Attention Visitors and Lurkers - Please Read and Respond to this Request

[Jim & Wilma]

From one lurker to another, welcome to the forum.

[Larry&Donna-AK]

Hello All,

 

We've been watching the HDT forum for a number of years and have decided the HDT is the RVing for us. We've just ordered a new Volvo 780 after searching for the "just right for us" used HDT without any luck. We're excited to have a custom ordered Volvo, specific to our needs, that may be a little more expensive than used but was cheaper than we expected. We are really excited and can hardly wait to start our new adventure.

 

We have been full timing for years, starting with a small 17' trailer and growing into a MotorCoach.

 

Larry&Donna

[Jim & Wilma]

Congrats Larry and Donna! Have you decided who and how to build the bed?

[RoadWarrior420]

Hi group!!

 

What a great resource this has been for me! I am a few months into my research for a HDT. Currently I have a 15 F350 Dually with a 6.7 Diesel. Honestly, thing is a beast but the braking, people are idiots and I felt I needed more so I bought an Automated Safety Hitch (that is a totally different story). Nonetheless, I am going to go with a HDT. I spoke with Gregg from RVHaulers but I just can't see myself spending $100k for truck with almost 800k miles on it. He is incredibly knowledgeable and seems like a very nice guy and someone who I would do business with in the future, just now, not full timing, can't seem to pull the trigger with him.

 

I have some questions for you guys here. I see that mostly everyone singles their HDT's and I am not sure that I would. I get the tires, the maintenance, turning radius etc. Can anyone chime in here who has a rig that they left tandem? Also, being that I have a new toyhauler currently, I wouldn't be putting a bed on (I am 6'6" and the Smart Car just aint gonna do it lol). Fenders, removing the commercial hitch and putting a ET Sr Air Hitch on, can't I just do that? I will put at most 5-10k per year on this rig ( I am only 45 and have a 10 year old and an 18 year old in college).

 

Tell me, Volvo, Peterbilt or Kenworth? I will need to delete rear bottom bunk and put in either a jacknife sofa or new captain chairs. I am hearing that with the new emission trucks, especially Volvo, that they are a nightmare. Can anyone add their two cents here? I feel I need to buy something with no more than 600k miles on it and I see some for $45k-$75k. I of course would prefer something automatic but I am open to an ultrashift.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

PS. An alternative to the Smart Car is this http://www.ezgo.com/Home/Personal/2Five I have seen it and driven it. It is street legal, goes 25mph and has over a 20 mile range and is about $12k. Just throwing that in there.

 

[HERO Maker]

First off, I'm 6'2" and I get into the smart car and move the seat forward.

I am still tandem and plan to stay that way. It has allowed me to get out of some "stuck" situations at least 3 times.

Depending on what your future plans might be with a trailer (I know, we all say this is the last one), your pin weight might be a problem, depending on what you do with a large drom (for extra storage of stuff) (especially if you don't have side boxes).

[Jack Mayer]

6' 6" is "pushing" a smart, for sure.

 

Nothing wrong with leaving the truck tandem if you want to. My first choice is singling, but if you are not sure of your weight carrying requirements you should leave it tandem. It will save you some money initially but you will spend that on maintenance in the long run. It is a personal choice. And you do not need a body on it - a flat deck or even just fenders on the tandems will be fine. I discuss many of these issues on my website which you may find interesting if you have not seen it yet. Link in my signature.

 

The first place to look for a truck is on the forum....

[NoDirectionHome]

 

 

It will save you some money initially but you will spend that on maintenance in the long run.

Jack, I can't see how spending 15-20K on a bed will ever be less than the cost of leaving the truck tandem with the miles an RV'er will travel. Am I missing something?

[Jack Mayer]

Jack, I can't see how spending 15-20K on a bed will ever be less than the cost of leaving the truck tandem with the miles an RV'er will travel. Am I missing something?

