Hi All, Been looking at a few used medium duty box trucks (under CDL) and ran across a few things that I had questions on.... 1) I saw an international truck (1983) that had oil bath front hubs.....What are the pros and cons of oil bath VS "regular" greased hub bearings?....are they more trouble or potential trouble than they are worth? 2) I saw a 1990 International with the Dayton Spoked wheels....Most everything now a days has bud style wheels.... should I steer clear of these?....I have seen plenty of older trucks with wobbling wheels which is why I thought to steer clear of these? 3) I saw a 1994 International with air ride (it was under CDL and did not have air brakes)....I know the ride should be nicer with air ride but how durable / trouble free are these systems?....On board air would be handy sometimes but I didn't want a whole lot of potetial issues to get ion the way....Are they reliable? 4) Lastly, 1 truck I saw had the DT 360 engine....I've read and heard lots about this engine but if it were you would you just kold out for the 466?....In a non CDL box truck how much more fuel mileage would I get from the smaller 360 VS the 466 (primarily city / Suburban driving). Thanks in advance for any and all help on this. Andrew
1. Don't worry about oil vs grease, there is a lot of discussion on here about them but the differences are very subtle, don't let it narrow your truck choices and you can always convert it one way or the other if you really got some money burning a hole in your pocket, and spare time. 2. I can't answer that question 3. Air ride is great for the most part, I would prefer it over spring but again, don't let it narrow your choices. 4. You probably would not notice much in fuel mileage difference between the two but you would miss the power. In a truck this age and type there is not enough value left in the truck to be swapping engines and such. Try to buy a truck that is close enough and then use it to make money. Don't throw too much money at it. My opinions.
1. What birken said 2. Actually what everyone (mostly) has now days is pilot/ hub centered, which looks much the same as budd/ stud pilot. I actually prefer a dayton over a stud piloted (budd) if you're changing tires on the side of the road yourself. Hub piloted is the easiest to get straight, but that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, one way or the other. They all just turn round and round. I'm usually more concerned about the condition of the rubber on the rims, than what type of rims they are. You can get daytons straight also, they just take a little more time. 3. Most all of the large over the road trucks, which travel more miles than anything else in the country, are air ride suspension. That tells you they are made to stand up to use and abuse. 4. I think you can get some better advice, if we know about how much weight your hauling, and it seems your mostly city driving. A DT 360 may be fine if your not trailering and loaded light. If you're heavy and working it to death, the 466 may be a better choice. I try to look more at the rig as a package: engine, trans, rear gear ratio, tire size. And then decide if it will work for my application. I think a lot of times gear ratio set up, can be more important than what engine is in something.
Transmission choice is another biggie too. I have a customer with 2 early 90's IH box trucks with 466Es and 545 Allisons, they get a rebuild every winter. Usually just a matter of replacing the forward clutch pack. That seems to be the weak point in the 545s.
Do you mean a box van or a dump truck? Springs are more stable for a dump truck especially off road.
HI, Thanks for the responses and information... In answer to a couple of the questions, I'll be using the truck for large item deliveries (appliances, BBQ grills, etc....). ...so I guess I won't be hauling really heavy...No trailering involved. Speaking of weight, the company I'd be working for specified a lift gate and I have seen many trucks in my price range with them but then again I have seen a few good trucks with ramps but no lift gate I'm guessing I could save a lot of weight by running ramps but I can see disadvantages of using ramps in tight situations....mainly the length and extra space needed to load / offload....I'm going to try for a lift gate truck.... As far as trannies...I can drive a stick but my helper can't so in the interest of making the truck universally usable, I'm trying for an automatic. With my budget, I'm looking at trucks in the mainly in the 1990's....So I guess that means the 4 speed non OD auto trans for the most part.....Its a little disheartening thinking about having to pull the trans to replace clutch packs....How many miles are you doing daily to have those issues yearly? The company said I would be doing about 150 miles or so per day (actually they said from 100 to 200 miles per day, 7 days a week). If you can think of anything else I should consider / think of that;d be appreciated as well. Thanks! Andrew PS - FWIW it seems most of the trucks I am finding / looking at are iternationals
Don't really care for daytons myself. That ugly spoke hub weighs a lot more than a hub piloted hub. Lighter truck = more payload. Air ride would be a plus IMO. I can't actually recall the last time I saw a truck without it. Even out in the bush the majority of trucks are air ride. Its been around since like the 70's so its not exactly a recent development in the trucking industry.
You should be able to find a truck that sized with a synchronized transmission. So you don't really have to teach the helper to shift, only to operate the clutch properly. An automatic from that era would worry me too much. They are not as beefy as today's automatics and you have to take it to a shop to get it worked on. It can be very expensive.
I have worked Daytons(spoke) and Budds(disc) wheel, each has plus and minus, Daytons are easier to get on and off, just have to be thinking when take them loose. Leave the nuts on but loose and thump the rim with a hammer to dislodge the wedges, going back on you need to realign the rim to square as you set the wedges. Budds are heavy from the get go and then you have the older units with inner/outer lugs nuts and the necessity to keep them tight. Tubeless is tubeless regardless and split rims are just dangerous in the wrong handling incidents. Spokes run cooler, buds run truer. Diesel is the key, gas engine parts are beginning to thin in Medium duty, where carbureted has all the ills associated to ethanol gas corruption from drawing moisture. Diesel will algae out and turn black to which everything has to be drained and flushed. Steel hoods suck for working in the engine compartment while fiberglass is tender as to abusive conditions. Ford 6.6 and 7.8 are not bad engines, IH D and DT series inlines are good engines, stay away from 8.2 GM, I would even consider turning my back on the old 3208 cats. Most all of these will be synchro mesh if they shift harsh and grind there is a problem, anything with a Fuller will most likely be non synchro and require some skill to shift, Allisons are good automatics and will take some abuse while will still accept conventional PTO. Air brakes are a plus but can require a CDL step up, Hydraulics as on the Fords and later GMs or Intl can be equipped Bendix Corp system with parking brakes not the old Orscheln lever trans brake. For function, parts, longevity and the need NOT to have to sit at the local garage awaiting the machine stay in the later 90's to early 2000's if you cannot or have not worked on these.