Which truck would you buy?

[flea beetle]

Looking at two used semi trucks, because new pricing is horrendous. Looking to add another truck and set of b-trains to our grain hauling business.

Truck 1 has a Detroit dd16 set at 600 hp with 3.90 rears and 24.5 tires. Heavy spec. 785,000 km. $105,000

Truck 2 has a Detroit dd13 set at 505 hp with 3.73 rears and 22.5 tires. Heavy spec. 400,000 km. $135,000

Mostly have isx 15 Cummins, and 3406 cats. I know the dd16 will have the grunt for b-trains, but not sure the dd13 will.

Would like to make the dd13 work for the (hopefully) fuel mileage gains and lower mileage on the truck. Thinking I would change the 3.73’s to 4.11’s to make up for the small displacement engine?

What would you do? Am I thinking correctly?

[biglentil]

Looking at two used semi trucks, because new pricing is horrendous. Looking to add another truck and set of b-trains to our grain hauling business.

Truck 1 has a Detroit dd16 set at 600 hp with 3.90 rears and 24.5 tires. Heavy spec. 785,000 km. $105,000

Truck 2 has a Detroit dd13 set at 505 hp with 3.73 rears and 22.5 tires. Heavy spec. 400,000 km. $135,000

Mostly have isx 15 Cummins, and 3406 cats. I know the dd16 will have the grunt for b-trains, but not sure the dd13 will.

Would like to make the dd13 work for the (hopefully) fuel mileage gains and lower mileage on the truck. Thinking I would change the 3.73’s to 4.11’s to make up for the small displacement engine?

What would you do? Am I thinking correctly?

Years ago we regeared an older N14 Freightliner we had to pull btrains, helped but being short on power in deep gravel isnt fun. Properly deleted ISX's have been good to us but I know they can be big headaches too with sunken liners, cam troubles etc. Bought a 3406e set at 550hp this year and have to say its now my favorite truck to drive, the low end torque is phenomenal. Just something about it. I've heard good things about the dd detroits though. The cost of ownership of the detroits is probably the lowest, but working a 13litre on B's might not do it any favours in the reliability department. Not having 24.5's would be a deal breaker for me.

[flea beetle]

Years ago we regeared an older N14 Freightliner we had to pull btrains, helped but being short on power in deep gravel isnt fun. Properly deleted ISX's have been good to us but I know they can be big headaches too with sunken liners, cam troubles etc. Bought a 3406e set at 550hp this year and have to say its now my favorite truck to drive, the low end torque is phenomenal. Just something about it. I've heard good things about the dd detroits though. The cost of ownership of the detroits is probably the lowest, but working a 13litre on B's might not do it any favours in the reliability department. Not having 24.5's would be a deal breaker for me.

Upon talking to a few people, almost all have said the same thing. “There is no replacement for displacement”.

Although buying a higher mileage truck usually means replacing/rebuilding components sooner, nearly everyone says they would go after truck 1. I suppose we could use it a year or two and then flip into something else at a later date. Hopefully she holds together to 1.2-1.4!😜

[Taiga]

I like the 13L, good fuel economy. My trucks are 3.90 on 24.5 and run 1350rpm at 100km/h.
I have a 2019 I am trading in a month on a similar spec with a few changes, nicely rigged with a rear implement tow pin and air lift D sign, would sell for what the dealer is giving me before they mark it up.

[TASFarms]

22.5 3.73 would be close to the same ratio as 24.5 3.90

22.5 are meant for going down the highway. Could go to 12 22.5. Use alittle lower air pressure.

[helmsdale]

Unless you're special ordering trailers going forward, the VAST majority of new trailers are coming with 22.5 rubber. So that means used market is going to be dominated by 22.5 trailers. Something to keep in mind "appearance" wise, but also, weight savings if you're intersted. Ultimate weight savings is running 22.5 low profile tires on truck and trailer with a rear end gear ratio to match, but that likely isn't ideal for a farm truck. I prefer to match up trailers and trucks so I can run the top 50% of drives and steers off on the truck, then burn the remainder on the trailers. Keeps the *good* tires up where they belong. Steer tires in particular with 50% tread depth will damned near last forever on a trailer.

as TAS said, 22.5 at 3.7* is about the same as a 24.5 on 3.90's.

Former long-haul boss had a 500ish DD13 and that thing didn't give a minutes trouble in the 4-5 years of ownership.

I've pulled Super's all over western North America. Mountains included.

