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Another noob question


Av8r3400

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I see many of the benefits to an HDT. They are easy to see and explain.

 

Who would like to try to list some of the "minuses" or "negatives" to an HTD?

 

The DW asked me this today and all I could do was make a quiet gurgling sound...

Av8r3400
Thunderstruck - 2012 Volvo VNL 730 D13 iShift
Slick - 2021 Grand Design Momentum 397TH

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I'd rather die trying to live - Than live trying not to die.   -Leonard Perry

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A major repair to a engine or transmission is chest pain time.

Ponderous as a bobtail vehicle , but we did it for 3 years ,got a smart car now.

Might not be able to keep it at home.

........ thats about it

 

oh ya its a bi**h to wash the top of the sleeper.

2005 volvo 670 freedomline singled
Newmar Torrey Pine 34rsks
woot woot

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Neighbours do not like it parked in my driveway....oh well I don,t like there ..well i will think of something. :)

Most of my neighbors don't even know I have the 5er, yet. I live on partially wooded 80 acres. You can't hardly see my house from the road and you can't see my parking area at all, except by air.

 

A major repair to a engine or transmission is chest pain time.

Ponderous as a bobtail vehicle , but we did it for 3 years ,got a smart car now.

Might not be able to keep it at home.

........ thats about it

 

oh ya its a bi**h to wash the top of the sleeper.

Yes. A $20k engine repair will definitely put a dent in the camping season. True enough.

 

How about one of those scrub brushes on the end of a long pole? :)

 

 

Thank you for the replies. Any more on there?

Av8r3400
Thunderstruck - 2012 Volvo VNL 730 D13 iShift
Slick - 2021 Grand Design Momentum 397TH

TEq81qV.jpg

I'd rather die trying to live - Than live trying not to die.   -Leonard Perry

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Costs to repair only a negative because you have to spend $$ to repair. Compare to repairs on most anything else these days and it's not that much different. A friend just had his F450 eng go cost to rebuild was $20k. I think that's nuts but he was willing to pay.

 

Our motors can be inframed for less then that but hey maybe we never have to go there.

 

Just a thought.

Bill and Joan and 3 Collie pups

2001 Volvo VNL 770 "The Doghouse" Singled short, "ET" hItch VED12 465HP Gen 1 Autoshift 3.58 ratio  2005 Mobile Suite 38RL3  2011 Smart Passion loaded piggybacK

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For most this isn't a problem but I follow construction shutdowns and new construction. The nice parks fill up early. Finding one to accommodate our length can be a problem. And yes a major repair bill can really hurt. Plan on these items,if they come, you will be prepared. This is about the only negative I can think of. One fine sweet tow truck. You will forget the coach even is back there. I always knew it was with the dually. I plan to use the truck for short jobs and not tow coach for a few days job.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Repairs (minor) or as I call maintenance are the same as a pick up ,I had a alternator for 260 CDN in the storage lot including a belt.They come to you.

Air conditioning was same as a car/pick up but less labour due to the "wide open stand on the ground" environment of a large vehicle.

2005 volvo 670 freedomline singled
Newmar Torrey Pine 34rsks
woot woot

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Alterator, starter, belts cost comparable to ldts. As was sated lot easier to work on. I changed my alternator and it was a simple chore. Everything is heavier though. I will state getting work done is a refreshing experience. Ldt dianoise, order parts, wait, wait, wait. HDT quick service. They know service.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Some other minuses are:

 

The climb up, as the knees get bad this could become an issue so we might have to add an elevator.

 

That same climb can be a problem for some pets which may mean you may have to lift them up, make them some ramps or add a door to the back of the sleeper (or put them on a diet).

 

If you are tandem you will have extra costs going through toll booths.

 

In some states you may need a different drivers license than what you did with the LGT.

 

Getting insurance and financing can be a challenge at times.

 

Wet grass is not your friend along with soft ground. Remember that you do not have 4wd.

 

The plus's far out weigh the minuses.

 

Dave

2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch
2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler
Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you!

 

Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/

for much more info on HDT's.

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AV, looks like you are a pilot so....consider a. HDT is a transport class machine so just like a large aircraft they tend to be.....ponderous and you need to think ahead all of the time since RV service tends to lure us into locations that seldom see class 8 trucks. Soft highway shoulders may be a pain in a pickup but in a HDT can roll the truck ( as a kid I was passenger in one of the family KW's that rolled over ....not a fun trip....

In the stone age I used to operate a few large old transports in and out of airports that had seldom seen large aircraft and you have to be very careful or things can get dicey and class 8 truck can become work as the roads get to be narrow and twisty.....or..unexpected dead ends..

Once in a while a fool will play chicken with you in traffic and you have no choice but to save their life by taking defensive actions but you must remain humble ....road rage in a HDT is very bad juju..

