"Hey Buddy, Do You Think You've Got Enough Truck There?"

[beemergary]

Have a Peterbilt 359 with tandems. People always ask fuel milage. I "ll never know cause I am not about to fill up those 2-150 gallon tanks and try to find out. I then say not that bad really. I also have a Ford dually with 500 hp. and 800 ft. lbs. torque at 1800 rpm's and its a pulling fool. Lots like to ask how many gallons do those tanks hold. I always have enough fuel to go somewhere and back so I fool myself on the cost.

[GlennWest]

Mine is better than my Chevy dually was. Like you, I have never topped off those tanks. My read out is all I have to go by. 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

We fill ours regularly.  But we consider 1/2 tanks to be empty so we always have plenty of fuel.

[Av8r3400]

3 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

We fill ours regularly.  But we consider 1/2 tanks to be empty so we always have plenty of fuel.

I agree.  

IMO it's far better for the health of the truck to keep the tanks full than empty.  Less chance of condensation and other crap in the tanks to cause problems.

[rickeieio]

Think of the fuel tanks as a sort of savings account.  When you see cheap fuel, fill up.  You'll need that fuel sooner or later.  

[spindrift]

Not to derail, but do you guys use a fuel additive?

[Jack Mayer]

5 minutes ago, spindrift said:

Not to derail, but do you guys use a fuel additive?

In the winter, all the time. In the summer, most of the time but not religiously. You do need to check your tanks for algae and bacteria and use appropriate treatments if you see ANYTHING that looks suspicious.

[wtgeodog]

I use Opti-Lube Summer plus. Try to put it in with every fill up.

 

ShortyO

[Rick & Alana]

I run PenRay 365 year round every tank. Around 2000 the government mandated a reduction in the sulfur in fuel. This reduced the lubricant in the fuel. 365 adds that back in and protects your fuel from gelling by about 20*. 

It is usually not found in truck stops as its not a price point product. A lot of major fleets run PenRay products especially in winter. 

The key in winter conditions is treat your fuel before you need it. 

http://penray.com/products/pow-r-365-5-in-1-diesel-cleaner-treatment/

[spindrift]

2 hours ago, Jack Mayer said:

In the winter, all the time. In the summer, most of the time but not religiously. You do need to check your tanks for algae and bacteria and use appropriate treatments if you see ANYTHING that looks suspicious.

I fall into the "religiously" column.

[rickeieio]

Interesting.  In my 40+ years of diesel ownership, I've never added anything to my fuel.  That said, I burn a LOT more off road that on road, and so buy most of my fuel from the same trusted supplier, who says he treats all his product before it goes out.

That said, I had two instances of algae back in the '90s.  What a pain.  Almost as bad as leaving the fuel cap off and running all day with field debris flying about. Or having a rag fall in the tank and clogging the pickup tube.

Given the long parking periods most of our trucks experience, and the fact that we are filling up in unknown locations, perhaps I should splash a bit of additive in there.

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine makes his living delivering steel from Ohio to Texas. He likes to use Howe's in his long nose Kenworth. I figure if he use's it there has to be something to it. I also use Howe's myself.

Al

[Dollytrolley]

So not to long ago I was crossing the Santiam Pass East bound and the traffic was not too bad so I was making good time in the Dollytrolley when I rounded the corner at Lost Lake I saw a jacked up new Dodge Dulee with a big camper and a trailer with a jeep and a quad on it  smoking up the HooDoo Grade three lane at about 50 MPH ............I had a nice head of steam up in the M11 so I  just held 65 MPH on the cruise and blew past the Dodge ......... 

I crested the pass and was at low Jake on the downgrade past Blue Lake and noticed that the Dodge was hot on my tail  but unable to pass as i rolled into Sisters for a pit stop.......,the Dodge pulled in behind me and three young punks got out.....as I was walking to the restroom one of the punks said......."well if I had a itty-bitty tow like you have I could cross the pass at 80 MPH"........;.I stop and turn around and said.........."heck you boys must be dreaming I aint towing anything......." then I walk past them and as I come to the back of the cargo box I put my hands on my hips and said........." why the heck did you boys NOT honk the horn and flash your lights to warn me that my darn kids had hitched up that darn Samurai to this wreck again as some-kinda-sick-joke......that explains why I only blew past you 65 instead of 80 MPH.........oh ya try this load with your supper-pickup.........as I rolled up the back door and the 721 Skidsteer with a 2,000 lb roller and 4,000 pounds of hay and 330 gallons of water and a ton of generators and tools ......."   