My minimum spec for what it's worth:
-13L or larger engine rated at 475+ with 1850+ torque. I'm partial to kittens, but cummins/detroit/paccar all build a solid engine provided it isn't a monday special... And if you're buying used? Request a service history. Emissions regulations, and the shit thats required to be strapped on is the primary source of engine failure these days. Mechanically, they're all sound. 2nd point is it doesn't need to be a sports car... ALOT of commercial haulers were dragging mountains with 13L engines rated 500/1850 and sure I could pass them on 8% grades making them look silly, but they'll drive right past me while I'm filling up with fuel.
-13/18sp transmission if manual (never ran an auto: not quite ready for sweat pants and velcro shoes...) I would never say NO to a 13sp. It's the same front box, with a different auxiliary pack. Fine, Llow isn't quite as low in a 13 as it is in an 18, but if you can't launch a load with a 13sp, maybe consider putting slightly less on the trailer in the field? If an experience driver can launch 63.5 on 8+% grades with a 13sp, you should be able to finesse it out of the field.
-40+ rear ends. Ive seen countless guys pass up what I think is an excellent truck just because it didn't have 46K rears. If guys can drag 63.5 over top of mountain grades with 40K rears, you can launch a load out of the field. Ideally find a set of SUPER40's. Same guts as a 46, with less oil. Run synthetic fluid and you'll never have a minutes trouble.
-2nd point on the rear ends, if you're running a cat, they want to lug. 3.70 is what I've experienced as ideal. Running a Cummins you probably want 3.90. This is based on 24.5 rubber, so if 22.5, I'd prefer 3.5* for a cat, and 3.7* for a cummins. No personal experience with detroit, but first impression is they're similar in behavior to a cummins.

-JOST/Holland plate. The Holland is indestructible, Jost is a very close second. Fontaine is for the line-haul guys... Perfect world I'd want a Jost plate on Holland Rails (yes they can jam up with gravel, but how often do you move them if you aren't hauling stateside?)
-lastly... It should probably have a peterbilt emblem on it! I jest, but damn are those tight cabs!

[LEP]

Unless you're special ordering trailers going forward, the VAST majority of new trailers are coming with 22.5 rubber. So that means used market is going to be dominated by 22.5 trailers. Something to keep in mind "appearance" wise, but also, weight savings if you're intersted. Ultimate weight savings is running 22.5 low profile tires on truck and trailer with a rear end gear ratio to match, but that likely isn't ideal for a farm truck. I prefer to match up trailers and trucks so I can run the top 50% of drives and steers off on the truck, then burn the remainder on the trailers. Keeps the *good* tires up where they belong. Steer tires in particular with 50% tread depth will damned near last forever on a trailer.

as TAS said, 22.5 at 3.7* is about the same as a 24.5 on 3.90's.

Former long-haul boss had a 500ish DD13 and that thing didn't give a minutes trouble in the 4-5 years of ownership.

I've pulled Super's all over western North America. Mountains included.

My minimum spec for what it's worth:
-13L or larger engine rated at 475+ with 1850+ torque. I'm partial to kittens, but cummins/detroit/paccar all build a solid engine provided it isn't a monday special... And if you're buying used? Request a service history. Emissions regulations, and the shit thats required to be strapped on is the primary source of engine failure these days. Mechanically, they're all sound. 2nd point is it doesn't need to be a sports car... ALOT of commercial haulers were dragging mountains with 13L engines rated 500/1850 and sure I could pass them on 8% grades making them look silly, but they'll drive right past me while I'm filling up with fuel.
-13/18sp transmission if manual (never ran an auto: not quite ready for sweat pants and velcro shoes...) I would never say NO to a 13sp. It's the same front box, with a different auxiliary pack. Fine, Llow isn't quite as low in a 13 as it is in an 18, but if you can't launch a load with a 13sp, maybe consider putting slightly less on the trailer in the field? If an experience driver can launch 63.5 on 8+% grades with a 13sp, you should be able to finesse it out of the field.
-40+ rear ends. Ive seen countless guys pass up what I think is an excellent truck just because it didn't have 46K rears. If guys can drag 63.5 over top of mountain grades with 40K rears, you can launch a load out of the field. Ideally find a set of SUPER40's. Same guts as a 46, with less oil. Run synthetic fluid and you'll never have a minutes trouble.
-2nd point on the rear ends, if you're running a cat, they want to lug. 3.70 is what I've experienced as ideal. Running a Cummins you probably want 3.90. This is based on 24.5 rubber, so if 22.5, I'd prefer 3.5* for a cat, and 3.7* for a cummins. No personal experience with detroit, but first impression is they're similar in behavior to a cummins.

-JOST/Holland plate. The Holland is indestructible, Jost is a very close second. Fontaine is for the line-haul guys... Perfect world I'd want a Jost plate on Holland Rails (yes they can jam up with gravel, but how often do you move them if you aren't hauling stateside?)
-lastly... It should probably have a peterbilt emblem on it! I jest, but damn are those tight cabs!

Lots of good info right there.

