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And then there's the notion that you should let a diesel idle for "X" amount of time, or warm up for some random time. Whenever someone tells me I'm doing it wrong, I ask them if they've ever read an owners' manual for ANY diesel. or for any equipment. Last winter I had a guy telling me that in the oil fields, they rarely ever shut off trucks, and they'd been doing it that way for 40 years. I know of a guy who recently bought a diesel pickup from the Alaska oil fields. According to the on board display, it had run for over 90% of the time since it was new, but only had 40k miles on a 3 y/o truck. Keep in mind, it does warm up, somewhat, in the summer in Alaska.

Our Volvo did have cancelling turn signals. Our KW does not. Nor did our White or Mack. An old racer told me that back in the '50's and '60s, everyone carried nitrogen bottles on their converted one ton race haulers, to run impact wrenches, air up tires, etc. Easy to store cross ways under the car, and smaller than a gasoline powered air compressor. Folks thought if the racers are using nitrogen in their tires, it must be better.

So many factors in that equation..... Lets assume you mean on a tandem, for rv use. Will they wear out sooner? Of course. Will they outlast the rest of the truck? Probably, since they will likely still be loaded well within the design parameters. That one came up here years ago when wrknrver was criticized for his doing just that. Perhaps he'll drop by and give us a progress report. How about "why big trucks don't have self cancelling turn signals?" (our Volvo did).

I've seen them on ebay. You might also try an auto recycler (junk yard). Try to get 4 rears as rumor has it the 451 cars handle better that way.

Put your thinking caps on. I know there are more myths out there. I can think of a couple, but it's time for someone else to take a turn.

I think your link did a fine job. If anyone doesn’t understand it after reading the full link, they have no business operating a truck. Much less singling and charging customers.

I learned about it at Wheels Through Time museum. They use it on old motorcycles. It works great to rejuvenate old paint on antique cars and bikes. It's a lot cheaper if you buy it in the 5 gallon cans.

Beautifully done. Thanks G. H. Two myth's down, many to go.........

It's no more dead than the rear. If the rear was doing all the pulling, those tires would wear out more quickly, which they don't. I've heard others claim it's the rear axle that's dead. C'mon Tom, you've worked on plenty of trucks. Why is the front yoke so much beefier on the front axle than the rear? Cuz the power gets divided roughly equally. Do as I did, and google "live tandem truck axles". Myths die hard.

Spindrift, I think what he meant is that I am incorrect. But notice, I clearly wrote "live tandem", which in olde pharte lingo is a tandem which has two driving axles with power divider. I also referenced the possibility of using a factory single or a 6x2. So, I stand by my statement.

Agreed on the fuel consumption. We get anywhere from 6.5 to nearly 10 mpg, for short runs. But at the end of the day, an average of about 7.5-7.8 is normal, with a total gcvw of just under 50k#. And that's by hand calculation, not believing the lie-o-meter on the dash. But back to my original post, I just hit the tip of the iceberg with that one myth. There are lots more, but that one is fresh in my mind since it's been on the forum recently. It just bugs me that people who should know better, don't engage their brains and see how silly these ideas really are, and continue to toss them about.

Great catch Rocky. You bring a question that I doubt can be answered, but I'll counter with the question....why take the risk? It doesn't cost much to go to a junk yard and get a proper axle, or even better, start with a factory single or 6x2, as mentioned by Georgia in another thread.

May I ask why? You've already replaced all the wear parts.

