Going to 3500 ??

[ca531]

Hi Ive only been hauling cars for about 8 months now I got in it from my neighbor who was retiring I already had class A cdl so semi was great but now since diesel keeps going up Im considering going down to 3500 dodge I have a low pro kaufman with king pin So im wondering if the dodge will have trouble with this trailer also would I be able to haul 3 full size pickups without being over weight on the drive axle Thanks for any help

[Slim]

Hi Ive only been hauling cars for about 8 months now I got in it from my neighbor who was retiring I already had class A cdl so semi was great but now since diesel keeps going up Im considering going down to 3500 dodge I have a low pro kaufman with king pin So im wondering if the dodge will have trouble with this trailer also would I be able to haul 3 full size pickups without being over weight on the drive axle Thanks for any help

In my opinion, You would be spending a lot of money switching trucks to save nothing on fuel. Three full size works for now, but who knows how long as they tighten up and enforce the regs. Stick with what you've got and roll, the current fuel dilemma won't last forever.

[haulin rv]

What are the specs on the semi?? Many have found they are able to get as good or even better MPG with a properly spec'd semi. My Dodge was getting over 10 hauling 3 when I mostly ran IL and the speed limit was 55. Now that I am running a southwest route running 65 or so I am in the 8.7-9.7 range on winter fuel. Oh dont forget the loss of a legal sleeper too.

[ca531]

I have a Kenworth T600 with 3406E Its not very fuel friendly the best I have been able to get is 8.3 but 7.5 is more likely The guy I got it from pulled a 8 car miller and it averaged 6.5 with him I thought about getting another semi but everybody says something different Ive got one guy saying he gets 12mpg with N14 another guy says he only gets 8 mpg I know alot of people say 10+ with detroit I cant afford to get another semi and it not get what I expected I thought the dodge 05-07 would be a good bet to get the mileage im looking for I have been running there and back trips and not picking up much on my back hauls but I was making money until the fuel started going up I thought with the dodge I might get real good if I had to come home empty?

[Dorsey]

Is it a single axle or a tandem?

[ca531]

Its a single axle I know this has been said a million times but if I had known what I know now LOL

[pmmjarrett]

You have the right truck (aerodynamic wise) but the 3406 cats ain't the best on fuel economy but economy can be greatly affected by just the way you drive it. Other important factor like which transmission, final gear ratio of the trans, rear gear ratio, single axle vs tandem with a single drive and a tag axle vs a twin screw, tire size, tire rolling resistance, stacks on the sides of the cab vs behind the cab of a weed burner, how fast do you drive, what rpm are you cruising at, what rpm are you shifting at and where do you run. You are leaving out a lot of critical information. If you are running the mountains at 70 mph in a pickup pulling a wedge, you'ld prolly be lucky to even see 7.5 mpg loaded.

Now the 04.5 - 07 Dodges with the 5.9 are some of the best out there you may want to try a few things first.

The single biggest improvement you can make in fuel economy is to control your right foot. Don't mash the pedal when accelerating, ease into it. Slow down and run 55-60 instead of 65-70. Not only will that save money on fuel but also on your nerves as you don't have to swap lanes all the time passing people. In fact, if you keep the left door shut and stay steady with it, you will see the same cars and trucks, pass you over and over and often get to the same exit you get off at the same time you do.

The sweet spot for fuel economy on a 3406E CAT is 1250 rpm. Up shift at 1400 rpm and lug the engine down to 1000 rpm before downshifting. It's going to take a lot of discipline to drive the CAT right, the result is worth it.

Another option is to increase the number of cars you carry to increase revenue. Change the trailer, not the truck or haul only better paying freight and leave the cheap stuff sitting.

If someone says the freight is hot and has to be there in a hurry ask for more money, if it's truely "HOT" they will come up, if they don't open the wallet, then it's as warm as an ice cube as far as I'm comcerned. No need to run hard and waste YOUR money if THEY ain't willing to pay for it.

