mr. cob

Howdy Darryl, The flexible mounts bolt to the bottom of the frame rail, they hang down and then clamp to the Y pipe. The rubber section doesn't hang straight down as it would IF it were supporting weight, even with the cab mounts fully aired up it has a curve in it. I posted this same question on https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ the Peterbilt forum, the answers I am getting seem to point to the mounts being more of a vibration-sound dampner then a weight supporting function. So I'll replace them, the main problem in doing this is removing the huck bolts that hold these mounts to the underside of the frame, they are in a place where I don't feel comfortable using a cutting torch, using a grinder would take next to forever as would using any sort of cut off disk. Looking at the tools I have available I think I will give my skill saw which is setup with a metal cutting blade a try, if there is room to get the saw placed so that I can use the blade to saw a slot through the nut and bolt the half's of the nut should be easy to knock aside, that is if it stops raining so I can get under the truck without drowning. As to the cost, I have looked at the big truck store web sites, called and talked to folks and can't get a straight answer to "Can you guarantee that this part will fit and replace the stock part in my STOCK exhaust system?" No one will give me an answer to that question but they will sell me a complete system with big pipes that I don't want; nor will they pay return shipping or give a refund on parts they will sell me that don't work in "MY" application. The parts sold by Peterbilt, are like all the others made in china but they will fit. If I could buy a part I knew would fit someplace else I would do so. Dave

Howdy All, I have finally gotten around to working on the exhaust system on my Pete, no wonder it was getting loud the rear of the "Y" pipe was completely rusted-blown away. When taking the Y pipe off, there are 2 exhaust hangers that have a metal mount to the frame of the truck then have a flexible section about 8 inches long and then a metal clamp that goes around onto the Y pipe. As the cab has air suspension and the mufflers are mounted to the cab, I understand why there is a flexible connection between the Y pipe and the frame. My question is this, before I took the Y pipe off, even with the cab mounts full of air there was a lot of flex in the flexible mount, what I am trying to say is that the flexible mount did NOT support any weight even with the cab mounts fully extended. As the flexible mounts did NOT support weight, are they needed? The reason I ask this question is because the flexible mounts cost 250 dollars EACH, those 2 mounts cost more the all the other parts I need to replace to bring my exhaust system back into great shape. I am wondering if the flexible mounts aren't more of a vibration dampner then an actual weight supporting mount, any advise or suggestions is greatly appreciated, thanks. Dave

Howdy Cory, My post was in jest but should you ever decide to do such a thing I am sure you could supplement your income as folks such as "I" are to gimped up or lazy to do the job themselves, "me" I fall into both of the above categories. Dave

Howdy Cory, Lookin great, seeing as you are young and have all this excess energy how about I drop my truck off you to polish it up, call me when it's ready to pick up. Dave

Howdy spindrift, There are some of the "super trucker" things that I really like, for example when I ordered new seats for the Pete, I went with the LOW seat mounts, I don't care what anyone says or thinks the low mounts make the ride so much more comfortable, when I am in traffic I raise them up to where I can see over the "Hood" when I am droning down the interstate I drop them down to where my legs are MUCH more comfortable. Don't need or want an extended shifter, and the monster pipes to me just look so out of place. I bought the type of truck I now drive because I LOVE the "look" of a classic truck, to me running those huge sewer pipes makes the truck look like something out of a cartoon and are only used by the guy who is so impressed with himself he wants to make sure everyone else notices "HIM". I am way to darned old to be cool, to set in my ways to change, and could really in most cases care less, I just want it "my way." Dave

Howdy Darryl, I have looked at all those places, can't find what I want, I guess I'll have to make some calls and see if I can get to a human being rather then a recording or some on line chat robot as "I" am getting nowhere on my own. Dave

Howdy rpsinc, I understand what your saying and honestly pity anyone who is in business who is trying to make a profit without ripping off their customers. I would wager that much of this is dictated by government and not by the person providing the service, such is life in the land of the free. Dave