The bed has nothing to do with tandem or single. They are separate decisions. For example, Rocky has a very nice hauler bed on his tandem.

 

None of these decisions are based strictly on cost. If it was cost based you would keep a pickup - and an old one, to boot. Singling is going to run you around 4-5K these days. Brakes, tires and components will cost you that over time. It is pay now or pay later....like I said, a personal choice. However IF there is any chance of hauling heavy deck items in the future you want to stay tandem. Anything much heavier than a smart will overload a singled truck, assuming a heavy trailer.

[Dollytrolley]

Hi group!!

 

What a great resource this has been for me! I am a few months into my research for a HDT. Currently I have a 15 F350 Dually with a 6.7 Diesel. Honestly, thing is a beast but the braking, people are idiots and I felt I needed more so I bought an Automated Safety Hitch (that is a totally different story). Nonetheless, I am going to go with a HDT. I spoke with Gregg from RVHaulers but I just can't see myself spending $100k for truck with almost 800k miles on it. He is incredibly knowledgeable and seems like a very nice guy and someone who I would do business with in the future, just now, not full timing, can't seem to pull the trigger with him.

 

I have some questions for you guys here. I see that mostly everyone singles their HDT's and I am not sure that I would. I get the tires, the maintenance, turning radius etc. Can anyone chime in here who has a rig that they left tandem? Also, being that I have a new toyhauler currently, I wouldn't be putting a bed on (I am 6'6" and the Smart Car just aint gonna do it lol). Fenders, removing the commercial hitch and putting a ET Sr Air Hitch on, can't I just do that? I will put at most 5-10k per year on this rig ( I am only 45 and have a 10 year old and an 18 year old in college).

 

Tell me, Volvo, Peterbilt or Kenworth? I will need to delete rear bottom bunk and put in either a jacknife sofa or new captain chairs. I am hearing that with the new emission trucks, especially Volvo, that they are a nightmare. Can anyone add their two cents here? I feel I need to buy something with no more than 600k miles on it and I see some for $45k-$75k. I of course would prefer something automatic but I am open to an ultrashift.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

PS. An alternative to the Smart Car is this http://www.ezgo.com/Home/Personal/2Five I have seen it and driven it. It is street legal, goes 25mph and has over a 20 mile range and is about $12k. Just throwing that in there.

 

 

RoadW,

 

Good questions, obviously you have been pondering a lot of things regarding your "desired RV experience".

 

We are a bit-of-a-blacksheep" here......Our HDT is somewhat odd as it is not a Volvo but a older 1997 Freightliner Century mid-roof-condo with a small Cummins M11 coupled to a 10 speed Roadranger and 3:08 tandem rears. Presently we switch between TWO bed configurations, one is a simple 8' X 12' wood deck and the other is a 20' Ryder-type box with a roll-up rear door and a 4' X 8' curb-side door, this box allows us to load a full-size blazer in the "garage-section" and still carry a few tons of horse water, feed and tack in the front 5 ft of the box.

 

As I said our rig is odd in that our travel -pet(s) total about 960 lbs of weight .......,Kio, the Abyssinian cat weighs in at 10 lbs and..... Dolly-the-paint-horse hovers at about 950 pounds give or take 25 pounds...... Koi is a light traveler but..... Dolly is one of those "girls" that does NOT travel light ......for moderate trip we will fill up her 330 gallon tote with water, then throw in about 1,500 pounds of feed and then about 500 lbs of tack and "nag-related-essential" items..... hence with this much variable-loading we must remain tandem to stay flexible.

 

Dollytrolley presently has 1,031,XXX miles on the "glider" with about 18,000 on a new engine and rebuilt drive-train so....... we have a older truck with a nearly new drive train.

 

Dollytrolley is in a constant-state-of-change in the appearance department and some stages are pretty ugly but it is a project that is somewhat interrupted by the sometimes over-active-retirement.....job that seems to be near-full-time at times.

