AndyR

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https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0z8XNM3isNWBbd5CSYTCV3U99Hyjjb9PWmVXy9dwUQThAe3ZX7LxrhFSUaLjqhacgl&id=100050587235127&mibextid=Nif5oz I saw this one the other night

I agree with others. If it’s mechanical, its going to break… eventually. I pulled with an F450 and the trailer pushed us around a few times. Truck had 40k miles when we bought it and was in the shop a few times. Nothing major but still in the shop. We no longer get pushed around and have only been in the shop for normal service. 720k on the Volvo. We like our big toyhauler and the toys that go in it. We’ll take the risk of an expensive repair over the risk of being pushed in to an intersection any day. My wife likes to drive the truck and is going to pull the trailer a little this year so she’s ready if she has to. My issue is I might get kicked out of the drivers seat and I’ll never get to drive it. Andy

It’s an awesome ride. There will usually be elk and deer on the road between Gunnison and Sargents this time of year.

Work has been getting in the way and I haven’t had time to jump on here and thank everyone for the all the input. Great information, as usual! The fuel filter was dirty so I changed it out and went ahead and swapped out the air filter as well. Clean fuel and air, makes for a happier engine. Who would have guessed? I also believe I didn’t start out with as much fuel as I thought. Took Blueflame’s advise and dipped the tanks. Right was at 14” and the left was at 9”. Don’t know if that’s normal or not and I won’t put any thought to it because the left side cap was just sitting there and I know for a fact it was tight so I suspect someone got some discounted fuel one night. We’ve had some of the nonsense going on in the area. Best advise of all, fill the tanks and enjoy the ride. Sure was nice not being pushed around by the trailer! Thanks again all for putting up with the newbie questions. Andy

I dipped the tanks tonight and it looks like the gauge should be accurate. No sign of water or sediment. The fuel filter looks dirty to me so I’ll swap it out tomorrow night and go fill it up to get more accurate numbers. you might be right in the money about making something out of nothing, plenty of other things around here to work on without creating something. thanks for the new term, lie-o-meter, is new to me Andy

All good questions and more info I should have shared. 65 most of the way at 1400 rpm. Tires are new and aired up. I have a monitor and didn’t notice any excessive tire temps so I don’t think I have a break dragging but I’ll check that for sure. The bed is 10’ from dorm to hitch but it shows the same mileage bobtail. thanks for the help andy.

No smoke at all and it does look like the original turbo. I took it to our local Mack shop because they're the only shop in town that will work on a Volvo. The mechanic that looked at it said new injectors but his boss heard that and checked in to it and said he didn't think injectors.

We were finally able to get out and take a trip last week. Went from Colorado Springs to Custer, SD for a few days. This was our first trip with the truck and I loved it except for the fuel consumption. 2011 Volvo 730, D 13 set at 435 HP, 3.55 gears, I shift with 707k miles. I was towing 19k. and the truck weighed in by itself at 21k so total package was 40k. That’s pretty good with the cipherin’ right there! We like the road less traveled when we can and avoid Denver at all costs so we went east and then north through eastern Colorado and western Nebraska so we had plenty of wind. I don’t have exact mileage vs fuel used. We left with two full tanks so 250 gal. of fuel and went 950 miles total. My fuel gauge is showing 3/8 tank left. I don’t want to fill it up for an exact amount of fuel because if I have contaminated fuel or something it would be less of a mess to deal with. Not sure that is the issue but… The dash shows I averaged 3.4 mpg on the trip and that is what it shows bobtails as well. I’m sure that thing isn’t the most accurate tool to go by. If the fuel gauge is accurate, the math says I use about 150 gal so the mileage would be around 6.33. That’s still half of what I got bobtailing it back from Seattle. I’m trying not to overlook the easy stuff so first I checked the air filter and I have a new one I could install but it looks clean. The fuel filter also looks OK, might need to swap it out, don’t know if that would be enough to cause a 50% reduction. Couldn’t find any signs of a fuel leak. Might be time for injectors but wouldn’t that go bad over time? Am I missing something? Andy

Yes, the 730 has the top bunk. The table will fold in to a bunk as well. We’ll probably keep it set up as a table most of the time unless the dog would ride better on it as a bed. Our dog is huge but he fits well in the spot just in front of the bunk.