"Excuse me boy I gota pee.......gota lighten the load so I can bast by you on the next hill......"

Why do folks bring a pocket knife to a gunfight?  ?

 

Drive on...........(Dont pick on pickups.......too much.......)

[NoDirectionHome]

The whole mine is bigger faster stronger than yours in my opinion is the conversation of 12 year old's.  If I wanted to beat everyone there... I'd hop an airliner and hire team drivers to deliver my rig.  (and I have)  I used to have a Lexus SC 430.  I thought that car would cost me my license.  It was sooo quietly, comfortably fast.  Turned out the top down and the Mark Levinson radio  system was way more of an attraction.  I drove that car 55 mph all the way out to the Hampton's here on Long Island just so I could spend more time in it and here another couple of songs.  I learned to enjoy the trip, and not just the destination.  Also not to sweat the time I arrive.  Just one man's perspective.

[CDR]

OSoltron religiously! Not Starbrite! Soltron only!!!

If you don't believe my words, look at Cat of Europe breakdown of one of their bigger engines after 10k hours of use!

Soltron exclusively!

Curt

[beemergary]

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 8:39 AM, rickeieio said:

Think of the fuel tanks as a sort of savings account.  When you see cheap fuel, fill up.  You'll need that fuel sooner or later.  

I have fuel oil heat and if I ever run out know where to get some in an emergency.

[mr. cob]

Howdy All,

As to the original question, depending on how its asked sometime I just ignore it other times I'll take the time to have an honest conversation and when doing so it never fails the "light" comes on to the other guy just like it at one time did with me.

As most of my trips are thousands of miles long, I always fill the tanks, 140 gallons per side on the Freightliner,  I think the ones on the Pete are 150 per side.  When I am down to half on the fuel gauge I start looking for fuel, I travel in a lot of out of the way sometimes desolate places I do NOT want to run out of fuel.  When I come home after a trip I ALWAYS fill the tanks that way I am ready to go when the urge hits me.

Dave

[noteven]

Enough trucks...

[JPL]

What in the world were they towing? It must have set records for weight. How many tires were on the ground? Where was it. Really makes you wonder what that might do to a road but I guess all of those tires help.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

[noteven]

3 hours ago, JPL said:

What in the world were they towing? It must have set records for weight. How many tires were on the ground? Where was it. Really makes you wonder what that might do to a road but I guess all of those tires help.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

Hi Pat - that is a coker vessel used in refining crude oil. I think that one was built in Lloydminster, AB/SK and hauled to the oil sands north of Fort McMurray. I don't remember the weight of the Coker. One Kenworth C500 pulling and 4 pushing. The C5 has a 1700sq in radiator and can cool at walking speed under full power. The trailer steers on all axles and the tires extend across the width of the trailer. You can see the trailer has a cab where hydraulic leveling and steering is managed. 

These hauls take months of planning to calculate bridge and culvert loading, clearance to structures, railway schedules, power outages etc. They close the sections of highways in sequence as the haul proceeds. 

oh and they don't stop at the scales ... 

here is a corporate video with much more detail of the methods and equipment used to haul reactor units from rail. 2x14 axle trailers each end. Total gross weight of 2.8 million pounds. Watch here:

Premay heavy haul video

 

[JPL]

NE   Thanks so much for that video!! What planning that took. But when you are doing something on a grand scale like that planning, preparation, and the right equipment operated by the best people you get results like that. So again thanks for the reply. Be safe and God Bless.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

[hone eagle]

do they have to wait for winter? or can this weight be hauled in summer too?

[noteven]

These loads are moved all seasons except during spring thaw (aka "break up").  4-6 weeks. Those  reactors had 2x14 axle Scheulerle trailers under each end.  I think the axles have 16 tires each so 896 tires under the load.

edit: my tire count guessed at above from the video is corrected below.

[bigstick]

A 14 line platform has 8 tires per line, equals 112 tires per trailer.

There are 2 trailers at each end (SIDE by side and bolted together) 14 lines × 16 tires per line = 224 tires 

The back end is the same.  224× 2= 448