 

Used truck miles are often a source of confusion and frustration......your goal of obtaining a truck of 600k or less miles may have merit but also might not be as trouble free as you might have imagined. HDT's are a bit different than cars or pickups in that they tend to be built as commercial machinery and unlike autos with fairly defined life-limits.....HDT's life-spans are determined by the maintenance-levels and component rebuild / replacement intervals. You would likely be amazed how many older HDT's have Several million miles on them and are very reliably piling on more miles every day. On the other hand, if you graze through the Truck ads long enough you will find a HUGE inventory of late-model HDT's that are for sale with 500,000 to 800,000 miles since new.........why.......well often newer trucks reach the end -of-first-life-cycle due to "bean-counter-issues" that is that the cost-to-benefit-ratio favors selling the late-model used truck and purchase (or lease) a new truck. A major factor in the 500k to 800k sell decision is that this mileage range is often where the first component-related major service and or rebuild / replace issues start ti be costly in downtime and capital expense. The latest HDT's with complex emission system(s) are prone to very costly component service issues in this mileage range.

 

So......does this mean that late model trucks in the 500k to 800k mileage range a.......money-pit....... some will be and some may be OK..... roll the dice as they say....

 

It's somewhat telling that Greg at RV Haulers takes extreme efforts to sift and research EACH HDT that he purchases AND then when he finds a "cream-puff" he then tears into it to refine and rework it into a unit that often compares well to a new HDT. Is Greg's model ideal......perhaps.... this model while costly compared to the cost of a "normal-used-HDT" the added cost may often be a good value in that you will likely obtain a "proven-HDT" in "near-new" condition........it is likely that the value is confirmed and I have never recalled so much as one bad word about Greg's work or business ethics......how many major item companies have that many happy clients........

 

Dollytrolley will likely never be a show-truck and it is very plain/ugly-jane right now and to a certain extent this works fairly well in the the wifes horse-trail -ridding hobby finds the Dollytrolley on many miles of gravel, dirt, and a few muddy back roads with more than a few tree limbs jutting out into the ......"road".......

 

My last point will likely get me flamed but what the heck....... I tend to demand reliable service from my boats, aircraft, and trucks and the current new HDT's with DPF in NO way rise to my standards of reliability .......Period.

 

The current "DPF-Experment" is just that a "Forced-Experment" and I will choose to let other folks partake of the "DPF-experience" I for one find the "forced-shut-down" of a DPF system a major safety issue that is unacceptable........Period........Scrap seems to hint that if you think DPF is bad......just wait.......the "Fix' will likely be much worse.......

 

Flame me now .....I have my Nomex undies on.......,

 

Drive on.........(Find the HDT that is the best fit......)

Edited November 10, 2015 by Dollytrolley

[NoDirectionHome]

OK, I was comparing no deck tandem vs the usual singling + deck conversion. I'm a little slow today

[RoadWarrior420]

Dollytrolley,

 

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it. I have some more questions lol.

 

I am flying out to Chicago (from NY) to look at a 2012 Volvo 670 ishift with 493k on it. I have had it put on the dyno and it came back at 80%. The oil is getting checked in the next day or so. Tires are at 80% It has a new turbo, egr and it really seems like it could be a good fit. i will of course have a 3rd party inspect it. The salesperson has been extremely helpful (shocker). They are asking $59,900 for this truck.

 

I also have another option. It is a 2011 Peterbilt 387 with about 500k on it. This one is about to be rebuilt. All new everything in the engine, not a crate engine but a full on rebuild of engine, new turbo, egr, dpf everything. Virgin tires, just running through the whole thing. That one can be had for $52,000.

 

Your thoughts?

[Star Dreamer]

Road warrior,

 

This is our opinion for what it is worth. We would need more info on each of them if it was available.

On the Volvo, try to find out of the EGR valve or Turbo had been replaced previously. Most likely the truck was still under warranty if do and the records would be available with Volvo. This would give you an idea if it eats EGR valves and if it would need one in your lifetime of ownership. If so you would be best to budget a replacement just in case. If it went nearly 500k on the first set hopefully you will get that much out of the replacement. Be sure they replace both EGRs if is has two and see if they will warranty the work.