Try adjusting your driving habits before pluncking down a wad of cash on a pickup. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

[shstransport]

They did something with the winter blend this year. Normally I get 18-20mpg running empty (no trailer) just ran out to Amarillo, TX 14.6mpg didn't matter much whether I ran 60 or 70 mileage still sucked. Thought something was wrong with truck nothing seems to be. Google winter blend this year I'm not alone.

[ca531]

Ive been driving 62-63 short shifting and taking off in highest gear possible the truck is low geared 3.90 with 13 speed it turns 1600 at 63 My first instinct was to change the ratio but ive talked to 3 people and all said it would be a waste of time and money Its gonna cost about 2000 to change ratio but if I knew for sure it would help I would do it But then what gear should I put in it if I go to high it will lug to low and defeat the purpose dont you think ?

[Slim]

I would go to 3.36 gear ratio for instant savings. Your money is better spent tuning your truck over the high cost of replacing it.

[Dorsey]

My aeromax has a 3406E, 10 speed, and a 3.90 rear end. Driving 60 I could get 9 mpg all day long. If I kicked it up to 65-67 it went down to 8.5. I don't know how much torgue it has but it has 355 hp.

[pmmjarrett]

Ive been driving 62-63 short shifting and taking off in highest gear possible the truck is low geared 3.90 with 13 speed it turns 1600 at 63 My first instinct was to change the ratio but ive talked to 3 people and all said it would be a waste of time and money Its gonna cost about 2000 to change ratio but if I knew for sure it would help I would do it But then what gear should I put in it if I go to high it will lug to low and defeat the purpose dont you think ?

If you gained 1 mpg from an avg of 7.5 to 8.5 the swap would pay for itself in 3-4 months. But if you just slow down and run in the sweet spot like I said earlier and gain 1 mpg, you'll not be out anything for a gear swap and be putting an extra $600 a month in your pocket if you are running 10k a month at the current fuel prices. That's $60 pocketed for only an extra 1.5 hrs extra drive time on a 1000 mile trip. Time that can be made up often by simply keeping that left door closed.

You are running above the sweet spot on the CAT, slow down to 1250 rpm. You ain't lugging that cat until you are below 1000 rpm. Read my previous post again and slow down to 55-58. In fact, IIRC peak torque on a 3406E CAT is at 1200 rpm. Your best fuel economy in ANY diesel engine is to run them right about where it is rated for peak tourque.

Even the wrong tires and tire size on the truck could cost you .5- 1 mpg. I can tell from experience that the right specs and driving can get great numbers on a big truck. I've seen numbers as high as 14.6 bobtailing my freightliner and averaged 10.5 hauling 2 campers at a time. I had a C12 430hp CAT, 13 speed (.73 in 13th) and 3.42 gears on 255/70R22.5 all position tread virgin rubber. 1300 rpm was about 58 mph and that's where I ran.

You need to give ALL the info before anybody could recommend the correct gear ratio for that truck like the transmission model number or final drive ratio of the 13 speed and tire size.

There are over 100 different models of 13 speeds with final gear ratios popssibilities of .62, .73, .85, .87 and 1.00. If you don't know the final drive ratio, give me the model number off the dadt plate on the TRANNY, not the shift knob or sticker on the dash, and I'll look it up for you. Now one beaty of the 13 spped is you could gear it to run 12th gear at one speed and 13th at another.


FWI 1600 rpm is peak torque on the 5.9 common rail Cummins engines. I've found that running these engines over 1800 rpm, fuel economy drops significantly.

[pmmjarrett]

I would go to 3.36 gear ratio for instant savings. Your money is better spent tuning your truck over the high cost of replacing it.

I did a radical swap like that on a pickup a few years ago but went even further. I took a 1990 F350 with the 7.3 non turbo and a 5 speed yanked the 4.10 and installed 3.08 gears and recalibrated the speedo. I gained 5 mpg, N/K. Went from 18 mpg to a solid 23. Got great fuel milage but that poor non turbo engine could'nt pull a greased string out of a cats azz. Didn't really matter on pulling power for me, all I did with that truck was tool around town with it.

