty cheap right now, too). A short bed between the sleeper and fifth wheel would give me some bobtail cargo capacity. Sell both the F-450 and R-700, own one truck.

Were there any trucks prior to 2002 with autoshift? I haven't seen any that old. I'm going to try to run to Houston Friday to look at the mack linked above. Anything specific to look for? I'll mostly be going to put a tape measure on it to make sure everything can be done the way I want and to drive the Autoshift since I've never driven one.

Keep the ideas coming. I think I can make this work if I find the right truck.

[JerryB]

Rob, whatever I do, I still need to be able to haul minimum 4 people. The R-700 cab would be a little cramped, even with an auto .

A sleeper tractor with a converted bunk would take care of the people capacity. The same tractor could tow my gooseneck trailers or RV with ease. A short belly dump trailer would do my dirt and gravel hauling (they are pretty cheap right now, too). A short bed between the sleeper and fifth wheel would give me some bobtail cargo capacity. Sell both the F-450 and R-700, own one truck.

Were there any trucks prior to 2002 with autoshift? I haven't seen any that old. I'm going to try to run to Houston Friday to look at the mack linked above. Anything specific to look for? I'll mostly be going to put a tape measure on it to make sure everything can be done the way I want and to drive the Autoshift since I've never driven one.

Keep the ideas coming. I think I can make this work if I find the right truck.

I think the auto trans is gonna be your downfall with a Mack. I called my local Mack dealer early this morning and have them doing a search for any Mack sleeper with auto in their system and so far he hasn't called me back so I called to see if he forgot and he claims he hasn't located one yet.

[usmcjimbo]

I think the auto trans is gonna be your downfall with a Mack. I called my local Mack dealer early this morning and have them doing a search for any Mack sleeper with auto in their system and so far he hasn't called me back so I called to see if he forgot and he claims he hasn't located one yet.

I would bet the mortgage this truck at Arrow came out of Comcar Industries in Auburndale, FL and most likely hauled a tanker or flatbed. Truck looks to be typical fleet spec - all they buy is autoshifts. Keep in mind the transmission on this truck is an "autoshift" not an ultrashift meaning you have a clutch and clutch pedal and still need to operate the clutch to stop and start the clutch. Can your wife drive an stick? If so a regular straight 10 speed is about as easy as it gets.

My advice is look for something pre 2002 with the specifications YOU want and don't worry about who can drive it besides you. At the end of the day you are probably going to drive it the most anyway.

[hatcity]

Here ya go

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mack-Toterhome-/110524017334?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Commercial_Trucks&hash=item19bbbeaab6

[ThaddeusW]

Hi there.

You have a good idea there. But instead of beating your head against the wall looking for a factory single axle sleeper, why not find the truck you want and have it converted to a single axle? Trucks are easy to convert into what ever you want to them to be.

[David]

Sounds like good plan. The autoshift will work just fine too. She can side step the clutch at idle to get started and not need to touch it again til it's time to stop. They are real easy to drive. Buy a tamdem and keep the extra axle. You'll enjoy the extra brakes and traction.

[thirdcoaster]

It's good to see some thoughtful replies. I looked on Truckpaper, and there are a few pre-'02 units with Autoshift, and yes, I do realize that it has a clutch pedal.

We recently drove a Volvo with a Meritor Freedomline (two pedals) and liked it but it had the long sleeper which made the overall truck too long for my use. I drove a Freightliner with an Ultrashift (also two pedal) and that particular truck "lurched" forward or backward as the clutch engaged from a standstill. I don't know if they all do that, but you'd have a heck of a time lining up a gooseneck ball.

So if we consider a 10-year old truck, how many miles is too many? I know maintenance is key to any machine lasting, but most of these trucks have close to, if not more than 1 Million miles.

I've now talked to several people about singling a truck, and everyone including you guys agree that it's not a big deal. Now if someone could tell me how to shorten a 70" sleeper to about 42", a truck would be easy to find.

[Rob]

It's good to see some thoughtful replies. I looked on Truckpaper, and there are a few pre-'02 units with Autoshift, and yes, I do realize that it has a clutch pedal.

We recently drove a Volvo with a Meritor Freedomline (two pedals) and liked it but it had the long sleeper which made the overall truck too long for my use. I drove a Freightliner with an Ultrashift (also two pedal) and that particular truck "lurched" forward or backward as the clutch engaged from a standstill. I don't know if they all do that, but you'd have a heck of a time lining up a gooseneck ball.