 

On the Peterbuilt, you need to find out why it needs to be rebuilt with that low of miles. Same as above, see if they are willing to provide a warranty.

 

You do realize the 670 is a smaller cab than a 770 on the Volvo. Make sure that works for you.

 

Also, it will be hard to find an automatic in an HDT. The I shifts, Freedomlines and Ultrashifjts (& a new Detroit transmission) are pretty close with only 2 pedals but are considered auto shifting transmissions as the computer is doing the shifting for you. An autoshift is similar but has a clutch to start out with.

 

Dave

[johnpsz]

I was a short time lurker, mainly in the 5th wheel section. In the past 3 weeks I found out about HDT's, mainly surfing Youtube for with a search of "RV Hualer", since I was debating between a new/newer 1 ton truck or a MDT. However, instead of finding things on MDT's I found a ton of Gregg's videos and got hooked, I want a HDT now. But still have a ton to learn before I go through selling the idea to my wife. So I joined the forums to start asking questions so I can be best informed.

[S&JTaylor]

Hello All,

Been lurking for a while trying to gain some knowledge of the HDT world. We're currently towing with a 2006 F350 DRW and started looking for a new pickup. After getting over the sticker shock of a new pickup, I started looking into MDTs, but with a family of 4 and 2 dogs, there still wasn't enough room. It seems that an HDT is a better fit for us due to capability and versatility. I have some questions rolling around in my head, but want to read some more and gain more knowledge before I ask. Thanks for the great info you all of have provided so far.

[rickeieio]

I doubt there's a question that's not already been asked, and answered. That said, I've not had great success with the search function here.

 

However, the Resource Guide is a treasure chest of answers. It's the second item down on the front page of the HDT forum.

 

Oh, and by the way, Welcome!

Edited January 1, 2016 by rickeieio

[hone eagle]

I second Rick - ask away , but add a reminder to those who looked at Greggs trucks and thought 100,000 was too much ,remember the power of the U.S. dollar.

That truck is $30,000 less now and likely for the rest of the year.

Goes for smarts as well,Canadian dollar is around 0.70 give or take. (jan. 2016)

[Jack Mayer]

You might find my website helpful with the basics. Link in my signature. Welcome.

[Jack Mayer]

I second Rick - ask away , but add a reminder to those who looked at Greggs trucks and thought 100,000 was too much ,remember the power of the U.S. dollar.

That truck is $30,000 less now and likely for the rest of the year.

Goes for smarts as well,Canadian dollar is around 0.70 give or take. (jan. 2016)

Gregg's prices are USD.

[Larry&Donna-AK]

Just a warning, when I visited Gregg and received quote for a build project. It was unclear if he was quoting USD or Canadian Dollar. The quote was high but reasonable if it was Canadian Dollars. Just make sure you're talking apples to apples.

[hone eagle]

Gregg's prices are USD.

crap

never mind

[S&JTaylor]

Thanks for the replies all. I guess one of the internal questions I have is whether to buy a truck ready to roll through Gregg or possibly here in the For Sale section or go about it on my own. I guess each method has pros/cons, but one is much easier. If I go the route of DIY (so to speak) I would probably look at a higher mileage truck to keep cost down and leave some money available to make the modifications needed to suit us. It seems that buying a high mileage truck (800K +) is like a lot of other things...a crap shoot, but may not be bad as long as you know what you are getting into and set some funds aside "just in case". Any opinions on that would appreciated.

 

Jack,

I ran across your website a few months ago either through the Resource Guide or a web search, but it has been a great help. I live in Texas (San Antonio area), so the Legal Issues section was immensly helpful in understanding the legal aspects of what we would be getting into. Lots of other great info on the site as well. Thanks for putting it together. Mark Bruss's website was also a great help.