[Slim]

I did a radical swap like that on a pickup a few years ago but went even further. I took a 1990 F350 with the 7.3 non turbo and a 5 speed yanked the 4.10 and installed 3.08 gears and recalibrated the speedo. I gained 5 mpg, N/K. Went from 18 mpg to a solid 23. Got great fuel milage but that poor non turbo engine could'nt pull a greased string out of a cats azz. Didn't really matter on pulling power for me, all I did with that truck was tool around town with it.

There's more than one method to figure the outcome of the gear change. He's running 1600 rpm @63mph. Each step in gear ratios represents approx 150 rpm. He drops 3 gear ratios equaling 450 rpm. 1600 minus 450 equals 1150 rpm @ 63 mph plus he has the split in the 13. He can then drive the truck like a normal and actually enjoy driving. The economy is now built in to the truck and not the driver. This is not considered a radical or unusual change in gearing. Just my opinion.

[pmmjarrett]

Every 1 mph above 55 results in a loss of 0.1 mpg

The driver alone can affect fuel economy up to 30% A driver alone is the single biggest factor in fuel economy.

The sweet spot, the upshift and downshift RPMs, tire size, brand, tread and rolling resistance, correct gearing, speed, aerodynamics, lubricant, truck condition, fuel, type of roads, weather conditions, idle time etc...

I don't just pull numbers out of a hat when I make these posts. They are proven in research. I've done the research, read the research, I've applied the research and it works. I enjoy driving 55, all the way to the bank to the tune of several thousands of $$$ a year not given to some fat cat with an oil well.

I suggest every one here read this Cummins White Paper on the Secrets of better fuel economy (http://cumminsengines.com/assets/pdf/Secrets%20of%20Better%20Fuel%20Economy_whitepaper. pdf). While geared for big trucks it even works on pickups.

[Slim]

I'm not gonna lie! I can't drive fifty five! The most efficient way to make money is with speed over anything else. I also enjoy being home rather than plodding down the road at a crawling pace only to give up my home time and lost revenue in trade for saving some fuel.

[Tosch88]

I have a Classic S|A with 3.70's, S60 and a super ten, it gets 8.6 mpg on the ifta, never have to worry about axle being overweight or getting a good nights sleep legally. Probably the biggest thing is safety, if you lose you trailer brakes on a 3500 grossing 30K you have a big problem, not so much with a semi. Not to mention being stopped at the scale more often running the 3500's. I ran 3 3500's for my first 3 years of business, big mistake for what I was doing. My best ifta quarter on my 3500's was 9.4 mpgs. I had to have motels every night for my drivers except for one truck that had a woodhouse sleeper (still got a hotel every few days). I spent on avg $10k a year in hotels with each 3500 so even though I spend about $3700 more a year in fuel now, I actually save $6k a year by having a legal sleeper that has plenty of room to rest comfortably. I would do as Slim said and re-gear or find a used rear to put in.

[LBZ]

My mileage went down with winter fuel even after replacing the radiator/charge air cooler. The last three IFTA qtr's were 7.58/8.02/7.27. Curious to see where this qtr washes out at, looking to be in the mid to upper 7's.

There is a guy over on another forum that has done some great things with newer & older CAT's as far as power & mileage. His ID is Mr Haney (http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/trucks-eighteen-wheelers/127042-mr-haney.html). Worth reading what he has to say as well as alot of good info in this thread.

Or it may be easier just to send this guy back to the rat hole he crawled out of years ago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_al-Gaddafi). Fuel will drop as soon as the fighting in the middle east goes back to their usual.

[ca531]

I liked the cummins mpg guide I think I will try the ratio change next According to the cummins chart It says 3.08 would be the right gear assuming I put in the right trans ratio and tire size LOL

[pmmjarrett]

I'm not gonna lie! I can't drive fifty five! The most efficient way to make money is with speed over anything else. I also enjoy being home rather than plodding down the road at a crawling pace only to give up my home time and lost revenue in trade for saving some fuel.