Yep, it's a nice truck and I hope I can sell it soon but the Volvo is so much more fun! stay safe out there

we're right at $1500 a year. $250 deductible and our 1mil. umbrella policy covers us as well because we have everything with one company. NOT inexpensive at all, but for us, cheap peace of mind.

That's a simple question with a, not so simple, answer. I'm new to this as well and what I found is (most) probable not all, companies want to insure both truck and trailer. At least the companies I checked with on the resource guide were telling me that. It also depends on the state you are located in. I'm in Colorado and the locations plays a role in it as well. I ended up staying with State Farm but they put it on a commercial policy and it ended up costing the same as my 2016 F450 for the amount of coverage. I can drive when I want, where I want for as long as I want as well. Some companies were telling me I would only be covered while pulling the trailer and that didn't appeal to me at all. good luck with it

I've been checking their site every day for over a month. Don't know how i missed it. I'll contact them, thanks for the help. Andy

Trying to get a few things done on the truck so I’m ready when we’re able to move around again. One of the projects I’d like to do is remove the mattress and install the workstation. Been looking around and most wrecking yards are telling me they aren’t interested is parting out a sleeper so, finding the table lifter is more difficult than I expected it to be. Maybe once we’re over all this craziness and we can get back to normal, I might have better luck. Until then, I’m interested in some input from the experts. Maybe I could build my own table and support because I really don’t ever see the need for it to be a bed but I’d like the option. Thinking about a removable leg from an RV dinette and we’ll make our own cushions. Anyone have some ideas or maybe even a factor Volvo lifter? Andy

Thanks for sharing this. I heard last night about the Safari being cancelled. Was heading out next week to spend a week on the rocks. Hopefully this mess will go away soon!

Just order a couple pair. thanks for the info

I agree on the Michelins. I’ll check out some BFG’s.

I got the truck home this weekend with no issues at all. We’ll make a few changes to make it ours and probable more than a few. Before I start my ‘want to do” list, I have a few things on the “need to do” list. I get a vibration I can feel in the wheel starting at around 60mph. I think it’s a balance issue and since the tires are badly weathered, I’ll be doing tires first. Once the new ties are on, I’ll run it over and get it aligned and have the front end looked at to see if anything stands out. It has Michelin XZA3 on the front and the drives are XDN2’s. I’m leaning toward the Goodyear G182RSD on the drives and the Endurance RSA on the steers. I know balancing is a huge issue so I’m thinking of going with beads. Not sure on that either. I have centramatic rings on my F450 and noticed a small improvement but maybe not worth the addition cash. Any help would be awesome. Andy

You'll get to play in the snow a little bit in April

thanks for the welcome. the guide is awesome! I found a truck that's already converted and titled as an RV. Has the bed I want so, I hope, all I'll be looking to do is some minor upgrades. One question I have and will probably start a new thread is about a good source for salvage parts. The boss wants the work station in the sleeper and the truck currently does not have it. I'm on a mission to find the parts and haven't had much luck yet. Andy

Mark, Yes, I've lived in Colorado Springs all my life. Are in in CO? Andy

Al, I think we'll try to make a rally eventually. We'll be in Fla. during the national this year, might be able to stop in for a day or two. We're in Colorado and will be passing right by it. I have a truck now, or will this weekend. I narrowed my search down to a 730 and found a few nice options to build but when Tom Macklin listed his truck, I had to jump on it. I'm flying out Saturday to pick it up. Andy

Thanks for the add, my name is Andy and I’ve been a lurker for a very long time now. Been kicking around the idea of going the HDT route for almost 10 years. We’re several years off from retirement and I doubt we’d every go full time. I pull a 40’ 20k toy hauler with an F-450 and it’s time to have a truck that won’t get pushed around in the Colorado mountains and will be a more comfortable/safer ride for the longer road trips. We thought this would be the year we find a truck and start building it but, got, what I think is a solid truck in great condition so we can start using it this year and maybe plan a build for the next one. I’ll apologize in advance for all the stupid questions I’ll be asking.