A local guy is selling an old tandem dual trailer for pennies. I've never seen a setup like this before... probably before my time. Any of the older guys have experience with this setup? Pros/cons? I'm looking to replace an old beat up triple axle I use for my 14k excavator
I'm going to save you some trouble, just don't. I don't care if it is pennies, or if he pays you to take it. Imagine a deck on the trailer, and a flat on the inside. Its even more fun than you think it will be.
I agree with Crane Op, I wouldn't take it if it were free with new decking, new bearings, new tires, new brakes, or the whole trailer was brand new. A COMPLETE nightmare to change out those inside tires with a flat with the decking on, add a load to it with a flat and I guarantee you've never had that much fun changing a tire ever, period. You'd be wayyyyyy better off looking for an older dual tandem ten ton or an older eager beaver two axle single wheel 9 ton.
Again where is that sense of adventure? Why with a excavator loaded on and chained down I can just see someone using the bucket powering down to lean it to get the inside tires off. And blowing the tires on the other side out in the process.
Run Forrest, run! Guy down the road had a similar trailer....he used to stand it on its side with the backhoe to service the inside tires... That one looks like a ****ed over mobile home frame. Ed
That’s a knock off of an Econoline Backhoe Pro. Dumpster fire when new. If it was to be used as a farmer special, well cheap is the name of the game.
This from the man that takes a tow truck with a replacement truck to every roadside breakdown?
Well when the company is big enough you can do that, and if it's a 50% de-rate your not going to do much else. Rigs these day's are a waste of time trying to repair along side the road. Plus it's unsafe, Plus it's not cost effective, Plus it screws with the drivers E-Log, Plus there are delivery and pickup times, Plus you have to pull another tractor out of a dispatched load to cover that load, hell I could go on and on and on with reasons. And it's a vacation from the shop. But the best reason of all and I can really be an ass about--the company has the money behind it to do it. Besides I'm getting to old to roll around on pavement, dirt and rocks, someone else can do that . And If I remember correctly about three years ago one of your rigs broke down and you were wishing you had my little jewel of a tow truck.
I wouldn't take the trailer if it was free, not worth enough in scrap to tow it to the scrap yard.
y yea. but it looks good goin down th road
Well I see the problem, it's because you're running new iron. If it was older non emissions and non electronics you wouldn't need to do that I think with the way new trucks are going, companies are going to need to buy 50% more trucks to ensure they have enough trucks running all the time. Doesn't matter the brand, every single truck is garbage and full of problems.
Some of us can't have everything. Guess I'll have to get by with a cardboard box with a vise grips, crescent wrench/hammer, and some wire. I used to have a screwdriver but I used it as a prybar and its broke.
Other than the occasional air leak, starter or air bag failures for service calls we do everything is under a 500 to 750,000 mile warranty. Plus Freightliner pays the tow bill.
Wow, dumpster fire. Duly noted. Thanks for confirming my suspicions guys
You could grind a new end on that screwdriver and have your full set of tools back
Who has grinders? I've just given you the tool list, now you're adding one more thing. I could put one of the cranes on jacks at the shop. Peel off the tires on one axle. Buy and glue a strip of emery paper to the drum. In gear and slooowww rotatation. Voila- instant grinder.
Alright members lets step forward and have a {Go Fund Me} for crane operator. He needs a set of new screw drivers and pry bars so he doesn't break his screw drivers.
I might have to dip into that fund, can't find a screw driver anymore in my box cause they are all snapped off and yet don't want to toss them for possible future needs.
A nice guy would start a "go fund me" to get crane operator new cranes, with warrantee, so crane operator wouldn't need tools to work on his cranes. "Hello liebherr customer support?- Yes my crane is down- please send another over from germany so I don't mess up my operator logs for running time while this one is down. Thankyouverrymuchess."
Oh no no, new crane would be EPA certified with DPF. It would have warranty but it would take two weeks to repair it. Nope you need tools and lots of them .
The...You would definitely need ALOT more tools just to keep it runnning.
Several problems with that-Insurance for starters. Most carrier insurance have high rates for older equipment or won't touch it. Shippers and receivers want to know how old your equipment is and is it EPA friendly. Ports-you can't enter ports with less than tier three and some require tier four engines. Drivers-you can hardly find a driver for a truck that doesn't have a automated manual transmission. Mileage-the old engines won't produce the torque and horse power these tier fours do plus those engines burn a bunch more fuel. Running dumps and construction equipment is just not the same business or business philosophy or regulations as fleet operations. --------Plus trucks are not considered iron-that's like calling a tow truck a wrecker-idiot drivers are the wreckers.