Howdy All, If I drove a Volvo, I wouldn't have this problem, trying to find a "STOCK" replacement exhaust system for a Peterbilt 379, is next to impossible. I swear I have spent many HOURS on line looking for a stock 5 inch diameter exhaust system and have come up with nothing, 6", 7", 8", 10" can be had darn near anywhere. I finally gave in and checked with the local Pete, shop, yes I was sitting down and I still nearly passed out when they quoted me a price on the stock 5 inch system. On the quote there were no part numbers, just said system so you can't cross reference anything. The price included a 275 dollar hazardous waste disposal fee and 300 dollars in shop fee's. I was not aware that rusted out steel pipe was hazardous waste nor that shop rags, a cut off disk and maybe a bit of oxy-acteline gas were in such short supply as to command these kind of prices. Oh well if your gonna run with the big dogs I guess it comes at a price, there goes my chicken lights and chrome budget. ☹️ Dave

Howdy All, Thanks for the replies, I remember back in the mid 60's I had a Chevy that would do this every now and then, drove that car for years never did fix what ever it was, just rap the starter with a tire iron or hammer and it would stop running. As this has only happened once I am not going to be to concerned about it unless the smack it fix no longer works if it starts to happen on a regular basis I'll take it to a shop no way I can get my gimped up self under there and lift that starter out if that's what it takes to fix it. Dave

Howdy All, Thought I would put this question to the group, while pulling up to the dump station waiting in line in Quartszite, after shutting the engine off the next time I went to start the engine the starter motor ran but it did not engage the ring gear on the flywheel. No scary noises, no damage done, it just ran, turned the key off, still ran, got my ball peen hammer out of the tool box tapped the outside of the starter motor it stopped running. Turned the key the starter engaged and all was well. I have driven the Pete, over 40,000 miles in the last three years, started it countless times in all weather conditions that was the first and so far ONLY time this has happened. I have checked and cleaned all my battery connections within the last year, the starter has always worked flawlessly, no weird noises, no kick backs, just turn the key it works. Anyone have any idea what may have caused this, something to be concerned about, anyway to check without major and labor intensive removal? Thanks for any input to this situation. Dave

Howdy All, I'll second the suggestion of a transmission with more gears, on of the things I hated about the 10 speed Auto-Shift, was the gap between 9th and 10th. Now with the 18 speed Auto-Shift, there is a forward gear for any situation it really makes a difference when stuck in traffic or when driving in the mountains, up or down the grade. Oh and having three speeds in reverse is great, low reverse makes backing to the pin or tight maneuvering much easier. Dave

Howdy KJ, One of the things important to "me" is the look of the whole rig. My first HDT was a singled Freightliner Columbia, a great truck and one I would still be driving if we hadn't bought the Smart Car. I bought the Freigthliner as a turn key truck, it did a great job of dragging the trailer but I just never liked the "look" of the combination, the condo roof line didn't match well with the roof line of the trailer. This is an old photo of the Columbia and the then brand new toy hauler trailer, towing it home for the first time. To "me" the look of the lower roof line of the Pete, this is a full stand up sleeper, matches the roof line of the trailer much better and the whole rig looks more in proportion. We all have our priorities, there is no right or wrong answer that fits everyone, what works for YOU and in my opinion makes YOU SMILE whilst behind the wheel is the way to go. Dave

Howdy KJ, "cardboard" is your best friend. As a long time fabricator, I long ago learned to use cardboard mock ups to to see exactly how much space things take up and how best to lay out what ever it is that needs to be mounted, carried or just put someplace in particular. Draw out on the driveway or garage floor with chalk the proposed outline of your truck bed, make a cardboard representation of your Smart Car's, foot print, the hitch and area needed to insure that when the Smart Car is loaded and you are hooked up to the trailer everything will clear when you put the truck 90 degrees to the trailer , remember to allow for ground slope and suspension movement. Using the cut outs it's easy to move things as needed until you figure out what you need to build it right the FIRST time, changes cost way more money then doing it right the first time. Just a suggestion, attend a rally BEFORE you buy-build, sit in and drive different rigs, see for yourself what it feels like to drive a singled, shortened, truck as well as a tandem or any other combination of which there are many. If your looking to build the last truck you will ever own, you owe it to yourself to test drive as many different rigs as you can to be sure your making the right choice for YOU no matter which road you take. Dave