So if we consider a 10-year old truck, how many miles is too many? I know maintenance is key to any machine lasting, but most of these trucks have close to, if not more than 1 Million miles.

I've now talked to several people about singling a truck, and everyone including you guys agree that it's not a big deal. Now if someone could tell me how to shorten a 70" sleeper to about 42", a truck would be easy to find.

In my opinion that is very easy to do. Strip the sleeper clean internally, remove the heads to the retaining rivets holding the rear corners to the sidewalls and remove the rear section complete. If flush mount rivets are used for smooth sides, center punch and drill through them. Plasma cut the sleeper sidewalls, floor, and roof to the length you require using a straight edge, drill your holes to align the panels, then buck it back together. Only takes bucking about 10 rivets to become good at it.

Rob

[techdog68]

I may not have been clear. The R-700 is a dumptruck and my wife never drives it. She does, however drive the F-450 when on the ranch or RV'ing.

Oh, BTW, I would want to put a simple flatbed on any truck that I buy. Just a giant pickup .

>

> If a big pickup is what your looking for and you want to stay below 53000 GVWR (to avoid the $550 a year road use tax) I would suggest a 4400 international w/DT466E Allison hd4000 series trans . You can get the 466 w/ 250hp and you would be surprised at how well it will pull and your wife can drive it to the grocery store and be as comfy as the F450 . Super easy to drive ,as a single axel tractor w/ the flatbed on it , w/air brakes the 48000 will also be in its comfort zone. You would want to get a 4 door cab also fairly common w/ these or you can get a day cab and add a box as fancy or as simple as you like.the 466 is a wet sleeve engine so you can build it from now until the cab falls off,the 4000 series allison is as bulletproof as a trans can be , you can get them w/ air ride cab , air ride susp, power everything , parts are readily available upkeep is reasonable and there is lots of used ones around. Easy to drive ,and if you bought one w/ a 24/26 foot body on it you would have a storage shed for the farm too. I would think a class 8 truck would be over kill for what you are wanting. also you can get 8-10 mpg w/ this truck too,that would be twice thempg you would get w/ the class 8 truck.if you like I could set one up for you any way you like and you would be surprised at the price it can be done too.

[techdog68]

I've been looking at trucks lately & would like a little input. I'm a rancher and homebuilder/real estate guy. I have a F-450 that I pull my 15-ton gooseneck and cattle trailer with. On any given day, I may haul a backhoe or dozer, each at 19,000 pounds on the gooseneck which weighs about 7,300 pounds. We also have a toy-hauler RV that has a loaded weight of about 21,000 pounds. The F-450 is a little out-gunned. I also have an R-700 tandem dump that is used for hauling gravel for roads and fill dirt. Both trucks are licensed as "farm", and thus limited to 48,000 pounds gross. Each truck costs over $1,000 per year to license and insure, so just owning them gets expensive even if you don't turn the key.

My idea is to buy a short sleeper tractor and a 20' belly-dump to replace both the F-450 and the R-700. I would modify the sleeper to resemble the "work station" in a Volvo to allow my family to ride. In order to make this work, I need an auto trans truck so that my wife can drive it. No, I'm not going to teach her to float-shift, I would prefer to remain married . These trucks are few and far between as you might imagine, but here's an example of a possibility:

http://www.arrowtruck.com/docs/search.details.aspx?invstkno=165281

I would prefer a single axle over a tandem, but those are really rare. I've located a nice factory single Volvo in Cali, but it's expensive. What pitfalls are there with singling a Mack like the one above?

Is the engine in the unit above at 355hp generally reliable and is it up-ratable?

Lastly, feel free to tell me I'm nuts.

> Before you shoot me or worse , let me put my touch on it

Edited April 29, 2010 by 2stick2stack

[thirdcoaster]

I had considered a medium-duty, but they seemed relatively expensive for their hp/torque and weight capacity. I guess it's worth another look, especially to get a crew cab. If I found one with the 19k or 20k rear axle and all air-ride it should be up to the task. Some of the horse haulers drive some mighty nice ones too....$$$$$$$$!

The sleeper-reduction plan sounds interesting. I'll have to study the box profiles to see which models that would work on.