Costs of repairs are likely determined by how common your truck is rather than it's size ....last year I bought and installed a 5.7 Vortex crate motor in our old GMC one ton pickup and had very little change left from a $6,000 bill...and I did all the labor myself.....ugh ( retired??)
Right now I have a chap wanting to sell me a M11 Cummins that is in a 2003 Volvo with 212,000 miles for $2800 complete with excellent records and oil sampling and no core charge .... I am considering it just to have it in stock....Now a M11 is a very common engine so replacement parts and engines are very low cost compared to many pickup parts, just consider this when you truck shopping...




Like aircraft, HDT's have good and not so good points...size does matter you know...

Drive matter....(Enjoy the ride..)

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

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  • 4 weeks later...

Some other minuses are:

 

The climb up, as the knees get bad this could become an issue so we might have to add an elevator.

 

That same climb can be a problem for some pets which may mean you may have to lift them up, make them some ramps or add a door to the back of the sleeper (or put them on a diet).

 

If you are tandem you will have extra costs going through toll booths.

 

In some states you may need a different drivers license than what you did with the LGT.

 

Getting insurance and financing can be a challenge at times.

 

Wet grass is not your friend along with soft ground. Remember that you do not have 4wd.

 

The plus's far out weigh the minuses.

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

I am trying to figure out how brakes work on HDTs. As well as have a dog question. Talkin Automatics here like iShift.

In my SUV or Pickup if I put the tranny in park, the Tranny holds the vehicle as well as the parking brake.

Does the auto transmission(Volvo iShift) hold the truck in Park?

What happens if the Air Brakes Bleed down?

This is mostly going to how do you park for a long time on an incline?

Can my dog, left in the cab while I'm out strolling around knock off the parking brake and let my truck roll away?

Just noticed this is my FIRST Post!

... and Zero warning Points!

<<Les Garten>>

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I am trying to figure out how brakes work on HDTs. As well as have a dog question. Talkin Automatics here like iShift.

In my SUV or Pickup if I put the tranny in park, the Tranny holds the vehicle as well as the parking brake.

The auto transmission has a parking pawl, which wedges against a ring gear, to engage park. As far as the transmission itself is concerned, there isn't any difference between N or P.

Does the auto transmission(Volvo iShift) hold the truck in Park?

No.

What happens if the Air Brakes Bleed down?

You stop.

This is mostly going to how do you park for a long time on an incline?

Use the parking brakes.

Can my dog, left in the cab while I'm out strolling around knock off the parking brake and let my truck roll away?

Only if it can push in the parking brake knob. Google "Foundation brakes".

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication
2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet
2007 32.5' Fleetwood Quantum


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Les garten,

 

Has far as I am aware none of the HDT's auto shifting transmissions have a "park" mode on the shifter. You use "Neutral" and then use your parking brake.

 

On an air brake truck, air is used to release the brakes. No air and the brakes stay engaged. If you start losing air while driving and alarm will go off when you reach a certain pressure and you better hit the shoulder and stop because once air pressure gets to the next preset level the brakes will apply and you are out of service till you get it fixed.

 

There is a pre trip test that you should follow to test your brakes.

 

Air brakes are much different than your car or LGT brakes and you need to understand how they work before driving an HDT.

 

Dave

2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch
2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler
Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you!

 

Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/

for much more info on HDT's.

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Always leave your I shift in neutral with the park brakes on when stopping. If you have an air leak and it's in gear the truck will not start. It will only start in Neutral and it won't shift to neutral without air.

"If you can not measure it, you can not improve it."

 Lord Kelvin

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Modern air brake vehicles have a fail safe system, so that a failure in the braking system causes the brakes to be applied. So, you apply the parking brake by releasing air in that portion of the braking system.

 

I seriously doubt a dog could push the knob which applies the parking brake.

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The parking brakes need to have at least 60PSI applied to them to keep them away from the drums.

 

When you release the parking brakes, the system applies air to the parking brake chambers, and keeps the air there. That holds the parking brakes in the 'off' position.

 

When you apply the parking brakes, it releases the air from the parking brake chambers and the springs in them hold the shoes against the drums.

 

If you were driving down the road and lost air pressure, eventually the parking brakes would engage once the system pressure dropped under 60psi.

2007 Volvo 780 Volvo D12D, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

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Dogs have been known to release air brakes on Diesel Pushers, because the yellow Knob is on a flat surface typically next to the window to the left of the driver (not often, but typically). That makes it relatively easy for it to be stepped on by a dog. It is still difficult to release (push in) but a heavier dog can do it....and they have.

 

On trucks it is on the dash and not subject to pushing in by a dog....it would be very, very difficult. I find it unlikely that it could happen.

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If you are worried about the dog then pump the brake peddle until the air is low enough or use the bleeder on the air tank. On my truck it takes a pretty good push to release the parking brake.

 

Nigel

2006 Volvo VNL 430, 2006 smart cabrio cdi, 2000 Triple E Topaz 30'

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I always wondered why the park brake control isn't pull off and push on. That would seem to make more sense.

Av8r3400
Thunderstruck - 2012 Volvo VNL 730 D13 iShift
Slick - 2021 Grand Design Momentum 397TH

TEq81qV.jpg

I'd rather die trying to live - Than live trying not to die.   -Leonard Perry

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