Looking for an active MDT forum..

[yzg]

5. Air horns - which are exceedingly hard to buy...why ??

 

Try Iowa80 web site

 

Jim

thanks..great site...got a catalogue too !

[yzg]

E-bay and Amazon also have a selection. Air horns or train horns will usually pull up a nice selection of chinese built horns. For me, and for where I mounted them inside the front bumper where they catch all the road debris, the $200 train horns work just fine.

you mount the on the inside of the front bump ?

 

why ?

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

On this '98 Volvo, there is a spot on the drivers side inside the bumper where the bumper facia mounts to the frame. I installed a 3 trumpet horn facing down in this location because it fit. I really didn't want to drill any holes in the cab roof, and the area underneath the cab along the frame rails is limited. For the price I paid for this cheap set, I'll replace them a time or two before I get a Kahlenberg air horn.

[Chuck Williams]

Ian,

 

In one of your replies you mention insurance... I just received my renewal from National Interstate. They went up significantly, again. I have my M2 and Raptor insured as a package and the increases seem unreasonable. No wrecks, no tickets, no claims,, just rate increases. I'm going to start shopping around.

 

Any of you veteran MDT owners have suggestions on insurance?

[roberjw49]

I have National Interstate and just renewed. the increase for me was less than 2%.

 

John

[yzg]

Ian,

 

In one of your replies you mention insurance... I just received my renewal from National Interstate. They went up significantly, again. I have my M2 and Raptor insured as a package and the increases seem unreasonable. No wrecks, no tickets, no claims,, just rate increases. I'm going to start shopping around.

 

Any of you veteran MDT owners have suggestions on insurance?

 

Sorry, this is in Canada... I have found most RV insurers will not insure the rig.

 

Intact has just dropped out of insuring commercial vehicles to private individuals....regardless if it is "packaged" as a MH. They insured me because I wasn't a class 8 and I have a home and multiple cars with them....they were well over 50% less expensive for the next company willing to insure me.

 

I am getting the feeling that they (the ins companies) are not happy with the trend of re purposing trucks to because rv haulers. I could be wrong though... but something is weird. I have essentially a perfect driving record with 40 years experience...and I was getting nervous..

 

However, it is not alike auto where you can take off everything but comp for part of the year.

[yzg]

On this '98 Volvo, there is a spot on the drivers side inside the bumper where the bumper facia mounts to the frame. I installed a 3 trumpet horn facing down in this location because it fit. I really didn't want to drill any holes in the cab roof, and the area underneath the cab along the frame rails is limited. For the price I paid for this cheap set, I'll replace them a time or two before I get a Kahlenberg air horn.

thanks...I wasn't sure if there was a specific reason...still new to trucks

[yzg]

Oh, ordered horns and 2 seats today....

[hemsteadc]

Just happened to stick my head in a buddy's pickup yesterday. Wow.. I'd forgotten how small and cramped they are.

[RickS]

 

Sorry, this is in Canada... I have found most RV insurers will not insure the rig.

 

Intact has just dropped out of insuring commercial vehicles to private individuals....regardless if it is "packaged" as a MH. They insured me because I wasn't a class 8 and I have a home and multiple cars with them....they were well over 50% less expensive for the next company willing to insure me.

 

I am getting the feeling that they (the ins companies) are not happy with the trend of re purposing trucks to because rv haulers. I could be wrong though... but something is weird. I have essentially a perfect driving record with 40 years experience...and I was getting nervous..

 

However, it is not alike auto where you can take off everything but comp for part of the year.

 

yzg,

 

Which province are you in? I had no problem insuring my 2008 Freightliner Sport Chassis and now my 2015 Volvo VNL 730. I also park the insurance for the off season and save 6 or 7 months of full rates. Only have comp for Oct thru May.

[yzg]

Hey Rick,

 

I am in Nova Scotia. I think I called all the brokers in NS and one in NB. The only reason i got this cheaper insurance is because I have a history with them but Impact is going out of insuring private commercial vehicles... NO comp for me..

 

PEI had nowhere the problems I did...even though I did call one that he had a positive response with (Wawanessa). I have 2 vehicles insured through them.

 

It could be the hodgepodge of different provincial rules ..where are you located ?

 

Ian

[RickS]

Hi Ian,

I am in Alberta. The 2008 FLSC was insured as a MDT here and the Volvo is now insured as a Motorhome. Yeah....different provinces have different rules. Too bad they have to make things so difficult.

[yzg]

Rick,

 

Ah..my son may be heading out your way soon..as long as there isn't a " closed for business" sign on your border...it the best of the maritimer tradition....I was told that NS is losing 30K people per year ..mainly our kids...

 

I go laughed at when I said it was a MH..by all agents....regardless of what my registration says ..even Gary Steves who specializes in RV..they say it is a "commercial" truck...to quote one agent "there is no way that this would be considered a motor home".

 

So I am stuck having it insured as a commercial vehicle for a year...

