Jump to content

New option for Volvo hauler


G&K

Recommended Posts

Didn't know they were making these on a 730 base. The only tri I've ever see was a 430. I like this a LOT better.

 

600hp I shift. Yum. It also establishes you can put heavy front running gear under a VNL should you have the need.

 

http://m.transwesterntrucklethbridge.com/Vehicle?vf=22702593&vs=5

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awe man,...I'm really digging this setup. That truck is set up to move some weight!! 600hp with 4.10 gear ratio,....are you kidding me??!!! I've actually been kicking around the idea of a new, singled, big powered 730. My two choices would a 730 or 780.

2001 Kenworth T600, Cat 3406E, 525 hp, 18sp, 3.55 gear ratio
2012 41' Keystone Fuzion 399 Toyhauler
2005 Chevy 3500 DRW Crew Cab
2006 Dodge 2500 Mega Cab
2006 Dodge 3500 DRW Quad Cab
2010 Kawasaki Teryx
2012 Kawasaki Teryx 4

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL yeah, and what RV do you need that beast for? I like that $209,000 price tag too. Big waste of fuel and dollars. No, I'll stick with my measly 465 horse

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL yeah, and what RV do you need that beast for? I like that $209,000 price tag too. Big waste of fuel and dollars. No, I'll stick with my measly 465 horse

None, lol!!! I won't lie,...I am somewhat of a horsepower junkie. Every vehicle that I own has more power now, than when I bought it. I would love the feel of all that power and torque under my right foot, lol. As far as what we do,...I'm at 525hp. I'm very happy and satisfied with that. The deal breaker on my current truck that causes my wife not to drive, is the 18 speed Eaton Fuller manual. She's driven the Sportchassis almost cross country several times, and don't mind around town either. In that case, the "process" is the same. So for her,...the Ishift is what's gonna put her back in the driver's seat. I have 8 years to make it happen,...so I'm definitely in no hurry to do so.

2001 Kenworth T600, Cat 3406E, 525 hp, 18sp, 3.55 gear ratio
2012 41' Keystone Fuzion 399 Toyhauler
2005 Chevy 3500 DRW Crew Cab
2006 Dodge 2500 Mega Cab
2006 Dodge 3500 DRW Quad Cab
2010 Kawasaki Teryx
2012 Kawasaki Teryx 4

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awe man,...I'm really digging this setup. That truck is set up to move some weight!! 600hp with 4.10 gear ratio,....are you kidding me??!!! I've actually been kicking around the idea of a new, singled, big powered 730. My two choices would a 730 or 780.

Agreed. That would be the business.

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL yeah, and what RV do you need that beast for? I like that $209,000 price tag too. Big waste of fuel and dollars. No, I'll stick with my measly 465 horse

Er, the reference to hauling RVs was more than a little tongue in cheek.

 

That unit was very close in size to my daily driver and you don't want to have to maneuver it in tight places if you're not getting well paid for it.

 

That said, it's cool hardware and more than a little unusual.

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

None, lol!!! I won't lie,...I am somewhat of a horsepower junkie. Every vehicle that I own has more power now, than when I bought it. I would love the feel of all that power and torque under my right foot, lol. As far as what we do,...I'm at 525hp. I'm very happy and satisfied with that. The deal breaker on my current truck that causes my wife not to drive, is the 18 speed Eaton Fuller manual. She's driven the Sportchassis almost cross country several times, and don't mind around town either. In that case, the "process" is the same. So for her,...the Ishift is what's gonna put her back in the driver's seat. I have 8 years to make it happen,...so I'm definitely in no hurry to do so.

I'm at 535 and 600 would be just peachy. ?

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm at 535 and 600 would be just peachy.

600 IS very tempting. The thing is,...you can always turn that big girl down if you feel like she's drinking too much. That would make for some awesome mountain driving performance. Wife would certainly be confident driving through the mountains.

2001 Kenworth T600, Cat 3406E, 525 hp, 18sp, 3.55 gear ratio
2012 41' Keystone Fuzion 399 Toyhauler
2005 Chevy 3500 DRW Crew Cab
2006 Dodge 2500 Mega Cab
2006 Dodge 3500 DRW Quad Cab
2010 Kawasaki Teryx
2012 Kawasaki Teryx 4

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm at 515, turned down from 535. 1850 torque. On my setup that is all just about right. But I'm very heavy for an RV combo.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

None, lol!!! I won't lie,...I am somewhat of a horsepower junkie. Every vehicle that I own has more power now, than when I bought it. I would love the feel of all that power and torque under my right foot, lol. As far as what we do,...I'm at 525hp. I'm very happy and satisfied with that. The deal breaker on my current truck that causes my wife not to drive, is the 18 speed Eaton Fuller manual. She's driven the Sportchassis almost cross country several times, and don't mind around town either. In that case, the "process" is the same. So for her,...the Ishift is what's gonna put her back in the driver's seat. I have 8 years to make it happen,...so I'm definitely in no hurry to do so.