You're old school. That thinking worked when fuel was 78 cents per gallon, speeding tickets were cheap, you could have more than one license and meat and produce paid $1.50 a mile back in the 80's. CB radios and a good bird dog used to easily catch cops before you got in trouble. That train of thought doesn't work anymore.

Slow trucks stayed to the right and only triple digit trucks ran in the "Monfort lane" during the weekly "Hunts Point 500" from Hubbard Ohio to the Hunts Point market in the Bronx on sunday.

Here's a little trip down memroy lane.

I used to drive my '85 Ford LTL9000 100 mph everywhere I went.... She had a 400 hp 3406b CAT, Fuller RTO 14613 and Rockwell SQ100 rears with 3.73 gears on 11R24.5 deep lug rubber. She was turned up to 2400 rpm and put down 400hp to the ground when I had CAT in Omaha tune it up and put it on the Dyno. The mechanic next to me was scared when she started bouncing on the dyno at 90 but had the guts to let me take it to 100mph.

I drove that truck like that for a year before I sold it and she got 3.5 mpg running like that. I was slam wore out after 500 miles of trying to pass eveyone that drove slower than me. Manage to even get a high speed driving award in Miles City, MT Well, the bird dog jumped off the dash and he locked me in at 89 mph on the radar gun as I was braking and Jaking hard as soon as I seen him. Yep, I even had enough time to get it stopped, grab my paperwork and be standing at the back of the trailer by the time he flipped in the median and caught up to me. He just stuck his head out the window and said "you got everything"... I said "Yes"... He said "come on back and have a seat"........Oh and he was really impressed with me logging a 92 mph avg from Tacoma to Miles City, he knew how many miles it was and broke out a calculator. Man, I was so busted all I could do was say "yes sir" to about anything he said. I just knew in my mind that I was going to jail that day as he started rattling off stuff like "24 mph over the speed limit is a reckless driving ticket". Whoops.

I still have that $35 speeding ticket(he gave me a break and wrote it for 79 MPH) and warning for the log book in my box of memorabilia, as well as the $50 log book ticket I got the next day in SD when I was trying to make up time from being shut down in MT for 8 hrs. Whoops again.

Yea, it actually used to be fun to play cops and truckers.


And a fun story... I even once beat a Jet from Sunnyvale, CA to Houston, TX in that truck.. When I pulled for a big name Van lines in 1989, 3 of us loaded up to move a factory from Sunnyvale to Houston. The owner was there with a rigging crew and video taped the entire loading of all 3 trucks as everything had to come off in the exact reverse order to get it set up in the new plant. It was friday afternoon and we told him we would be there ready to unload 1st thing monday morning. We left and he headed for the airport. The 3 of us took off and and started to race a bit to see who had the fastest truck and when we hit the AZ line it was game on, 3 matched painted alike trucks in convoy at 100 mph. All 3 trucks were well matched and one truck was a team operation. We ran straight through and were sitting at the plant in Houston Saturday night grilling some steaks on the small propane grill I carried and having a couple beers when the owner stopped by to check on his property and was shocked to find us there. He was delayed at the airport in CA, then they lost his luggage in TX and when he go that straightened out he drove straight to the plant to check on things before he went home and told us we beat him. He was impressed and called in a rigging crew to unload us on Sunday morning.


