1974 RD685 Dump. Please help with frame and jake issues

[nedly05]

its 14'. its got some dents and dings but overall its pretty solid.

[bulldoggin']

After frame fix I would go with full jake brake more exp but worth every penny they are adjustable.

[oilburner]

If you look at the ch, check to see what air ride it has, some of them suck with a top heavy load, like a low leaf, you can use them i have hauled 26 ton on a pete air trac you just have to be ready to chatch her in the curves they can lean bad sometimes. Hauled on a newway once that held up as good as a camel back it was some what of a rough rider for air ride but maybe take her out and get a load of rock on her for your driveway and try it out before you trade just to make sure you like the way it handels. The newway airride was on a western star that was a factory dump with 48 rears it had dual air control vavles for the air ride, it had one vavle located on the drivers side of the axle housing and one in the middle of the back rearend, it also had large airlines going to the bags seems like the were 3/4 or 1 ince i may be wrong but they were bigger than any i had seen before, also had a dump vavle in the cab so you could let the air out of the bags when you were spreading rock, the airtrac pete had a dump vavle in the cab also but it did not work, and that thing was wicked when you got the bed up about half way and the load shifted to the back make you pucker up in the seat, if it were me i would try it out just saying, good luck

[nedly05]

Thanks oilburner. It has a Mack air suspension. I'm pretty ignorant on air rides, but it has mack stamped in numerous places. The owner has it permitted to carry 25 ton. If I were to permit it in NY, I would probably be able to carry 20. As of now I won't permit it, as I figure it I will be able to haul 15-16 ton without a permit. This will allow me to take a decent load across posted bridges. From everyone I've talked to it sounds like the air ride has some pucker factor at first, but after you get used to it, its not that bad. It should be nice on our rough roads around here too. She's supposed to be here tomorrow!!!!

Sooooooo, that means the '74 is on the chopping block. If it had a bigger motor I would probably consider the tractor conversion, but its not really my ideal tractor specs. However If I can't sell it, I might still consider it.

1974 RD685

20 Fronts

58 Rears

ENDT 675 237 HP

2 stick 6 speed

14' box

94,000 miles

pintle plate

a/e to rear.

Make offer!

[Superdog]

you'll wish you would've fixed the RD

[oilburner]

Hey maybe keep the old truck because if you don't like the airride you could upgrade and put the old camel back under it, but yea you will get used to it but you want forget the frist pucker you get from it. Good luck and by the way what rearends are in the ch?

[pmolitor]

I agree with Superdog. I'm running a R and a Ch. The R handles the loads much better and drives better. The CH has a walking beam rear and 18k fronts. The R has 38k rear camel back and 18 k fronts.

[oilburner]

I don't know about a camel back out doing a walkingbeam, unless they are woreout, But airride any spring ride stands up better and if you have a 16 feet or better long bed it is just pins and nails spreading rock on roads, and i have herd of people turning them over with the beds up spreading before and i can see how it could happen, airride on a dump makes the truck twice as limber when you get the load in the air, and if you are just dumping i like to raise the bed a little and rock it a bit before i open the tailgate get the load shifted back a little so it don't have so much in the uper part of the bed when you get it up. But everyone does what works best for them so he will probely find his own way to get out of the pucker factor. I have never delt with mack airide, never even seen it i guess but if the bags are tall they seem to do better than like the pete bags that are only half full of air because when you dump the truck gets ligther and the bags can not dump the air quick enough and the truck starts raising up and that can cause it to lean to the heavyer side and you can feel it in the cab, if the bags are already tall with air it is not so bad because they are as tall as they can get anyway, but if it has a dump vavle it is a whole lot better good luck, i wish i had some cash i would take the old 74 off your hands you don't see many of them around here, it would proberly be a long trip to kentucky driving it!!

[pmolitor]

My walking beam is only.rated for34k. It has the rubber blocks to isolate it from the frame. Not impressed with it so far.