[phoenix2013]

Thanks for the replies all. I guess one of the internal questions I have is whether to buy a truck ready to roll through Gregg or possibly here in the For Sale section or go about it on my own. I guess each method has pros/cons, but one is much easier. If I go the route of DIY (so to speak) I would probably look at a higher mileage truck to keep cost down and leave some money available to make the modifications needed to suit us. It seems that buying a high mileage truck (800K +) is like a lot of other things...a crap shoot, but may not be bad as long as you know what you are getting into and set some funds aside "just in case". Any opinions on that would appreciated.

 

High mileage truck will have issues, no questions, but it will be cheap. I bought one of these, 830,000 miles for $27K. Made sure it was a "good one" by having dyno done and drove it home. Even tough the engine and tranny are still good (at 900,000 after 8 years) I spent around $20K on various, some expensive repairs, other things will quit on a 800K truck. Am I bitchin', absolutely not. I had the use of the truck for 8 years and for 70,000 miles, I'm still under $50K in truck cost, and I feel like the fixes were paid for with "free money" I saved in the very beginning. And in the beginning I had the funds to do the conversions on the truck.

 

[Jack Mayer]

This is just MY opinion, so take it for what it is worth.

 

If you are an experienced tinkerer on cars, etc. and have the shop facilities and have the inclination, and don't need the truck soon ....then buying one yourself (assuming you have the skills to determine what a "good" truck is) and doing the conversion yourself is the way to go. You will know the truck inside out and ultimately spend less money. ASSUMING you get a good truck to start with.

 

You can also buy the truck yourself, and then shop out some or all of the conversion to various shops. For example, Larry Herrin can handle the body, and he has a friend that will do a basic conversion for you. Then do the maintenance upgrades/work yourself. There are certain things you SHOULD do prior to the body going on. etc. etc.

 

It all depends on the age of truck you want, and the condition of it. Also your level of risk you feel like assuming. There is a LOT to do to an older truck to get it in really excellent condition. But not all trucks need to be in excellent condition....and you may not need an "excellent condition" truck.

 

Buying a 20K truck (in today's market) is not going to get you much truck. But it may be all the truck you need or want.

[Larry&Donna-AK]

This is just MY opinion, so take it for what it is worth.

 

If you are an experienced tinkerer on cars, etc. and have the shop facilities and have the inclination, and don't need the truck soon ....then buying one yourself (assuming you have the skills to determine what a "good" truck is) and doing the conversion yourself is the way to go. You will know the truck inside out and ultimately spend less money. ASSUMING you get a good truck to start with.

 

You can also buy the truck yourself, and then shop out some or all of the conversion to various shops. For example, Larry Herrin can handle the body, and he has a friend that will do a basic conversion for you. Then do the maintenance upgrades/work yourself. There are certain things you SHOULD do prior to the body going on. etc. etc.

 

It all depends on the age of truck you want, and the condition of it. Also your level of risk you feel like assuming. There is a LOT to do to an older truck to get it in really excellent condition. But not all trucks need to be in excellent condition....and you may not need an "excellent condition" truck.

 

Buying a 20K truck (in today's market) is not going to get you much truck. But it may be all the truck you need or want.

Jack, Good advice and exactly why I am buying new. Even though I consider myself a verily good mechanic I don't have a facility to complete a conversion and/or repairs and initially would rely on someone to do the work, sometimes with no guarantees. New is not for everyone but it works for me because I'm getting exactly what I want.

[S&JTaylor]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Good advise to go by. I would fall in the category of able to do maintenance on my own, but some of the bigger jobs would have to be done by someone else. Makes for a lot to think about regarding what path to take. I am inclined to go with a pre-emission truck with higher miles and convert it myself, but have some more thinking to do before I decide what way I'll go.

 

On a side note, I can't seem to find the inspection sheet that is on the RV Hauler site. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong. Would someone be able to enlighten me on how to get it?