Now for a story of 5 of us in haul and tow trucks loaded for Sacramento with identical loads going to the same dealer last summer. We loaded up and took off across I 80. 3 of them didn't like to drive slow so they broke off from me and my friend who ran together a lot. One guy in the group ahead of us was in a truck that used to belong to my buddy, I know for a fact he used to get 9-10 mpg loaded with that truck taking it easy running this route. They passed us a few times and really only beat us to the truck stops by a couple minutes when they actually did beat us somewhere. We were pushing a steady 20 mph headwind the entire trip and by the second day, they were fueling up and calling us to see if our fuel milage was a bad as theirs, they were all getting around 6 - 6.5 mpg, told them we still didn't need to fuel for another day. The 3rd day when we finally fueled up we were able to tell them we were getting just over 9mpg in this wind, down a bit from our normal 10 - 10.5. We were also the first 2 trucks to arrive at the dealer and were pulling out when they pulled in. Yep, we immediatly got phone calls from that group to the effect of "how the fudge did you guys get here first" as we were driving away looking for a place to get some lunch with the $400 we both saved in fuel just on the outbound 2200 mile portion of that trip. Do that a few times a month and see how fast it adds up and how fast you learn to like driving slow. Time management and a little trip planning is important when you run slow. Yea they beat us to the 49er truckstop and parked it, ran in and grabbed some grub. We knew this dealer requires trailers to be actually washed not just pay them for the wash. We went to the wash before we parked as we knew this wash is closed at night. Was it rotten not to tell them, YEP. Actually, we did tell them when we wandered in for breakfast to find them finishing up and trying to beat us to the dealer. They hurrried to get in line ahead of us to get washed as soon as it opened and we enjoyed our breakfast and left for the dealer already washed from the night before.

Me personally, I have found I not only make more per mile, a lot more, but I am a lot more productive as I can drive more miles without being totally mentally wiped out and actually enjoy the ride more. I was putting in 500 - 1000 more miles a week running slow, eating better, having time to enjoy a movie and sleeping EVERY night vs running like hell and taking chances 24 hrs a day.

[pmmjarrett]

I liked the cummins mpg guide I think I will try the ratio change next According to the cummins chart It says 3.08 would be the right gear assuming I put in the right trans ratio and tire size LOL

Yer gonna have to actually take a minute and pry yourself out of the recliner and get yer hands dirty to get that info.

Assume....... that's a fun word, doing it can make and Ass of U and Me.

3.08 is a common ratio on trucks with a direct final drive in the tranny and LP 22.5 rubber.

[Slim]

You're old school. That thinking worked when fuel was 78 cents per gallon, speeding tickets were cheap, you could have more than one license and meat and produce paid $1.50 a mile back in the 80's. CB radios and a good bird dog used to easily catch cops before you got in trouble. That train of thought doesn't work anymore.

Slow trucks stayed to the right and only triple digit trucks ran in the "Monfort lane" during the weekly "Hunts Point 500" from Hubbard Ohio to the Hunts Point market in the Bronx on sunday.

Here's a little trip down memroy lane.

I used to drive my '85 Ford LTL9000 100 mph everywhere I went.... She had a 400 hp 3406b CAT, Fuller RTO 14613 and Rockwell SQ100 rears with 3.73 gears on 11R24.5 deep lug rubber. She was turned up to 2400 rpm and put down 400hp to the ground when I had CAT in Omaha tune it up and put it on the Dyno. The mechanic next to me was scared when she started bouncing on the dyno at 90 but had the guts to let me take it to 100mph.

I drove that truck like that for a year before I sold it and she got 3.5 mpg running like that. I was slam wore out after 500 miles of trying to pass eveyone that drove slower than me. Manage to even get a high speed driving award in Miles City, MT Well, the bird dog jumped off the dash and he locked me in at 89 mph on the radar gun as I was braking and Jaking hard as soon as I seen him. Yep, I even had enough time to get it stopped, grab my paperwork and be standing at the back of the trailer by the time he flipped in the median and caught up to me. He just stuck his head out the window and said "you got everything"... I said "Yes"... He said "come on back and have a seat"........Oh and he was really impressed with me logging a 92 mph avg from Tacoma to Miles City, he knew how many miles it was and broke out a calculator. Man, I was so busted all I could do was say "yes sir" to about anything he said. I just knew in my mind that I was going to jail that day as he started rattling off stuff like "24 mph over the speed limit is a reckless driving ticket". Whoops.

I still have that $35 speeding ticket(he gave me a break and wrote it for 79 MPH) and warning for the log book in my box of memorabilia, as well as the $50 log book ticket I got the next day in SD when I was trying to make up time from being shut down in MT for 8 hrs. Whoops again.

Yea, it actually used to be fun to play cops and truckers.


