Glider Kits No Longer Available

[SuiteSuccess]

Just saw a video saying as of July 1 glider kits will no longer be manufactured by HDT manufacturers.  Fitzgeralds apparently tried to fight it in court but lost.  Another company down the tubes.  Wonder if they’ll reinvent themselves in another way?

[mr. cob]

Howdy SS,

Gliders were a neat thing for folks with money, and they were-are a nice truck no doubt.  If you want a per emissions truck just buy an older truck,if you look hard enough they are out there.

Dave

[NDBirdman]

Whats a glider for HDT?  Sliding hitch?

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by NDBirdman

[Darryl&Rita]

11 minutes ago, NDBirdman said:

Whats a glider for HDT?  Sliding hitch?

 

Truck chassis manufactured and sold without a drivetrain. Brand new truck, minus engine, transmission, and rear axles. The idea is to take the drivetrain out of your old truck, rebuild as needed, then install into glider chassis. Run a brand new truck, with lower costs. Not really a huge market, most people just pay the taxes and drive a new truck. 

[SuiteSuccess]

26 minutes ago, NDBirdman said:

Whats a glider for HDT?  Sliding hitch?

 

Lots of companies and owner/operators bought to put a remanufactured pre-emissions engine in for reliability and less service cost.  Fitzgeralds was a leader in manufacturing these trucks.  Many of us toured their facility and it was a first class operation.  No future it seems now after they deplete their current inventory.  They would take old Detroit, Cummins, and some Cats and remanufacture to better than new engines.

[NDBirdman]

Cool, thanks!  I guess you can say I led a shelter life, I drove professionally for a while and never heard this.  Guess my head was in the sand most the time... LOL

[mr. cob]

21 minutes ago, NDBirdman said:

Whats a glider for HDT?  Sliding hitch?

 

Howdy NDBirdman,

Some folks wanted keep their old drive train especially those who wanted to keep a pre emissions engine but also wanted a new truck with all the nice things the new trucks have.  So a few companies specialized in installing the old usually rebuilt drive train into a brand new truck cab and chassis.  This completed setup was called a Glider truck. or at least that is the way I understand it. 

But the feds didn't like this as it kept older non current emissions compliant trucks on the road so they passed laws making this illegal and thus the practice is coming to an end.  For example the engine in my truck is a Caterpillar C-15, 6NZ, a very sought after engine again especially among owner operators, folks who had trucks with such engines wanted a new truck but wanted to keep the old engine so the market for the Glider was there it just needed someone to fulfill the need and thus this niche market industry was started.

Dave

[Steve from SoCal]

The word on the street is, Fitzgerald's had significant quality issues.     There were other builders too, only in the last few years were gliders built on production lines.     Gliders were built up by owners or small shops for decades.     The whole glider thing is a legacy tradition ended by its success.   

 

Steve 

[Big5er]

Carl, I'm confused. The only things I find on the subject were dated one year ago, and they all  basically say the same thing. 

Quote

The U.S. EPA has told The New York Times that it will not enforce Obama-era emissions restrictions placed on glider kit manufacturers at least through the end of next year, giving glider kit builders like Fitzgerald Glider Kits a substantial victory in their fight against the regulations.

"end of next year" means the end of THIS year....so another 6 months, and then they can only build 300 trucks. Of course I have no idea how many they are selling now. Limiting them to 300 a year might be a death warrant.  You can read the article HERE. Can you post a link to this video?? 
Thanks

Edited July 9, 2019 by Big5er

[mr. cob]

31 minutes ago, Big5er said:

Carl, I'm confused. The only things I find on the subject were dated one year ago, and they all  basically say the same thing. 

"end of next year" means the end of THIS year....so another 6 months, and then they can only build 300 trucks. Of course I have no idea how many they are selling now. Limiting them to 300 a year might be a death warrant.  You can read the article HERE. Can you post a link to this video?? 
Thanks

Howdy Phil,

Interesting article, especially the last part where it says that the major truck builders, volvo, dimler, etc are fighting this, they have been for years.  I know I am going to HELL for saying this but there is no way I would buy one of the trucks built between 2006-7 and later, the cost of the emissions equipment and its up keep are way to rich for me.  I know you only hear about the bad that happens but 10-20K in repairs when one of those trucks throws a fit is insane.  Give me old school technology any day of the week.  Yes I know when sea level rises and it snows in July blame me for your troubles.

Dave

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Fitzgerald had people sourcing the DD60 series engines everywhere in the western hemisphere.  Anywhere they could pull a block and head out of the wrecking yards and backwoods they have.  I thought they were building a great product...