 

BTW, we are getting your weather this winter...Brrrr

 

Ian

[RickS]

Ian,

I think the MDT would be impossible to register as a MH since it doesn't have the living facilities in it. The Volvo was easy when I explained to them that my DW could get out of here seat walk to the back wash up in the sink, open the fridge and make a sandwich then turn the TV on and have a nap on one of the two beds. The registry girl said so it is a MH. I said thats what we use it for.

 

As far as the economy out here with oil prices in the tank things have slowed down quite a bit and many jobs are being lost. Yeah.....we miss the snow out here this year. Lot's of rain and warmer temp compared to normal.

[yzg]

There is an engineer that is able to change the designation from commercial to MH... I am more concerned about escaping all the commercial truck requirements..and truth be told, I am getting a killer price for an agreed valuation...

 

We do have a bed in back and we can hook up a bunch of appliances if we need be The bed would be a tight squeeze with both of us plus to beagles

 

BTW, is there an air manifold that I can tap into to add air accessories ?

 

Snow again tomorrow....

 

This time last year, there was no snow and we were walking around outside in just our shirts..

[bigboomer]

Ian,

 

In one of your replies you mention insurance... I just received my renewal from National Interstate. They went up significantly, again. I have my M2 and Raptor insured as a package and the increases seem unreasonable. No wrecks, no tickets, no claims,, just rate increases. I'm going to start shopping around.

 

Any of you veteran MDT owners have suggestions on insurance?

We just completed our move to Texas and went with NI as they were the least expensive for the coverage we sought. We reduced the overall cost some by getting good umbrella liability policy to cover everything which allowed us to reduce the liabilities on all our 4 vehicles to the insurers minimum requirements.

 

Everything we have is covered under fulltimers coverages.

[phoenix2013]

We've been very active in the MDT arena for about 10 years, wife was a President of the BoF for couple of turns, we wrote and produced the MDT Newsletter for 8 years and I was the Technical Writer for the Newsletter. We owned a 4400

for a bunch of years. It came with propane ejection system on the engine (that's what that propane tank is for). Eventually we bought a 40 foot 22,500 pound fifth and based on the performance of the 4400 with a smaller trailer I knew the IH wasn't going to cut it so we sold it and moved on to HDT. So as for many the MDT was a phase to go through on the way to something bigger and it was driven by the fifth we bought.

Part of the reason the HDT is so active is the fact that it is heavily populated by doers, wrench turners and tinkerers, who think nothing of taking things apart, fixing, changing, modifying and building from scratch. Whereas, the MDT forum was more populated by "buyers" of the rigs. I don't mean disrespect or trying to flame anybody after all the rig you see here I just went out and bought, I didn't do a thing to it

By comparison the HDT I bought

I converted completely by myself from the cab back. The reason I felt "comfortable" starting something like this was the abundance of advice, information and help in that group. Even in the heydays of MDTs when I was writing technical article for the group it was difficult to think of "fresh and unique" subjects which would pertain to MDTs exclusively, the owners were not building them from the frame up, they came either from Wiers (like mine), Sportchassis, 2L or some other converter, to be fixed or maintained by a dealer. Nothing wrong with this attitude it provides a peace of mind when on the road, which I occasionally envy when my (older) HDT requires something like this ON THE ROAD.

 

But, you can see why the two groups sort of parted and why there is an occasional "friction". Most of the time it's an old fashion ribbing that folks with no sense of humor take too seriously. I don't think you'd be not welcome on the HDT forum if you have a technical question or "tinkering" question, many of us owned MDTs and we did tinker with them.

[hemsteadc]

Whereas, the MDT forum was more populated by "buyers" of the rigs. I don't mean disrespect or trying to flame anybody after all the rig you see here I just went out and bought, I didn't do a thing to it

 

 

Absolutely true in my case. The only work I want to be doing is putting in fuel and washing it. I'm retired and I like it that way.

[skp51443]

I had an option to buy a bare MDT and have a build a body on it and the interior upgraded, also had an option to hand Stallick a check and walk away with a completed rig the same day. We put a lot of thought into the choice and just couldn't see the few nice things we'd get from building our own as being worth all the work and being tied down for several months while the build was being done.

 

If I was buying an HDT today I'd probably do about the same thing and go with a builder to put something together for me that I could pick up and drive away. The temptation to build something is still there but I know that a quality builder will turn out something I'll be a lot happier with.

[T.Gamo]

We wanted a hdt and ended up with a M2 because of the easier availabilty of the extended wheel base. We bought a 270" wheelbase truck with a 27' Morgan steel stake bed. I removed the bed, cutout the cab, added a nice sleeper,then I sandblasted the bed, painted it,added a middle section cutout for my air hitch, then cut it down 5'and chopped the corners to fit our DRV triple axle. It is still a work in progress. I am now moving the hitch back another 12" as it is too close for comfort. We wanted a bed to haul our 4Runner while towing our trailer. I was also a bit dissapointed with the general involvement of the mdt active community for questions and advice. But thats ok, as I found this site now, and I still have plenty of ideas. I also have much info if anyone needs help or advice.