And a fun story... I even once beat a Jet from Sunnyvale, CA to Houston, TX in that truck.. When I pulled for a big name Van lines in 1989, 3 of us loaded up to move a factory from Sunnyvale to Houston. The owner was there with a rigging crew and video taped the entire loading of all 3 trucks as everything had to come off in the exact reverse order to get it set up in the new plant. It was friday afternoon and we told him we would be there ready to unload 1st thing monday morning. We left and he headed for the airport. The 3 of us took off and and started to race a bit to see who had the fastest truck and when we hit the AZ line it was game on, 3 matched painted alike trucks in convoy at 100 mph. All 3 trucks were well matched and one truck was a team operation. We ran straight through and were sitting at the plant in Houston Saturday night grilling some steaks on the small propane grill I carried and having a couple beers when the owner stopped by to check on his property and was shocked to find us there. He was delayed at the airport in CA, then they lost his luggage in TX and when he go that straightened out he drove straight to the plant to check on things before he went home and told us we beat him. He was impressed and called in a rigging crew to unload us on Sunday morning.


Now for a story of 5 of us in haul and tow trucks loaded for Sacramento with identical loads going to the same dealer last summer. We loaded up and took off across I 80. 3 of them didn't like to drive slow so they broke off from me and my friend who ran together a lot. One guy in the group ahead of us was in a truck that used to belong to my buddy, I know for a fact he used to get 9-10 mpg loaded with that truck taking it easy running this route. They passed us a few times and really only beat us to the truck stops by a couple minutes when they actually did beat us somewhere. We were pushing a steady 20 mph headwind the entire trip and by the second day, they were fueling up and calling us to see if our fuel milage was a bad as theirs, they were all getting around 6 - 6.5 mpg, told them we still didn't need to fuel for another day. The 3rd day when we finally fueled up we were able to tell them we were getting just over 9mpg in this wind, down a bit from our normal 10 - 10.5. We were also the first 2 trucks to arrive at the dealer and were pulling out when they pulled in. Yep, we immediatly got phone calls from that group to the effect of "how the fudge did you guys get here first" as we were driving away looking for a place to get some lunch with the $400 we both saved in fuel just on the outbound 2200 mile portion of that trip. Do that a few times a month and see how fast it adds up and how fast you learn to like driving slow. Time management and a little trip planning is important when you run slow. Yea they beat us to the 49er truckstop and parked it, ran in and grabbed some grub. We knew this dealer requires trailers to be actually washed not just pay them for the wash. We went to the wash before we parked as we knew this wash is closed at night. Was it rotten not to tell them, YEP. Actually, we did tell them when we wandered in for breakfast to find them finishing up and trying to beat us to the dealer. They hurrried to get in line ahead of us to get washed as soon as it opened and we enjoyed our breakfast and left for the dealer already washed from the night before.

Me personally, I have found I not only make more per mile, a lot more, but I am a lot more productive as I can drive more miles without being totally mentally wiped out and actually enjoy the ride more. I was putting in 500 - 1000 more miles a week running slow, eating better, having time to enjoy a movie and sleeping EVERY night vs running like hell and taking chances 24 hrs a day.

I wasn't exactly referring to "letting it all hang out" when I spoke of speed, but a steady 60-65 mph keeps me much more interested in the trip. The fastest I've ever ran was 75 mph under the right conditions (night running) but only occasionally. A steady fifty five mph just makes me drowsy during the day.

It's nice to run your own style, but it's not always possible under active dispatch.

You mentioned your 85 LTL 9000 and I must say, those are amongst the top of the nicest trucks I've driven and I admire them. One other that I include in this category is the 4070B Intl. They also handled very nicely.

[pmmjarrett]

I wasn't exactly referring to "letting it all hang out" when I spoke of speed, but a steady 60-65 mph keeps me much more interested in the trip. The fastest I've ever ran was 75 mph under the right conditions (night running) but only occasionally. A steady fifty five mph just makes me drowsy during the day.

It's nice to run your own style, but it's not always possible under active dispatch.

