First I want to thank everyone that has helped me as I have looked at several trucks over the last month. This weekend I finally bought a truck and I am very happy so far. It is a 93 Freightliner FLD120 tri axle with a series 60 11.1 engine. It is a two owner truck, the guy I bought it from had had the truck for 12 years and knew all the history and repairs. He is in his late 60s and was an owner/operator so he did a good job of keeping the truck running. It has 616k miles which normally would be a deal breaker for me but after researching the detroit series 60 engines, they say they can be a 1 million mile engine if kept up and I think this guy has done a good job. He changed the oil every 10k miles and fuel filters every 20k. Plus it will probably take me 5 to 7 years to put on 100k miles so I am thinking I should be me good service. Also the bed is aluminum which will prevent me from hauling some materials/debris but it has a 19 ton capacity so. I did a walk around video of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhjboSWQoA0 Recently replaced New brakes wheel bearings in all wheels clutch hendrickson bushings radiator new injectors A/C compressor all tires except two with 70% tread or better alternator over head done Bad There are a lot of places where asphalt will need to be removed There is a bad air leak behind the dash that will need to be fixed The are some wiring issues that will need
Looks good. Put some heat on the asphalt & watch it soften shovel it out. Save the wires from the back of cab it help to have backup lights down the side.Good luck
How long is the box?
That is a nice truck not bad looking for an 93. I love them FLD120SD. Kyle
The box is 16.5 feet. This is the truck that I posted pictures of the aluminum bed being patched.
What did you pay for it 1toomany ? If thats not to personal of a question. Thsoe are great trucks by the way. Congrats and best of luck wiht your new truck...........
I paid 10k for the truck. I figure I will spend probly $1500 getting it ready to go, maybe a little more. So far I haven't seen any holes that would cause leaks and I will probably just start off hauling dirt/gravel to let the truck earn some money before deciding what I want to do, if anything, about lining/replacing the bed. I am however going to start today with the asphalt removal. I plan to take it to a mechanic tomorrow to let them sort out the electrical wiring issue it has with the lights and blinkers. I know it has an air leak behind the dash so I picked up the air brake value in case that is the problem. If the line itself has a leak then I may let the mechanic do that part because that could take me a while to do by myself. I plan to take some video. I am sure this stuff is old hat for a lot of people but I am having a lot of fun with it. I have decided to name this the "Old Yeller" restoration project. :drinkup
Thats a good deal on a fine peice of equipment... You will get it sorted soon enough. I can see that your a man with a mission. And until its done right you are not going to be happy. I think you will probably end up at well above 1500.00 but its un stuff regardless if its new aor old hatI I enjoy your postings, the search, and finally the purchase you made. Keep us posted as you progress on it. Again Congrats and best of luck with "Ole Yeller" .......I think its a great truck. They have a strong background as being a real nice truck....
Thanks Pa! Yes, you are probably right about it taking more than I said, but hey, I think it will be worth it and Ill learn a lot in the process. I appreciate your vote of confidence and input with all the questions I have had.
Happy I could be of help......Feel free to ask away. I will do my very best to answer any questions you may have if I can...........
I read it has new walking beam bushings but keep an eye on if and when the tires start rubbing on the spring hangers. Those "Canadian spread" Hendrickson walking beams are tough on center bushings. Good luck!
Congrats on your truck purchase toomany!:drinkup Unless the asphalt buildup is significant, I wouldn't worry about it, just run the truck and get a little income coming in. I hope it gives you many years of service and remember, a Detroit doesn't leak oil - it just marks it's territory.
What is the spread between the front steer and the lift axle TooMany? Is it at least 9 foot?
:falldownlaugh :roll That is GREAT. I may make that part of my signature! Thanks for the support and advice! I know getting the asphalt off the bed isn't critical but its just one of those things you do when you get a new baby and want to make her look better. :drinkup
That is a really good question. I will have to measure it tomorrow but i would guess it probably is 9 foot or greater. Does the distance affect the rules on carrying capacity?
only if it has a heavy front end and it doesn't look to.
Believe it or not it actually does have a heavy font end. I went to the Freightliner dealer today and had them look it up. It came from the factory with the lift axle and 18k front axle. They confirmed it didn't come with a 5th wheel so from everything i can tell that means it was spec'ed as a dumptruck from the factory.
Is it not running wide fronts at the moment or am completely off?
you are correct, it doesn't have floats on the front. The guy did mostly asphalt work so I don't think he really needed them. I would like to get floats on the front but right now I will have to wait till i get the truck back in good running order before I put money toward things that aren't broke.
Spray some desiel ont he asphalt it will help it come off easier. Spray it on on a nice sunny hot day and let it soak in. It will help soften it up, did it before on a tandem I drove for ahile, that was the only place dirt ever stuck in the bed where the asphalt was. Only been around a couple paving crews but pretty sure they keep a spray bottle on the paver to spray all the shovels and rakes to keep it from sticking as much.
Floats have a 11300lbs -/+ per tire rating. Check the rating on the front tires, to see if they can carry the weight
I know in Michigan that a Tandem dump truck can legally carry 50k lbs as long as it has the wide steers. 16k per rear axle and 18k for the front steer but from what I was looking at in our load limits book a Triaxle can only carry 54400 lbs. since the lift axle comes into play you can only put 13k per rear axle and only 15400 lbs on the front steer. I don't remember how much that lift axle and framing weigh but I was wondering if you would be better off getting rid of the drop axle and running it as a tandem instead? Would be a little cheaper on your plating costs, less cost for replacing lift tires. I know there are quite a few guys around here that do that since running a triaxle is only a couple dollars more per hour than a tandem. Just my .02 cents if it makes any sense LOL
Well Crap! I found out today that the truck will need a steering gear box, a u joint, and a pitman arm. I had noticed there was some play in the steering but didn't think it was a too badl. Well, this is one of those cases where an education can be expensive thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeT0i7ii54k
There are three different sizes of "floats", each with a different load capacity.There's the 385(15), 425(16.5) and 445(18).
You buying a new steering box? I would check around for a decent place that rebuilds them.... I know there is a place in Newberry Michigan that rebuilds them, Neal's truk parts. They rebuild our spring packs and our trannies for us and have nice prices
I just watched your you tube video....you have a very good attitude about maint. on your new truck. Good luck with the repair!
I agree. Rebuilds are acceptable for a steering box and a host of other components. Usually about half the price of brand new and in spec to orginal manufacturer design.
Hmmmmmm ! .....looked at the vid ...gotta go at the moment to Fire Practice night, but I think I will suggest a couple of things first before you jump into the river .......check if it's a ross steering box and if you can see a model # on it and I will fill you in a bit later .....ttfn ....gk