Big power has it's points.....

 

I wonder in the HDT / RV world if any of us are very much under-powered ........at our typical weights......

 

To make my point........story time......

 

Some moons ago I had a friend that had some money and liked flying machines ....... he had a H- 500C Helo , a Lear 36, AND a Cheyenne 400LS Turbo-prop (400 denoted the 400 mph speeds it was able to maintain).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPcrWVFlcY

 

I had a set of keys to the 400 and would on occasion fly a maint.-test flight or a repositioning flight and so very seldom did I have any passengers aboard.

 

The basic Cheyenne airframe was derived from a aircraft with a pair of 325 Hp recip engines.......

 

The 400 LS Cheyenne had a turbine engines of 1,645HP EACH mated to gear-boxes rated at 1,250 HP each and so the Airframe was certified with the engines Flat-Rated down to ONLY 1,000 HP each.......

 

Trust me even Flat-Rated to ONLY 1,000 HP per side this little 10 seat sled would not take all day to get out of sight........with just a pilot and 200 gal of fuel climb rate would hover at 6,000 ft/min and in very little time you could be looking down from 41,000 ft.......not bad for a couple of props hung on a fairly low-tech airframe.....

 

In the civil aircraft world the 400 LS was a Hotrod and held several class world records to prove it........

 

So why build a $2 Million turbo-prop hotrod......well it competed fairly well with the LOW-end of the small corporate jet market and could utilize short runways that jets could not use. For a Turbo-prop the 400 LS was a bit of a fuel hog but often used about 40% less fuel that the 400 mph small jets it competed against.

 

The real catch with the 400 LS was that the turbine engines were capable of 1,645 HP at sea level but due to the normal aspirated nature of the engines the power tapered back to 1,000 HP in the mid-20,000 range and continued to decline all the way up to the certified 41,000 ft ceiling.

 

As you can see the Hotrod 400LS at sea level was likely among the slowest aircraft in the 35,000 to 41,000 ft levels but very thrifty in fuel mileage at those altitudes......

 

Our HDT's do not suffer much altitude induced power loss and our RV induced loads are pretty low so it seems that almost no HDT is under-powered.

 

At 370 HP / 1350 lb our M11 is a tiny engine for a HDT, but we tow some VERY STEEP and curvy roads out West and have NEVER been short of power EVER......now our rig is fairly light at 30k to 40K so we do not need too much power.

 

The 400 LS was obviously Over-powered down at lower altitudes but was just right at the higher altitudes....trucks are different....

 

If your RV combo is 50K or under I wonder what advantage +500 HP has........

 

Drive on.........(more power to you......maybe)

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big power has it's points.....

 

I wonder in the HDT / RV world if any of us are very much under-powered ........at our typical weights......

 

To make my point........story time......

 

Some moons ago I had a friend that had some money and liked flying machines ....... he had a H- 500C Helo , a Lear 36, AND a Cheyenne 400LS Turbo-prop (400 denoted the 400 mph speeds it was able to maintain).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPcrWVFlcY

 

I had a set of keys to the 400 and would on occasion fly a maint.-test flight or a repositioning flight and so very seldom did I have any passengers aboard.

 

The basic Cheyenne airframe was derived from a aircraft with a pair of 325 Hp recip engines.......

 

The 400 LS Cheyenne had a turbine engines of 1,645HP EACH mated to gear-boxes rated at 1,250 HP each and so the Airframe was certified with the engines Flat-Rated down to ONLY 1,000 HP each.......

 

Trust me even Flat-Rated to ONLY 1,000 HP per side this little 10 seat sled would not take all day to get out of sight........with just a pilot and 200 gal of fuel climb rate would hover at 6,000 ft/min and in very little time you could be looking down from 41,000 ft.......not bad for a couple of props hung on a fairly low-tech airframe.....

 

In the civil aircraft world the 400 LS was a Hotrod and held several class world records to prove it........

 

So why build a $2 Million turbo-prop hotrod......well it competed fairly well with the LOW-end of the small corporate jet market and could utilize short runways that jets could not use. For a Turbo-prop the 400 LS was a bit of a fuel hog but often used about 40% less fuel that the 400 mph small jets it competed against.