You mentioned your 85 LTL 9000 and I must say, those are amongst the top of the nicest trucks I've driven and I admire them. One other that I include in this category is the 4070B Intl. They also handled very nicely.

Back then I couldn't help but let it all hang out, every day. It's not easy to train yourself to drive slow. It's flippin boring without the adrenilin rush of speed or heavy traffic. You learn to look around more at the scenery, read every sign you see, count mile markers and calculat your exact mileage in your head each time you pass one. I even calculate how much money I've potentially made each time I pass a mile marker. Counting money will keep you awake...... $1.75, $3.50, $5.25... Counting money makes my blood pump..... Of course if the numbers go backwards it makes your blood boil.

Here's how I have learned to handle 100 mph dispatches on 50 mph freight when they are telling me it is "HOT". I ask if it's paying me extra to drive faster and fudge my books to get there on time, if it's truely hot, they will pay more, if they won't pay extra I tell them, "If it ain't paying more, it's as warm as an ice cube" and walk away. If they keep begging but won't pay more I make them reschedule the delivery or I make them sweeten the pot and double dispatch me on a really nice run that I want to do right after I do the "favor". If I do a favor, it WILL be repaid one way or another.

The LTL9000 was a really nice truck. It rode better than my 82 F150 with that Neway air ride. Nice solid welded cab that didn't rattle and good looking truck too. I "stole" that truck. It was 3 years old and only had 64,000 miles on it. The owner bought it new and failed a physical after driving it for only 6 months I was able to verify it sitting there through several of his neighbors. It sat in his yard almost 3 years when I stumbled on it from a tip from one of his neighbors that drove for us. He was asking $49k for it and I offered him $38k and he took my offer, then told me to give him another $1000 and pull the 1978 Fruehauf 45' reefer out of his yard. The reefer had a brand new interior, new tires, new paint and new brakes, just about completely rebuilt and the reefer unit blew -20 when I jump started it. $39k for a 64000 mile truck and a rebuilt reefer trailer.

[ccoop769]

You 2 are funny..,......

Anywho, I just replaced my turbo on my 6.7 cummins 1 ton. Ive gained 1 mpg just by doing so. I must say I never do 55, I think thats dangerous, but we have are opionions. im a 60-65 mph guy. Like slim, occasionly I jump to 75 mph if right road conditions, but just for short spurts. But for the most part 60-65.

I have 3.73s with 6 speed auto. Doing 60-65 mph in 5th gear usually renders me about 2100 rpms or so. I beleive 2250 rpms is optimal towing on the 1 tons. My overhead never reads below 10 mpg now. It used to be 8-9 and now only high nines when I wake up in morning. I have no apu so truck runs NONSTOP when working. With about a $400 dollar fillup with current prices which yeilds about 110 gallons. I can get around 1100 miles to the tank on that. Before it was in the 9's. This is with current winter blend. Im hoping once all this nasty winter blend goes away, I will get another 1 mpg.

Its so hard to make a choice on another truck, wether to get another 1 ton or to move to single axle semi. Ive been very blessed with my truck considering the loads I pull. I dont think I could buy a 4500 or a single axle and chance changing things. From the mpg stats I hear from the 4500 guys to the single axle tractor guys, I cannot find a setup that will compete with my truck for mpg. Keep in mind with an empty trailer im around 14-15 mpg and no trailer 20+.

Its nice to drive my truck home and not worry about deeds. Its nice to work on my truck as I have no experience with semis. But to be fair, Ive never even worked on diesels before, let alone even cars. Im no mechanic by any means, but I learn, slowly but surely, I do learn...

Now Ive had minor breakdowns, which is pretty good for my truck considering. Wish my truck was like 1 of angelos with 500k miles of no breakdowns and still running. Thats amazing, definatly not going to happen in a 1 ton.

Its so hard to choose, having all that extra space and durability is so nice, but honestly, this is business. MPG and breakdowns are the dealbreakers when it comes to business. And when knowing nothing about semis, i might just grab another 6.7 1 ton just because I know the ins and outs of the truck now. Well, alot more then I knew before.