[goalieguy847]

Unless you're special ordering trailers going forward, the VAST majority of new trailers are coming with 22.5 rubber. So that means used market is going to be dominated by 22.5 trailers. Something to keep in mind "appearance" wise, but also, weight savings if you're intersted. Ultimate weight savings is running 22.5 low profile tires on truck and trailer with a rear end gear ratio to match, but that likely isn't ideal for a farm truck. I prefer to match up trailers and trucks so I can run the top 50% of drives and steers off on the truck, then burn the remainder on the trailers. Keeps the *good* tires up where they belong. Steer tires in particular with 50% tread depth will damned near last forever on a trailer.

as TAS said, 22.5 at 3.7* is about the same as a 24.5 on 3.90's.

Former long-haul boss had a 500ish DD13 and that thing didn't give a minutes trouble in the 4-5 years of ownership.

I've pulled Super's all over western North America. Mountains included.

My minimum spec for what it's worth:
-13L or larger engine rated at 475+ with 1850+ torque. I'm partial to kittens, but cummins/detroit/paccar all build a solid engine provided it isn't a monday special... And if you're buying used? Request a service history. Emissions regulations, and the shit thats required to be strapped on is the primary source of engine failure these days. Mechanically, they're all sound. 2nd point is it doesn't need to be a sports car... ALOT of commercial haulers were dragging mountains with 13L engines rated 500/1850 and sure I could pass them on 8% grades making them look silly, but they'll drive right past me while I'm filling up with fuel.
-13/18sp transmission if manual (never ran an auto: not quite ready for sweat pants and velcro shoes...) I would never say NO to a 13sp. It's the same front box, with a different auxiliary pack. Fine, Llow isn't quite as low in a 13 as it is in an 18, but if you can't launch a load with a 13sp, maybe consider putting slightly less on the trailer in the field? If an experience driver can launch 63.5 on 8+% grades with a 13sp, you should be able to finesse it out of the field.
-40+ rear ends. Ive seen countless guys pass up what I think is an excellent truck just because it didn't have 46K rears. If guys can drag 63.5 over top of mountain grades with 40K rears, you can launch a load out of the field. Ideally find a set of SUPER40's. Same guts as a 46, with less oil. Run synthetic fluid and you'll never have a minutes trouble.
-2nd point on the rear ends, if you're running a cat, they want to lug. 3.70 is what I've experienced as ideal. Running a Cummins you probably want 3.90. This is based on 24.5 rubber, so if 22.5, I'd prefer 3.5* for a cat, and 3.7* for a cummins. No personal experience with detroit, but first impression is they're similar in behavior to a cummins.

-JOST/Holland plate. The Holland is indestructible, Jost is a very close second. Fontaine is for the line-haul guys... Perfect world I'd want a Jost plate on Holland Rails (yes they can jam up with gravel, but how often do you move them if you aren't hauling stateside?)
-lastly... It should probably have a peterbilt emblem on it! I jest, but damn are those tight cabs!

Uhh you lost me at " special ordering trailers.....


Im sorry, does everyone not buy everything at auction for the lowest price.. like me?

Great info.

[furrowtickler]

Lots of good info right there.

Agree , Simply can’t beat real life experience 👍

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Agree , Simply can’t beat real life experience 👍

Although, as a recent inductee into the sweatpants and Velcro club, I do take exception to the one piece of advice.
However, I will gladly bear that burden for the sake of my poor clutching knee which really appreciates the ultra shift. Even if the real truck drivers do laugh at me.

[biglentil]

Great info Helmsdale, im more of a truck enthusiast that takes the odd load in than a real trucker but here is my take on rears. The Super 40 is 225lbs lighter than a tandem 46k which ist that significant. For loading out of fields and soft yards 46k is the way to go.

Commercial grain haulers end up in sticky situations quite often I would think. Or at least they did when they hauled for me this may. A blown rear would be quite costly and always happens loaded and nearly stuck. I sometimes wonder how they make money, because when I pencil it out on longer hauls its tough to justify doing it myself even when I got the equipment just sitting. Labour, tires, insurance, FUEL, wear and tear.....

Being a trucker aint easy work, climbing in/out, rolling unrolling tarps, loading, driving safely and effectively, cleaning out trailers, backing up b-trains, dealing with issues. Not any monkey could do it.

[Herc]

Unless ur hauling for Taylor Swift, there’s no money in trucking….

[helmsdale]

Although, as a recent inductee into the sweatpants and Velcro club, I do take exception to the one piece of advice.
However, I will gladly bear that burden for the sake of my poor clutching knee which really appreciates the ultra shift. Even if the real truck drivers do laugh at me.

Tint the windows, and nobody will be able to see you lounging!

[helmsdale]

Unless ur hauling for Taylor Swift, there’s no money in trucking….

The surest way to become a millionaire in the transportation industry?

Start out as a (B)illionaire!

[BreadWinner]

We have 3 trucks and one has the 18spd ultrashift. Everyone thought it would be a lemon but it hasnt had any issues and I like it the best of sll of them.