[SuiteSuccess]

Phil,

Don’t know how to download video here but title is “Glider Kits Are Dead-July 1 2019” by Smart Trucking on YouTube.  When I looked on line to see if true several places mentioned that each manufacturer could make 300 kits but they were really not that interested since it was a limited market.

p.s. Tell me how to include videos 😊

[mr. cob]

Howdy All,

 

The youtube video on Gliders.

Dave

Edited July 9, 2019 by mr. cob

[hatrack]

6 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Just saw a video saying as of July 1 glider kits will no longer be manufactured by HDT manufacturers.  Fitzgeralds apparently tried to fight it in court but lost.  Another company down the tubes.  Wonder if they’ll reinvent themselves in another way?

Suite.

Drove by a few days ago and they have a sign out front for trailer sales, they still have several  hdt trucks siting on the lot and a few mdt trucks. They have a bunch of large trailers setting out front.

[Big5er]

So after watching the video it sounds like the EPA hasn't moved up there deadline but the manufacturers just aren't going to build 2020 gliders? So not a loss in court but out maneuvered by the truck makers?

[Darryl&Rita]

Halliburton buys more trucks than Fitzgerald. Where's the incentive to sell what amounts to a Special Vehicle Operations model to them when Halliburton's purchases fits in the regular production line? I don't see it as outmaneuverd, more likely just a business decision. 

[Moresmoke]

Glider kits were originally intended that if you wrecked a late model truck, the drive train could be salvaged and the truck not totally written off.

Considering today’s markets that are pretty much flooded with late model used trucks, the manufacturers have been trying to maneuver some of this used inventory off the lots. Some manufacturers have also been preventing the small fleets from placing orders for new trucks.

[SuiteSuccess]

9 hours ago, Big5er said:

So after watching the video it sounds like the EPA hasn't moved up there deadline but the manufacturers just aren't going to build 2020 gliders? So not a loss in court but out maneuvered by the truck makers?

Phil,

One article I read said Fitzgerald had been involved in the court and lost the repeal of the regs,  but you are more correct saying it’s more to do with the manufacturers business decision.

 

[noteven]

Video title page has fake news? 1989? Kenworth  built gliders long before 1989

Anyways I can’t watch it in camp right now mobile phone data is too expensive so I will have to go mooch a connection somewhere....

I turned a 1981 Peterbilt 359 into a glider one time one minute the Detroit Diesel 8V92T complete with 110mm injectors was purring along at 1500rpm 10 seconds of fussing and soft pedal and it quit. Became a zero emissions vehicle. “Fuel gauge! You lie to me! I wailed. Amazing how many squeaks, clunks, chuckles, and chirps are evident in a 60 mph glider.  

Anyone remember how you prime and start a DD 2 cycle turbo supercharged Diesel engine?

[Darryl&Rita]

10 hours ago, Moresmoke said:

Glider kits were originally intended that if you wrecked a late model truck, the drive train could be salvaged and the truck not totally written off.

Gliders were an end run around the FET on new trucks. Drive a new truck, without the squeaks and rattles, while saving money on taxes.

[Phil D]

56 minutes ago, noteven said:

Video title page has fake news? 1989? Kenworth  built gliders long before 1989

If 1989 is what they said, then yes, it's definitely "fake news".  I first heard of glider kits during the 1974 model year, and it may well not have been an entirely new concept then, although that most likely was the first time that they were used to evade an unpopular and ultimately unworkable governmental mandate. 

1974 was the year that NHTSA first imposed an anti-lock brake requirement on heavy trucks, despite the fact that the technology to make them work properly did not exist at that time.  The resulting vehicles were so unstable that many customers eventually refused to buy any more new trucks, and all of the manufacturers got into the glider kit business in a big way to both provide their customers a way to replace their trucks without the new, FMVSS compliant brake systems, and to keep their own production lines going.

[geodog]

I can remember assembling a Glider when I was a truck  mechanic in 1959 in an IH Factory Branch shop.It was  B-1800 chassis in which we installed a 549 cu.in. V8. The largest engine available from the factory was 345 cu.in..

 

 

ShortyO

[rickeieio]

Last time I tried to get a ride in a glider, they had a 250# weight limit...........☹️

[Lou Schneider]

So keep the old frame and install a new cab and hood on it.  Maybe replace the front end steering components while you're at it. 

Not a glider, just a body upgrade with a tight rattlefree cab and all of the new bells and whistles.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Lou Schneider

[Big5er]

It's not the old frame they want, Lou. They want that old, pre emissions, engine with a new truck and frame around it