Overall im content with my truck, it has the power, gets good mileage, im not at the point or even close of wondering if she will break down on me. Overall, im happy, and would gladly do a 6.7 1 ton again.

But.......................


I really want a semi............................. Choices, Choices, Choices.........................

[ca531]

Since my 1st post I found out my speedo is off 3 to 4 mph so when I thought I was going 65 I was going almost 70 I think that is gonna a big help Im gonna try 62 on gps this next week

[pmmjarrett]

Since my 1st post I found out my speedo is off 3 to 4 mph so when I thought I was going 65 I was going almost 70 I think that is gonna a big help Im gonna try 62 on gps this next week

I think it's a wise move. Please post the results.

[pmmjarrett]

You 2 are funny..,......



Sometimes we agree and sometimes we agree to disagree. LOL

You have been doing rather well with your truck. I hope it continues.

[Slim]

You 2 are funny..,......

Anywho, I just replaced my turbo on my 6.7 cummins 1 ton. Ive gained 1 mpg just by doing so. I must say I never do 55, I think thats dangerous, but we have are opionions. im a 60-65 mph guy. Like slim, occasionly I jump to 75 mph if right road conditions, but just for short spurts. But for the most part 60-65.

I have 3.73s with 6 speed auto. Doing 60-65 mph in 5th gear usually renders me about 2100 rpms or so. I beleive 2250 rpms is optimal towing on the 1 tons. My overhead never reads below 10 mpg now. It used to be 8-9 and now only high nines when I wake up in morning. I have no apu so truck runs NONSTOP when working. With about a $400 dollar fillup with current prices which yeilds about 110 gallons. I can get around 1100 miles to the tank on that. Before it was in the 9's. This is with current winter blend. Im hoping once all this nasty winter blend goes away, I will get another 1 mpg.

Its so hard to make a choice on another truck, wether to get another 1 ton or to move to single axle semi. Ive been very blessed with my truck considering the loads I pull. I dont think I could buy a 4500 or a single axle and chance changing things. From the mpg stats I hear from the 4500 guys to the single axle tractor guys, I cannot find a setup that will compete with my truck for mpg. Keep in mind with an empty trailer im around 14-15 mpg and no trailer 20+.

Its nice to drive my truck home and not worry about deeds. Its nice to work on my truck as I have no experience with semis. But to be fair, Ive never even worked on diesels before, let alone even cars. Im no mechanic by any means, but I learn, slowly but surely, I do learn...

Now Ive had minor breakdowns, which is pretty good for my truck considering. Wish my truck was like 1 of angelos with 500k miles of no breakdowns and still running. Thats amazing, definatly not going to happen in a 1 ton.

Its so hard to choose, having all that extra space and durability is so nice, but honestly, this is business. MPG and breakdowns are the dealbreakers when it comes to business. And when knowing nothing about semis, i might just grab another 6.7 1 ton just because I know the ins and outs of the truck now. Well, alot more then I knew before.


Overall im content with my truck, it has the power, gets good mileage, im not at the point or even close of wondering if she will break down on me. Overall, im happy, and would gladly do a 6.7 1 ton again.

But.......................


I really want a semi............................. Choices, Choices, Choices.........................

Easy now coop, don't be gett'n Walter all fired up! jk

I enjoy reading about how you've tuned your truck and business to work for you. Not just anyone could have done it so well. I realize that much of your success comes from the need, but also the love of what you're doing. I doubt I would change paths at this point if I were you, at least until I saw a clear advantage to make that change.

[ca531]

Update on my mpg I still havent had ideal conditions The wind just wont stop blowing LOL On my last trip to Dallas I drove 60 on the gps got 8.79 and the wind was blowing 30+ across AR This past week I run 2 short trips 800 miles total all local highways no interstate got 8.49 and about 1 hr of that was in traffic jam in Memphis Im alot happier but still hope I can get 9 or little more with ideal settings

[Slim]

That's great news! I hope it continues to improve even more.

[haulin rv]

With winds like that I'd be real happy with that. In winds like that I'm getting 8.5 or so.


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