Big Rigs. What do you prefer

[durallymax]

So what do you like. Show them off. I'm a KW fan, guess the W900 is my favorite. T800s setup to be over the road sleeper trucks hauling regualr roads look kinda goofy. Heavy spec ones, or day cabs look nice though. The T660 is a nice looking improvement to the T600, probably my second favorite OTR truck. Not a fan of the T2000 or T700.

 

[michael nelson]

I drove a pete 357 for years..cummins,not much power,but the 357 was a good truck-

 

[Unit453]

I like the way KW's and Pete's look personally.

 

[SSduramax]

always been a fan of the Peterbuilts but the Rubber Duck Mack (from "Convoy") is probly my favorite!

and a link to the specs from the same site I got the pic from...
http://www.stlouisdumptrucks.com/convoy9-04b_001.htm

 

[Unit453]

Convoy is a 70's classic...! I haven't seen that in years...

 

[SSduramax]

I have the DVD

 

[Unit453]

Lemme borrow it!!!!

 

[trouttrooper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwaygKjs2fI&feature=related

Biggest I've ever driven for a job was a '84 GMC 2 1/2 ton. 6 speed w/ split axle. Gutless as could be, I'd get passed by big rigs towing doubles going over the mountain passes. Had a 360-something gas big block. Top speed was 65 mph as the over-speed buzzer would start screaming at me. Only had an am radio that wouldn't work most the time because of the interference from the powerlines that ran next to the highways. That was ok though, it was quite an effort just to keep it on the road. A working radio would have probably been too distracting.

 

[3500GMC]

Class 8 days.

It's been a few years since I quit driving for a livin'. I'm a flat bed man. My favorite was my 379 flat top Pete C15 extended hood. 600 horse sequential twin turbo. Had the Eaton Fuller 13 speed. Pulled a Benson 102" x 48' aluminum spread axle skateboard with a dump valve. Ssssold!

Drove a 2000 Freightshaker 'company car' century class flat top with the Cummins N-14 select for a while. Good truck. The best turning radius of all of 'em. Hated the Eaton auto shift though... Stranded me in KC one summer night.

On to the K-whopper T-800, always looked in the mirror to make sure I wasn't drivng a cement mixer... It was...an ok truck.:smile5:

The latest was the 'company car' 2006 Pete 379 C15 425 horse (same thing-different tune) 13 speed short nose. Leather, Vorad (anti collision radar), CD w/ factory subwoofers, 63" condo sleeper, air 5th wheel, super singles, headache rack, cargo spot lights and on and on and on. Picked this one up with 220 miles and when I gave her back a little more than a year later she had 130,000 miles. Benson 102" x 48' spread skateboard.

I walked away and didn't look back, but I do miss it. It gets in your blood.

Couple random shots: Botton pic, mine is on the right with a load of fiberglass roof insulation. Whole load 7000 pounds. Half of that was the TARP. Giddy up!
.
.
.

 

[Unit453]

Those are great pics Brad. Keep'em comin if you've got more. I'd love to see them.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

I love the look over the older Peterbuilts when they still had the traditional squared off cab, not there new aerodynamic design. Same with the KW's. Though I have to say, the new Internationals blew my mind when I saw them close up.

Hard to choose. I love the Cats and the Cummins. The ISX isn't my favorite but its still nice.

I've never driven anything bigger than the International S1900 my boss has with the DT466 in it. Auto trans isn't much fun though. The S1600 has a 4speed in it, but it has a sackless 6.9L diesel in it. Little to no power at all with an irritatingly heavy hydraulic clutch

 

[btfarm]

I see you drove for TMC Brad. Best looking company rigs on the road around here by far! I grew up an OTR driver's kid so the part about it being in your blood is no joke. Dad made me promise never to be a driver. Said it was no way to treat a family. That man LOVED to drive!:thumbsup: So do I.

 

[DEERE3594]

Peterbilt 379s! KW W9's, R model Macks, all of them really! We have about 20 Volvo 780s at work and no one is happy with them. Also gotta be Cats. Cummins come-a-part. Always always wanted to drive when I was a kid, then I fell in love and had a son so I just un load them now. I long for it every day. When he is grown maybe... Only happy when Im driving

 

[DEERE3594]

Gotta have chicken lights

 

[BigBlueChevy]

I'll second that. I love the 379 Pete's. And those idiot lights really make quite a statement on those things eh?

This was what I was talking about, the international lonestar. After seeing these things in person in Kansas City at Skills these things are beautiful tractors. Under the hood was like looking up your favorite celebritys skirt

 

[GmcLbz]

I prefer this...

 

[durallymax]

that black pete is one of my favorites.

If i were to build a show truck it would be like that. Different colors of course though.

 

[3500GMC]

more random trucking pics.

Those are great pics Brad. Keep'em comin if you've got more. I'd love to see them.

Sure. Glad to share.

Pic 1, 102" Benson in a tight loading dock. Like threading a needle. Franklin, Ohio (shingles)
Pic 2, Just your everyday house on wheels. Outside of Bemidji, Minnesota
Pic 3, Nice GMC.. Just north of Columbus, Ohio
Pic 4, The T-800. Delivering aluminum billets. White Cloud, Michigan

 

[3500GMC]

Now we're Kubota shopping... This was at the Kubota Warehouse in Groveport, Ohio

What a mess, huh?. You've got to pay attention to what you are doing when securing a load such as this. Big time catastrophes could happen- from scratches and dents to a load shift and possibly losing pieces parts.

I've never had a load claim.

 

[3500GMC]

I see you drove for TMC Brad. Best looking company rigs on the road around here by far! I grew up an OTR driver's kid so the part about it being in your blood is no joke. Dad made me promise never to be a driver. Said it was no way to treat a family. That man LOVED to drive!:thumbsup: So do I.

I grew up a OTR driver's kid too. Never in my life would I have dreamed that driving truck for a living carried so many responsibilities. It's no joke. It's no cakewalk. Dad tried to tell me when I started, "stay away from 'em". "It's no kind of life", he would say.

His driving career kept us at distance from one another both in miles and in relationship. I just had to see for myself what he meant. He was absolutely right. I used to love hearing his driving stories (40 years worth) and now I have a few of my own to tell, and he's not on this earth to share them.