In sitting around the campfire or chatting online with folks, I've heard lots of myths and flat out wrong ideas about large trucks, meaning our HDT's. So, in the interest of putting some of these incorrect ideas to rest, I invite everyone to listen, and comment, on things we've been taught, that just don't seem right. I'll start off with the myth that a "live tandem" (two drive axles in the rear) has one axle being the "drive" and the other just being along for the ride. UNTRUE. There is a gear case built into the front axle (called a Power Divider) which houses a differential, providing both axles with the same amount of input torque, so that both axles drive together. If one axle loses traction the power goes there, allowing that axle to spin. Unless, you engage the lock in the power divider, then once again, both axles receive equal input. Now the unfortunate part. For as long as I've been on this forum (14 years?), self proclaimed experts have been stating this myth, and worse, singling trucks by removing one axle. Did they not think that the reason they had to have special drive shafts made was because the remaining axle was never intended to have that much input torque? The proper way to single is to remove the tandem and replace it with a heavier axle built to handle the torque. Look at any factory single. I could name at least three participants of this forum who over the years have made this same mistake, and I can also point out customers who've experience axle failures because of it. Will they all fail? Of course not, but why do it wrong. even after it's been brought to your attention that you're providing a dis-service to the customer? So, I'll relinquish my soapbox so that someone else can expose other myths about these trucks.

Carl, crows foot and line wrenches are two different animals. A line wrench looks like a heavy duty box end with part cut away so you can slip it over the line. a crow's foot is just an open end wrench that uses square drives (think socket). I have several sets of line wrenches, from S-K to Crapsman, to Snap-on. I hate them all.

On a "live tandem", the driving force is spread among all 8 drive tires. On most trucks, (all 8 of the tandems we've owned), engaging the "power divider" locks the differential between the front and rear drives. The notion of one axle or the other being the "driving axle" is a myth. There are variations. Our KW has a feature where I can flip a switch and all 8 tires pull together, at the same speed, regardless of traction.

We've talked to others who've had work done at the place spindrift linked above. All had good things to say. We'll be in Bandera for the month of Feb. if you care to stop by.

Larry, I'd put both in the category of "land yacht". Very comfy ride. I will add, there's a lot more to comfort than just the ride. Our Lexus rides smoother than our F-150 or our Kenworth, but the car doesn't have the space to adjust your butt or legs relative to the rest of the vehicle. For instance, our Volvo had my right leg restricted such that my foot aimed straight ahead, and my knee in one spot. Our KW lefts me shift that leg to the right, and actually turn my foot any way I please. For an olde pharte with achy joints, that's a big deal.

And if you live in a s/b, and have one smoke detector that requires a ladder in a stairwell, that'll be the one. That detector has been relocated.

Hmmm... It makes sense that the floor pan might be different on the heavier trucks. The cab needs to sit higher in relation to the frame to allow for the drive line. Low pan allows the air ride seat. All this said, I tried really hard to justify a MDT before buying the KW. I just couldn't find anything half as good for twice the money. The KW, btw, rides nearly as nice as my F-150. And Larry, you were the first one to spoil me with the nicer ride of the newer trucks.

Correct. The commercial guys fill out the IFTA report quarterly, listing gallons bought by state, and gallons used by state, and off-road use, such as reefers. I filled out those reports for years. What a PITA.

I can't speak to other brands, but in the Ford truck line, all cabs are the same, from F-150 through F-550. Seats are too. I would think GM and Ram would be similar.

At the top of this page is the subject "HDT Members on the Road". Post there, where you are and where you'll be near term, and ask if you can meet up with another member to check out their rig, and possibly drive it. I'm just west of Cincinnati, and the truck is ready for a spin. We're tandem, carry a smart, home built bed.

Length really isn't an issue, providing it's long enough. Cut it in two, get it removed any way you can, and get the new one a couple inches longer. I'd bet dollars to do-nuts, that how most shops do it.

David, back your original question...... Randy mentions the difference between his older p/up v. a newer unit. The same is true of hdt's. We had a 2001 Volvo for 11 years. I got a chance to ride in a couple of newer units and was quickly spoiled. So, your assignment, is to ride in as many trucks of both classes, as you can before deciding. Then let us know what works for you. One more thing to consider, are you the sole driver? Will another driver be okay with driving the hdt? My wife had her cdl and drove school buses for 25 years. She absolutely will not drive a hdt.