[oilburner]

My walking beam is only.rated for34k. It has the rubber blocks to isolate it from the frame. Not impressed with it so far.

never been in the seat of 34 with solid rubberblock before, didn't know they made them, but i may be thanking of the old style, you may have something diffrent, i was thanking of the old hendrickson soild walking beems withe the big wide rubber blocks between the frame and the walking beam same as the spring hendrickson just without the springs. i worked for a guy that had that set up but i thank his were 46000 lbs rears, it wasn't to bad with a load on it but empty it was teriable, beat you todeath. but i thank i would pick it over airride, still not that old yet..lol

[nedly05]

The new truck is here, very happy with it so far. It came with the 5th wheel so the option is there to stick that on the RD and keep it set up to be either a dump or tractor. Feed me the suggestions. Either way if I keep it the frame will be patched up. Thanks for all of the input!!!!!

[oilburner]

Hey get us some pictures when you can, happy truckin!!

[nedly05]

Heres a pic when she rolled in on the lowboy. I haven't gotten her on the road yet, may wait till spring at this point but I'm anxious to haul some material so I might not be able to wait! Last week wasn't really busy so we pulled her in the shop and cleaned her up a little, started painting the box black.

I'm leaning toward selling the RD at this point, as I've shelled out more coin than I wanted to at this time of year. Does anyone have an idea of what it's worth? I know I have to much in it to get my money back at this point. I'd like to see it go some place where it can be used, or dolled up and taken to shows, I don't have the drivers or time for either. I know someone from BMT would take good care of her!!!!

[nedly05]

Update on the 74 RD.

I've had it parked out behind the shop to make room for snow. Well I got to thinking about either removing the box and adding a log rack, or building some high steel sideboards to haul logs, so I went out back yesterday with the jump box and it didn't roll over 3 times before it started, so after some maneuvering and some fancy driving I was able to get it back out to the front of the shop and clean the snow off. I think I will bring it in and try to de-rust between the rails and get the rails welded up, then see about the log body ideas.

[Bigdogtrucker]

Post some pics of the frame rails when you can.

[nedly05]

I will get some up today.

[umodelnut]

Cool. Maybe I'll see it around here sometime in Glenfield? We're not far away.

[nedly05]

Cool. Maybe I'll see it around here sometime in Glenfield? We're not far away.

Ya just never know!

[nedly05]

Here are a few pics, the passenger side has been welded up before, as well as between the hangers on the drivers side. Its about 9'9" from the end of the frame towards the cab to where the frame is OK.

So having seen the damage, whats the best way to repair it? Should I take the box and tires off, and beat on it to get some rust out, weld it and treat it, or is it worse than that? I wouldn't be opposed to re-railing the rear of the truck, but I'd like to have it make me some money first so if I could get it fixed up and run it for a while first that would be great.

I'd forgotten about the 5th wheel I have too, maybe that would be better on there than a log body, then I could be much more versatile!!!

[Lmackattack]

Yea, those rails are junk. Would have to cut and weld in new ones. I wouldent haul much with the rails like that. Who knows what it's like behind those rails.

[nedly05]

Sort of what I had suspected, but I was hoping it was savable. I really like the truck, and if it had a 300 with a jake I would feel better about re-railing it, now I'm wondering what direction to turn again. I'd like to "patch" it up and run it, but I don't want something that could hurt someone.

[Lmackattack]

Anything can be fixed but at what cost and trouble to do it. In my opinion to save that truck you would buy a cut off and weld it in. No use putting new rails into it just based on cost and time. New rails welded in would do the same and last just as long.

[nedly05]

Anything can be fixed but at what cost and trouble to do it. In my opinion to save that truck you would buy a cut off and weld it in. No use putting new rails into it just based on cost and time. New rails welded in would do the same and last just as long.

[nedly05]

so would i look at a place like trovei's for a good cut-off? i'd like to get out of it as cheap as possible.

[umodelnut]

so would i look at a place like trovei's for a good cut-off? i'd like to get out of it as cheap as possible.

Probobly. I would say so. I think Global truck traders has cutoffs too right?