 

The real catch with the 400 LS was that the turbine engines were capable of 1,645 HP at sea level but due to the normal aspirated nature of the engines the power tapered back to 1,000 HP in the mid-20,000 range and continued to decline all the way up to the certified 41,000 ft ceiling.

 

As you can see the Hotrod 400LS at sea level was likely among the slowest aircraft in the 35,000 to 41,000 ft levels but very thrifty in fuel mileage at those altitudes......

 

Our HDT's do not suffer much altitude induced power loss and our RV induced loads are pretty low so it seems that almost no HDT is under-powered.

 

At 370 HP / 1350 lb our M11 is a tiny engine for a HDT, but we tow some VERY STEEP and curvy roads out West and have NEVER been short of power EVER......now our rig is fairly light at 30k to 40K so we do not need too much power.

 

The 400 LS was obviously Over-powered down at lower altitudes but was just right at the higher altitudes....trucks are different....

 

If your RV combo is 50K or under I wonder what advantage +500 HP has........

 

Drive on.........(more power to you......maybe)

Those Garretts sure were noisy from the outside. After I win the lotto I would love a 400 LS, but apparently parts are becoming a little hard to find for that airframe now. Faster time to altitude than a 737, or at least it was when Chuck Yeager set all those records...

 

After driving a tri-tri liquid Nitrogen tanker licensed for 62,500KGs (137,500lbs) in the mountains with 'only' 550hp, I will gladly take whatever I can get pulling the RV. I can run uphill at 65mph pretty much anywhere now with 535hp, and 600 would fix the very few spots where I'm slower than that. I'm not as heavy as Jack, but still getting up there particularly as the truck is still tandem.

 

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. lol.

 

edit: I read somewhere that you can pick up something like 65 knots by doing the upgrade to 5-blade props instead of the Dowty 4-blades. And improve your fairly minimal propeller ground clearance at the same time.

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awe man,...I'm really digging this setup. That truck is set up to move some weight!! 600hp with 4.10 gear ratio,....are you kidding me??!!! I've actually been kicking around the idea of a new, singled, big powered 730. My two choices would a 730 or 780.

I've been thinking about your comments.

 

I would take a variation of that truck, set up very close to what they have already. Keep the heavy front end with the wide tires for flotation, but cut the springs back to 13,200 or a little heavier. You would gain a much more comfortable ride.

 

Take the rear drives back to a 23K factory single with 23K suspension at the position of the existing front drive axle in the photo. Change to a 2.x rear end ratio. Leave the frame fairly long so you have no problem supporting a hauler bed.

 

Add a pair of Bose seats and you would have the ultimate hauler. In my book at least.

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like the ultimate set-up, but I bet they won't pair 600 ponies to a single rear axle.

 

Hmmm, how many smokey burn-outs would it take to waste a set of super singles. :P

KW T-680, POPEMOBILE
Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN
Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row
Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer.
contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lol!

 

I was thinking you get the bigger yoke and ring and pinion at 23k. Maybe you need to go to 26K instead.

 

I don't really have a problem with tandem anyway aside from the loss of storage.

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those Garretts sure were noisy from the outside. After I win the lotto I would love a 400 LS, but apparently parts are becoming a little hard to find for that airframe now. Faster time to altitude than a 737, or at least it was when Chuck Yeager set all those records...

 

After driving a tri-tri liquid Nitrogen tanker licensed for 62,500KGs (137,500lbs) in the mountains with 'only' 550hp, I will gladly take whatever I can get pulling the RV. I can run uphill at 65mph pretty much anywhere now with 535hp, and 600 would fix the very few spots where I'm slower than that. I'm not as heavy as Jack, but still getting up there particularly as the truck is still tandem.

 

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. lol.

 

edit: I read somewhere that you can pick up something like 65 knots by doing the upgrade to 5-blade props instead of the Dowty 4-blades. And improve your fairly minimal propeller ground clearance at the same time.

 

Geo

I hear you.....Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.......

 

Being a native Oregonian I tend to look at California as a fairly crazy place with a few good-weather-locations (These days most people in Oregon are FROM California so......they most likely moved North to get out as well....)

 

Anyhow, the ONE thing that California has right is..... the truck and trailer 55 MPH Speed Limit.........OK, yes I do have my Nomex undies on so go ahead and Flame-Me at will.......

 

Trucks and trailers are a hell-of-a-lot-safer at 55MPH than the 75 -85MPH that you encounter as soon as you cross into Arizona.......

 

Ok call me Chicken ......and you are right on the money....... but as a kid, I was in a KW that rolled over at only 45 MPH and I'll tell you that is PLENTY fast enough when the dirt and rocks start coming the windshield.........

