Truck Upgrade

[Chad Heiser]

After 12 years of owning a Kenworth, I have made the switch to a Volvo.  I was very happy with my Kenworth T2000 and it served me well over the years.  It was the longest tenured vehicle I have ever owned (by far), but it was finally time for a change.  I sold my Kenworth to another forum member who was very happy to get it.

In place of the Kenworth, I purchased a 2009 Volvo 670 with a dinette sleeper from another forum member.  I have spent the last couple months traveling with it and making it my own.  The Volvo was originally a Greg Shields build from 2013.  Greg converted it with a simple wood slatted flatbed and an ET hitch and some other basics for the first owner in RV service.  The owner I bought it from acquired it in 2020.  I actually went with him to Colorado when he bought it and we drove it home together, so I was very familiar with the truck.  During his ownership, he did some significant upgrades.  These upgrades included adding a custom RV hauler bed with storage boxes and fresh water and waste water tanks built in.  The only reason he chose to sell it was because he found a great deal on a nearly new Kenworth that he couldn't pass up.

Since I acquired the truck, I have added a large drom box and some other miscellaneous items.  I made a drom out of a Knaack Field Station jobsite office.  The Knaack box fit the bed on the Volvo perfectly.  I bought the Knaack box back in February with the idea that I was going to buy the Volvo.  It took a little time for all the dominoes to fall into place to actually get the Volvo, but things worked out eventually.  I had the Knaack box painted to match the Volvo and mounted it myself after having some additional supports welded into the bed framing.  I am very pleased with the final product.  The Knaack box is nearly 7 feet tall, 5 feet wide and almost 4 feet deep.  It provides approximately 120 square feet of additional storage to the truck.

This was a test fit of the Kaack box with the truck facing uphill at a 90 degree angle to the trailer, just to make sure all my measurements were correct.

Here is the box after it was painted and properly mounted to the bed.

I then had a couple of spare tire mounts custom built to hold the two spares I have for my 5th wheel and mounted them to the sides of the new drom box.

The Knacck box I used as a drom has two main sections.  It has an upper storage area with two fixed shelves that are approximately 1 foot deep and the full width of the box.  The upper section door has a garage door style opening that doubles as a canopy when it is opened.  The lower section has two hinged doors and an adjustable shelf on each side.  I bought the box used off of Facebook Marketplace for a reasonable price.  I have more money into having it painted to match the truck than I do in actually buying it.  I couldn't be more happy with how it fit the truck and the ample storage space it provides.

Just to give some perspective to the picture, I can't really reach the items on the top shelf without using a folding step stool I carry in the box.  Everything else in the box is easily within reach though.

[dblr]

Chad, very nice upgrade, congrats!!!!!!

[Brad & Jacolyn]

Very nice Chad. Good job.

[jenandjon]

Congratulations. Getting a new toy is always exciting.  09 so that should be pre DEF. 

[HERO Maker]

Nice job Chad!

[Wrknrvr]

  The idea of mounting the spare tires as you did is interesting. That uses basically unused space to give more space elsewhere.

  I also see the fire extinguisher in a handy, easily accessible location.

   Great job.

[ddm502001]

Very nice in all respects.

[Tina-Jim]

Thumbs up!

[SuiteSuccess]

Congratulations.  Nice job.

[noteven]

Looks good Chad

[RickS]

Congrats Chad, Looks very nice. 👍

[rickeieio]

Traitor!!!!!

Seriously, that looks like a very nice truck.  And that box is perfect!!

[Deezl Smoke]

Oh that turned out sweet!!

 Did you put a re-enforce plate on the inside of the spare tire carrier?

[Darryl&Rita]

Those Knaak boxes are built! Spent too much time under the front overhang. I've been tempted on a couple Auctions to pull the trigger on 1.

[Chad Heiser]

10 hours ago, jenandjon said:

Congratulations. Getting a new toy is always exciting.  09 so that should be pre DEF. 

Yes it is pre-def.  It still has a DPF filter and does regens, but I don't have to deal with DEF.

[Chad Heiser]

1 hour ago, Deezl Smoke said:

Oh that turned out sweet!!

 Did you put a re-enforce plate on the inside of the spare tire carrier?

Yes there is an identical flat plate on the inside to spread the load out.  I mounted the carriers so the tire weight actually sits on the deck of the truck and the mounts are just holding them in place.  They are definitely overbuilt for the task.  The week link is the side wall of the Knaack box, but with the interior plate and the fact the weight is on the deck I don't see any issues happening.

[Chad Heiser]

33 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Those Knaak boxes are built! Spent too much time under the front overhang. I've been tempted on a couple Auctions to pull the trigger on 1.

I had never seen this particular style box before.  It is perfect for a Drom box and offers a lot of storage.  It originally had a slanted deck in the upper section for laying out plans or using a computer.  I removed that slant because I didn't need it and that left me with a flat floor in the upper section for storage.  Another forum member sent me a link to the for sale add for the box because he knew I was interested in adding storage to my Kenworth.  It would have been a little too deep to fit between the cab of the Kenworth and the 5th wheel, but it just so happened it had the perfect dimensions for the Volvo I had my eye on at the time.

[Chad Heiser]

9 hours ago, Wrknrvr said:

  The idea of mounting the spare tires as you did is interesting. That uses basically unused space to give more space elsewhere.

  I also see the fire extinguisher in a handy, easily accessible location.

   Great job.

There was just enough room for the tires alongside the box without interfering with the fueling access.  I was never a fan of the spare tire mount on the trailer and I have had a second spare tire since the day I bought the trailer that had no home.  This definitely makes accessing the spares a lot easier in the event I need them.  Here's hoping I never have to take them off the truck.  😉

The fire extinguisher was an extra I had laying around.  I'm not sure how it will fair being out in the elements, but when the truck isn't in use it lives inside my shop so it shouldn't be too bad.

[Chad Heiser]

Here's a couple more pictures showing both storage areas of the box.

The box came with a 120 volt LED light and a double outlet box with an extension cord connected to it.  The cord can either come out the side or the bottom of the box.  I will eventually tie this into the inverter on the truck (which I plan to upgrade to a Victron system at some point).

[lappir]

1 hour ago, Chad Heiser said:

Here's hoping I never have to take them off the truck.  😉

Now Chad, they need to be part of a good tire rotation plan. Don't just let them rot and then when you need them they are way past being usable. 

 

Rod

Congrats on the Volvo, great color too. 

rl

[noteven]

Lower storage…upper storage…big shade awning…Lucky!!!

[Larry Burkett]

Very nice looking truck and the box will be great for those "working" road trips.

[Chad Heiser]

2 hours ago, lappir said:

Now Chad, they need to be part of a good tire rotation plan. Don't just let them rot and then when you need them they are way past being usable. 

 

Rod

Congrats on the Volvo, great color too. 

rl

I understand the idea of that, but unfortunately one of the spare rims is different than all the other rims, so it is dedicated to just being a spare.  I didn’t realize this until this past week when I put all new tires on the trailer and planned to rotate the two spares into the mix.  That’s when I realized the difference in the wheels.

Edited September 1 by Chad Heiser

[GlennWest]

We use those boxes on lots of construction sites. Basically Foreman's box and us welders put our bags or buckets in it at night. 

[rpsinc]

On 8/31/2024 at 2:53 PM, Chad Heiser said:

The week link is the side wall of the Knaack box, but with the interior plate and the fact the weight is on the deck I don't see any issues happening.

You can always add a backer plate on the inside to stiften the wall a bit.

Congrats on joining the club.  I also have DPF on mine, no DEF.