Awesome site I must say, as I have been reading through the last few months and gained tons of knowledge. I own a materials business, we operate a place to dump hardfill and sell materials including limestone, processed topsoil, mulch, asphalt grindings, etc.. I'm in the process of wanting to add a bigger dump truck so I can delivery more material. As of right now I have an older single axle International that does a great job but with only being able to carry 6-7 tons, i've realized it's time for something bigger. To start off, I've kept my interest to Freightliners & Internationals to fit my budget. With the idea of the next truck I add being a KW or Pete. So far my searches have me interested in a 05 Freightliner Business Class M2 112, with a Cat C11 & Eaton 13 sp. After researching the C11, I've came up with very little. After contacting my local Cat dealer I've found that this truck in question has never been to a Dealer for anything at al, and in fact he has only seen maybe 2-3 C11's come through his shop. My question would be does anyone have an experience with these C11's or experience with these Business Class M2's? Like I said I will be hauling materials with it ranging anywhere from 10-20 tons in weight. Is this something the truck and motor can handle? Or would I need something with a drop axle? http://m.truckpaper.com/ListingDetail/Index?industryName=TRUCK&listingId=5760627&categoryId=217 I've also looked into International 7400(?) models, but was not to sure about the Maxxforce 9's. Both trucks are pre-emission trucks and regardless of what truck I buy I would like to keep it that wat. Thanks!
I've been looking at trucks for a while , as my budget is not as big as yours. The price on that truck looks real high. Do you want one with a snow plow set up? I think I seen a few nice trucks on ebay one Volvo in particular with low miles and a plow set up for 30 grand or about. I owned a Volvo and it was a good truck. If your mainly going to be on road , air ride should not be a problem either. One other thing to consider , since you have a workable budget , a lot of county's lease trucks and keep them 2 to 4 years , then that truck can be bought for 80 grand with plow set up. Our county has 3 Mack's right now that they are getting ready to trade. They are continually paying a lease , but the equipment is new , maintained by dealer and they get few miles. You may contact a dealer and check in on this. When they resale them , some sort of warranty is provided.
Check out the Mack , ironplanet has listed in the March 19 auction. Nice looking rig. As long as it has a good inspection report I wouldn't be afraid to buy it.
Personally, I would not buy any truck that has seen extensive use in plowing snow. Plowing is just hard on trucks in general.
I have a 06 378 peterbilt with a c11 370 hp 160,000 mi 6,000 hrs been good so far. Only problem I have had is a water pump failure. It has decent power a real good torque curve but still gets left behing by my old mack. In my opinion it is a good engine for short haul deliveries but not what I would want for a long haul truck or mountain driving. I am grossing 70,000 on mine.
Thanks for all the input guys & useful info, it's very much appreciated. 06Pete, That's great info, I plan on using this truck for deliveries within a 5-10 mile radius so it sounds like it may fit me very well.