Howdy KJ, I understand your wanting to be short but unless you plan on boondocking on two track forest service roads or putting your rig into very old State forest campsites in "my opinion" your over thinking this. I also tow a 44' 10" trailer and I do need a few acres ( not 40 ) to turn my rig around as my overall lenght is 72 feet but I have been able to get into many spots that leave the spectators scratching their heads wondering how the heck did he do that. The shorter your tractor the chopper the ride, having had a Freightliner that was singled and shortened mid, "I" much prefer the ride of the tandem stock lenght Pete, also the longer truck is much less affected by wind and rides much smoother. Just my experience that of others will vary. Dave

Howdy Jon, I like the "Classic" look that's why I bought and ( bilt ) the Pete, the huge pipe to me just look so out of place. I would not give up the heat shields nor the grab bars so when the money hits the counter I am leaning toward just going down to the local Peterbilt store, giving them the last six of my VIN number and getting another stock setup that way I know it will fit and be made of good quality materials. The one complaint I have and it's a major issue for the wife unit is lack of good grab bars in the cab itself; on the drivers side you can grab the steering wheel on the passenger side there isn't much to grab onto and there is really no place that is structurally strong enough to install one. Dave

Howdy All, Where we live about 50 miles northeast of seattle ( way to close to that nut house ) there is still a lot of logging and rock-gravel hauling being done, 5 operating gravel-rock pits within 20 miles of our home. When it comes to hauling gravel-rock it's about 50% Pete's, 25% Kenworth's, 15% Mack's and 10% others have NEVER seen a Volvo hauling logs, gravel, rock, or heavy equipment in this area. A while back on another thread folks were discussing the single axle Pete's hauling hay in california, until reading that thread I had never given them any thought or even knew they existed, this time whilst in the southwest for the last three months I started to look for them and they were everywhere up and down the full lenght of california, almost all of them were day cabs or had the cigarette pack style sleeper. Dave

Howdy Darryl, Nah, I'll pass. I do like the look of the 6 inch pipes anything larger to me just looks out of place, Still want more chicken lights and chrome but the pipes have to come first. Dave

Howdy All, Semi-Sane II, NEEDS a new exhaust system, the original one has gone bad lots of little holes rusted through. I had to put one of those 4 inch wide band clamps on the horizontal pipe that attaches to the down tube from the turbo, when that cracked to say it was loud is an understatement. So now I have to decide replace with the stock 5 inch pipes or go a bit larger, 6 inch might be nice no way I would go with the HUGE pipes you see on some trucks nowadays. Dave

Howdy All, I noticed the same thing whilst gallivanting around Australia, however Kenworth has a truck plant down under so I suppose that makes a big difference. In my area of western Washington, I would put the log truck numbers at 75% Kenworth, 20% Peterbilt, 5% other. Dave

Howdy All, I totally understand the reason behind the singled trucks towing the hay wagons, but to me they just look weird and incomplete. Dave