Ill send you a flat file to get on that screwdriver repair,might be rusty i like to keep the good ones for filing things
By having drivers who want auto's I can guess you have a lot of young drivers. I know so many older one's who refuse to drive auto's. But for sure so many are going to auto's because it's hard enough to get someone breathing behind the wheel, never mind a real driver. Gliders solved a lot of the issues for awhile. I know of a few companies here that are stripping their old trucks right down to the frame and rebuilding them to avoiding buying new and having emissions and all the other BS. My guess is insurance would look into it closer but be fine with it for a company with a lot of trucks if they assured them they weren't simply running old garbage. There is definitely some companies you couldn't get away with it, just like how you can't run WS if you want to work for some companies because they don't allow the split windshield. I guess it depends if the company feels it's worthwhile working for companies like that. That's interesting you say that about mileage, I can't speak for a lot of trucks but my experience as well as so many I know it's the opposite, the new trucks are so much harder on fuel. Power, stock of course, but with emissions intact, you can easily get the same power out of the pre-emissions engines. For the massive trucking companies, they are just going to buy new because the people making the decisions hardly know what a truck is, but the smaller and medium sized companies are the one's who are going to think outside the box and do what is better for their bottom line.
Its nice to know people are still willing to step up and help someone in need. You're sending tools -Truck shops sending $$ (I think- he might just be collecting the $$ plus a processing and handling fee- plus overhead expenses- and management directorship fees - and then going to harbor freight and getting me tools), - its like a cornucopia of friendship and goodwill.
Not at the same low RPM ranges as newer engines. Our three axle 80,000 GVW tractors are 6 mpg plus, four axle 5.3 at 100,000 GVW, the old pre-emission tier two Series 60 14 L-4.7 mpg. As far as drivers go the boomer generation is retiring and most have trouble passing a physical plus are tired of the regulations and industry. Driver schools are mainly teaching AMT only because most fleets don't have manual transmissions. We had 25 gliders those are gone except for two, because gliders became popular the core components like tier two engine cores climbed to ridiculous levels.---But for over the road tractors most of this won't mater in the coming years-------There are twenty driverless tractors being tested on highway trials right now.------------So it won't be long and drivers will be a thing of the past for OTR. And you can't compare dump truck and construction mileage to OTR.
I was just going to send you all of my worn out stuff.
Hooked up and sent a spare out at 6:45 a.m.. The one broke down has a split plastic radiator tank, an easy fix along side the road for some I suppose, replace the radiator.
Let me at that sucker, I been tool shoppin.
Even got me a new tool box once I get this dumped out
Somebody gave me one of those hammer-pliers-knife things for Christmas once. I tried to pinch them with it so they would learn not to do that again, but it broke.
Those are nice, one thing for sure your going to hurt your self using them. Better stock up on some harbor freight band aids.
At least its nice to see a real truck hooked to that plastic one
All set for bandages
Amazing how much better your ripped open finger feels when its wrapped in electrical tape. I guess the shop towels are for mortal wounds.
I find this interesting because when these things first came out back in the late 'oughts we thought they burned a lot more fuel than the same engine predecessors in vocational service at least. Tell me, in line haul service did you see a mileage drop at the beginning and has it gotten better over time or with newer engine designs than the original DPF engines?
It's funny how much things vary place to place, a little over 2 years ago they brought in requirement of having minimum 13 speed standard for class 1 road tests, cannot get a class 1 on an automatic anymore, as it should be. It's going to be a long time yet before there is much for self driving tractor trailers. I would bet even in 10-15 years they will be the minority still, and they will only replace some, so many need a physical driver. Although if it means getting rid of the worst drivers, that will be very welcomed. I'll take your word for mileage, I don't know the numbers that exact, it's from what i've heard from OTR's drivers who virtually all seem to think mileage has gotten worse with the emissions. Although running Detroit's might be the problem My old 3406 is so good on fuel I don't trust the fuel gauge because it never moves so i'm constantly pulling the cap and checking.
All we run are Detroit's, The EGR engines of 05 to 12 were some of the worst for mileage. And part of it is ****** driving habits, the AMT's get rid of over fueling at the throttle. As far as self driving trucks, the industry is pushing it no more benefit package, no more I need these days off, I need a raise, I want this I want that. The driver shortage prompted it. The only ones needing a physical driver will be inner city. Your in Canada total different ball game of politics. One other thing these companies quit building those engine blocks years ago now, once there used up it's over. Eaton started several years ago crushing the old large plug transmission cases to get them out of service they don't want you rebuilding old crap they want to sell you new crap. The E-log came in 2017, didn't take long, with driver less trucks there is no log one more reason.
I like a small wrap of paper towel under my electrical tape. If that makes me soft, i can live with that. I'm surprised they don't cover that skill set in school though, how to apply electrical tape as a bandage. Its such a thin line between too tight when its applied, and then it shrinks down and cuts off your circulation, and too loose and the whole mess slides off your finger and stays in your glove. Its a art form I'm telling you.
Still working to perfect the semi permanent inside a glove bandage that does not become tourniquet. Been diligent at it for close to fifty years now!!
I’m ready to
Forgot MOST important 100mph tape, PLUS Electrician Qualified!!!!
Oh, great! Now I'm going to see even more duct tape for wiring.
I don't like it when I have to go back and fix my own work either.