 

Why does a RV need to be driven as fast as most cars???

 

Almost all RV suspension systems are fairly poor design and cobbled together with CHEAP low-grade components and Even the best trailer tires are marginal at speeds most cars travel.......

 

Call me a geezer but IF I need to go fast.......... I get in a airplane.........

 

We did have a tug with a pair of 6,000 HP engines and some days turning a big barge and crane in the wind it was pretty marginal so power does have a place.....

 

Drive on.......(600 Hp might be plenty)

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You raise a very good point, worthy of more discussion than its going to likely get here.

 

I've lived and worked in a bunch of odd spots that have vehicle accident rates way, way above North America. They tend to have two things in common. First is very aggressive driving, and second is a very large differential between the fastest vehicle on the road and the slowest.

 

I'm not real happy about split speed limits between cars and trucks, because it can make for much larger differentials than the lawmakers ever envisaged. And that means that closing speeds, both coming up behind someone and overtaking them in either direction can be a real judgement problem.

 

So I kinda like 65 because I'm not a rolling roadblock, the Volvo still handles OK unless I'm asking for something weird in corners, and I don't provoke more road rage than is normal in North American traffic. lol.

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You raise a very good point, worthy of more discussion than its going to likely get here.

 

I've lived and worked in a bunch of odd spots that have vehicle accident rates way, way above North America. They tend to have two things in common. First is very aggressive driving, and second is a very large differential between the fastest vehicle on the road and the slowest.

 

I'm not real happy about split speed limits between cars and trucks, because it can make for much larger differentials than the lawmakers ever envisaged. And that means that closing speeds, both coming up behind someone and overtaking them in either direction can be a real judgement problem.

 

So I kinda like 65 because I'm not a rolling roadblock, the Volvo still handles OK unless I'm asking for something weird in corners, and I don't provoke more road rage than is normal in North American traffic. lol.

 

Geo

Great points Geo,

 

I tend to hover in the low 60s a lot and that seems to work fairly well I agree even in California...........

 

Some native Cal-geeks can get away with 68 to 70 but I was not born-under-that -lucky-star........so I just hover in the low 60s.

 

I keep almost all of the water 330 gal on the Freightshaker and most of our "cargo" (junk) on the truck as well so our toyhauler is about 1,500lb under gross even with Dolly-the-paint-horse in her module in the garage.....(dolly only weighs 950 lbs). Even though I am about 500 lbs under our trailer tire load limits they are only "test rated at 62MPH" so I do not exceed those speeds for any length of time.

 

Road rage is getting to be a fact of life in the U S so we try to fit in but I have been the captain of my ship so..... rage at your own risk......In a HDT I refuse to play the "rage-game" PERIOD!!

 

It's funny but even our M11 tiny engine HDT is often slowed down on steep grades following the Hotrodded -Super-Pickups gasping to tow a big 5er up a hill that we often take at 62 mph in 10th at 15psi boost..........

 

Good points to ponder.....

 

Drive on...........(NoRage......)

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

600hp I shift. Yum. It also establishes you can put heavy front running gear under a VNL should you have the need.

The i-Shift has been well promoted to work behind their 600HP D16. They say it'll work on any rating of any engine that you can put it behind.

 

There's a "Welcome to our Cab" video on YouTube of a couple that built a VNL with a rather sizeable custom sleeper/RV so they could combine trucking and camping. They claimed they were perhaps the only VNL in North America with the 20k steer axle. That certainly suggests that it can be done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting. Looks like all these new Tri Drives are being specced with 20k front axles which is what you would expect.

 

Driving that beast on ice will be fun because it is NOT going to want to turn, particularly once you put some lockers in! Lol

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The i-Shift has been well promoted to work behind their 600HP D16. They say it'll work on any rating of any engine that you can put it behind.

 

There's a "Welcome to our Cab" video on YouTube of a couple that built a VNL with a rather sizeable custom sleeper/RV so they could combine trucking and camping. They claimed they were perhaps the only VNL in North America with the 20k steer axle. That certainly suggests that it can be done.

The video is here. Nice unit!!!

 

 

Geo

George,
Suzuki Celerio 998cc

Yamaha NMAX scooter

 

Work ride is Western Star N2 Tri-Tri tanker at 56,500kg loaded

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

RVers Online University

campgroundviews.com

RV Destinations

Find out more or sign up for Escapees RV'ers Bootcamp.

Advertise your product or service here.

The Rvers- Now Streaming

RVTravel.com Logo



×
×
  • Create New...