Howdy Tylerak, First off I apologize for the long post, this is something I struggled with before becoming a very HAPPY CAMPER. Just my opinion, worth what you paid for it. I like the truck you posted the photo of, two things come to mind immediately. ONE, Down the road if you sell the truck it's going to be darn near impossible to sell it to someone who wants to pull an RV trailer, VERY FEW want to shift gears or take the time to learn how to do it properly. TWO, a singled truck has VERY LITTLE appeal to a commercial driver unless they are into hot-shot, type work. With that said, my first RV Hauler was a 2002 Freightliner Columbia, 12.7 Detroit, 10 speed Auto-Shift, 3.55 single axle with a simple deck on it with a Trailer Saver, air cushioned hitch. Great truck and I would still be driving it if I hadn't bought a Smart Car. The cost to rebuild the truck to carry the Smart Car, was money spent that I would NEVER recover in a future sale. Even though the Freightliner was a great truck setup the way it was it was just the ticket for RV use, I never really liked it, to me it just wasn't a real truck, I hated the look, didn't like the condo cab it was much higher then the roof of the toy hauler trailer I have, and it just didn't put the GRIN on my face that I wanted. I posted to this forum that I was contemplating making a major change in that I WANTED a classic truck, either a Pete 379 Long Hood, or a Kenworth 900 Long Hood. I wanted big power, I wanted at least 13 gears and if I could find it an Auto-Shift. It took me a year to find what I was looking for, a 2001, Peterbilt 379, 550 horse power C15 single turbo Cat engine with an 18 speed Eton-Fuller Road Ranger AUTO-SHIFT, this is a very rare truck. Full gauge package, American Classic interior, chicken lights and chrome. I can't help it, I lusted for this truck and did fall in love with it. I went into this with my eyes WIDE OPEN, I knew the Pete would have a much larger turning radius then the Freightliner, I knew I would get fewer miles per gallon, I knew the cab was much smaller and the space between the seats was quite narrow, I knew the front visibility would be MUCH less the the Freightliner, I knew my wife wouldn't like the cab space in the Pete as well as she did on the Freightliner, knowing ALL OF THIS; I bought the Pete, put a Smart Car deck on it and have be GRINNING ever since. I left my truck tandem for two reasons, more brakes and better ride ( I know that is a controversial statement ) AND down the road when it comes time to sell the truck as it is now it will be attractive to another RV Hauler OR to a commercial Owner-Operator. The deck will unbolt, reinstall the commercial 5th wheel hitch and your back in business. Think long and hard about what YOU want in a truck, the Freightliner I had was a darn good truck but it wasn't what I wanted, now I have what I want, it gives me great pleasure to drive and when it comes time to sell I am not locked into a very small group of perspective buyers. An old style classic Pete, Kenworth, will ALWAYS be in demand, plastic trucks not so much. Like I said just my opinion, no offense meant to anyone, whatever works for YOU as an individual is all that really matters, the opinion of others is simply that, an opinion. Dave

Howdy SS, I firmly believe that the technology exists to power things such as the common car using some sort of alternative energy, like you said we put people on the moon 50 years ago. However that technology if it were scaled up to meet the everyday energy demands that we are accustomed to can't be done at a price the people can afford or maintain as the components needed to build the batteries and infrastructure are like fossil fuels a finite resource that is already being pushed to it's affordable limits. All of the proponents of alternative energy say and have said for decades that there needs to be a dramatic reduction in world population and a radical change of lifestyle before there is a CHANCE of meeting our energy needs with sources such as wind or solar. To produce the electric powered vehicles and to keep them charged does now and will in the foreseeable future still take fossil fuel powered power plants to accomplish the task, some States can't produce the power they need NOW, what are they going to do when and if electric vehicles become the major means of transport for people and goods? Dave

Howdy Jon, Accomplishing the mission, is not the governments point, taking from you every dollar it can while restricting your freedom is the point of this whole green new deal. Dave

Howdy All, It's nearly impossible to have an honest discussion on this topic without getting political so at the risk of having ANOTHER strike against me for posting something political I will attempt to offer my thoughts on the matter. The "science" has shown for years that there simply isn't ever going to be enough wind or solar generated power to supply the needs of everyday life as we are used to living it. So the politics of the matter are simple, the only way to archive what those who believe in so called green energy are proposing is a RADICAL change in lifestyle. Many articles have been written backed by "science" that prove that when the TOTAL cost to produce, maintain and dispose of electric vehicles is taken into consideration they cost more and pollute more then the equivalent vehicle that uses fossil fuel. Electric vehicles have their place and should be encouraged to be used for single person commuting in particular especially were the vehicle can be charged while at work, driving an 18 wheeled truck-trailer across the country as is now common place with diesel fuel in an electrically powered truck is in my opinion a pipe dream that is if not impossible unless some magic battery appears it is economically impractical in the extreme. If you care to read a short article that really puts this all into common sense perspective, click this link. https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/battery-fairy-other-delusions-race-replace-gas-powered-cars Dave

Howdy Joe, "We" weren't there but my wallet sure was. The neighbor who is keeping an eye on our place while we are gone called to tell us that one of the trees in our yard had been blown over and was hanging at a 45 degree angle OVER our house. 3,800 dollars later, the tree has been removed as it didn't actually hit the house home owners insurance didn't cover any of the removal cost so we now have some pretty expensive fire wood laying on the ground to be picked up when we get home. Kinda like the "Hotel California", "you can check out any time you want but you can never leave........." Dave