Kodiak/TopKick Trucks

[TheViking]

Well I have a CDL so now I need the truck....



Somehow I find the truck the most expensive part....

 

[fordf150]

air brakes mandate a CDL no matter what the GVW is. 22.5 rubber is a better setup. from my experience 19.5 tires dont last as many miles as the 22.5 and they cost the same but some applications benefit from the lower ride height of the smaller tires. Last i looked there also wasnt as big of a selection to choose from in 19.5 tires especially if you wanted a rough tread of any kind.

 

[Knobby57]

My gvw weight is 25595 so do not need a cdl licence to run it here ,26001 and up you do though ,have hydro brakes on my trucks also,i am not sure if air brakes would need the cdl or not ,My trucks also have 22.5 wheels ,i think some have 19.5

26001 and up or over 10k on a trailer you are into commercial license . 2 calipers and 2 rotors parts only on a 2000 6500 was about 900$ carry a caliper pin in your glove box .. I've needed one of those about 3 times in the last year driving over crappy roads .
I did drive a newer Alison / duramax and it was sweet . Better power than the cat motor . Super quiet and lots of emissions . The Alison trans is great in them unless you crank up the motor and or drive it like a race car . If you have a heavy right foot you won't be happy with a auto trans in a medium duty truck .
From what I've seen in the 90s and early 2000 trucks the cat motors are the best if maintained . The internationals all I saw where nightmares


Sent from my phone when I should be working

 

[Knobby57]

air brakes mandate a CDL no matter what the GVW is. 22.5 rubber is a better setup. from my experience 19.5 tires dont last as many miles as the 22.5 and they cost the same but some applications benefit from the lower ride height of the smaller tires. Last i looked there also wasnt as big of a selection to choose from in 19.5 tires especially if you wanted a rough tread of any kind.

19.5 tires do suck compared to the 22.5 he is correct on the selection . 22.5 will give you a taller truck . If I wasn't worried about hight I would take the 22.5 in a heartbeat


Sent from my phone when I should be working

 

[TheViking]

I have experience with the International MDT line as I drove one for work yes the auto is slow in a medium duty truck but I'm not trying to speed shift or race anywhere just get to and from in a decent manner and safe manner.

Thanks guys and the truck would be used in a mixed bag of environments from urban to rural and with that being said I would want the more aggressive or most aggressive tire tread I could find and four wheel drive.

I'm sure the aggressive tread would suck on the highway or roads but not getting stuck on farmlands or down logging roads with a trailer in tow would be more than worth it to me.

Thanks again for the input and please keep it coming all this is really helping me, now I think I need to set up a internet-based funding account.....

 

[greg storms]

Check out the thread on this forum dated 4-6-15, called cat 3126???? it has some info on the Allison auto trans. When I got my bucket truck (3126 cat w/Allison auto trans), I looked at lots of posts from motor home owners. There's plenty info about them and how well they perform, just do a search. When I was looking at trucks in 17500-19500# range, my mechanic said the duramax 6.6 diesel was good, but stay away from 2007. I bought a 2006, 19500# rated GVW with 6 speed standard shift. The ca is 84", I wish it was 120" to be able to put the small loader between cab and chip box...You're doing the right thing in researching before buying.! edit: consider a heavy duty 30000# bumper mounted winch to run off the PTO. I have one on my 36000# GVW bucket truck and it's gotten me out of stuck situations many times.

 

[fordf150]

Mixed driving... with more city/rural than highway miles and there won't be much difference in tire wear between the mud and highway style tires.

Depending on what your grossing And the wheel base of the truck recaps might make sense too

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I would buy tire chains well before thinking of 4x4 in a MDT. They aren't very common and parts are expensive.

 

[TheViking]

Check out the thread on this forum dated 4-6-15, called cat 3126???? it has some info on the Allison auto trans. When I got my bucket truck (3126 cat w/Allison auto trans), I looked at lots of posts from motor home owners. There's plenty info about them and how well they perform, just do a search. When I was looking at trucks in 17500-19500# range, my mechanic said the duramax 6.6 diesel was good, but stay away from 2007. I bought a 2006, 19500# rated GVW with 6 speed standard shift. The ca is 84", I wish it was 120" to be able to put the small loader between cab and chip box...You're doing the right thing in researching before buying.! edit: consider a heavy duty 30000# bumper mounted winch to run off the PTO. I have one on my 36000# GVW bucket truck and it's gotten me out of stuck situations many times.

Alright I will check when I have a moment today. Thanks!

Mixed driving... with more city/rural than highway miles and there won't be much difference in tire wear between the mud and highway style tires.

Depending on what your grossing And the wheel base of the truck recaps might make sense too

I have noticed rail road trucks with some aggressive tread patterns so knowing that rail road vehicles cover a large type driving environments I figured they wouldn't be to terrible on the road.

I would buy tire chains well before thinking of 4x4 in a MDT. They aren't very common and parts are expensive.

I had to put tire chains on a fire truck I said never again if I can order or find it in four wheel drive I'm getting it in four wheel drive.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Check with Monroe Truck. They sold a ton of em, even did pickup conversions for city cowboys. Think they have a place down in Louisville now, their home office is Madison WI

 

[Trx250r180]

26001 and up or over 10k on a trailer you are into commercial license . 2 calipers and 2 rotors parts only on a 2000 6500 was about 900$ carry a caliper pin in your glove box .. I've needed one of those about 3 times in the last year driving over crappy roads .
I did drive a newer Alison / duramax and it was sweet . Better power than the cat motor . Super quiet and lots of emissions . The Alison trans is great in them unless you crank up the motor and or drive it like a race car . If you have a heavy right foot you won't be happy with a auto trans in a medium duty truck .
From what I've seen in the 90s and early 2000 trucks the cat motors are the best if maintained . The internationals all I saw where nightmares


Sent from my phone when I should be working

You need a commercial account with napa ,Just bought 2 rear rotors for $122.57 each

 

[Knobby57]

You need a commercial account with napa ,Just bought 2 rear rotors for $122.57 each

We have that . It was for the front . It also depends greatly on what rear you have installed . I never luck out and have the cheaper . If they say there are 2 possability so say give me the more expensive and I'm almost always correct


Sent from my phone when I should be working

 

[Trx250r180]

We have that . It was for the front . It also depends greatly on what rear you have installed . I never luck out and have the cheaper . If they say there are 2 possability so say give me the more expensive and I'm almost always correct


Sent from my phone when I should be working

On my rollback we kept eating rear brakes when first got it ,ended up the rubber hose from the frame to the axle was getting hot or something and collapsing making the brakes drag ,a new hose failed within 6 months ,ended up having a steel braided hose built at the hydrolic shop ,that cured it . there is 2 different brake options on the eaton ,I think i have the uncommon one because they do not stock it here ,the ones i have are about 1/4 of an inch more pad surface, It has gone through a few clutches now ,i think that is from the drivers ,not the truck though , My wrecker is a 97 ,we bought it new ,it only has 35k miles ,the rollback has over 200k now

 

[fordf150]

If your having trouble eating brakes check the brake hoses. the metal clips that are crimped around the hose to bolt them to the frame rust between the tab and hose pinching the hose shut. we always split it open a little bit so that the hose would slide in the bracket.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I had to put tire chains on a fire truck I said never again if I can order or find it in four wheel drive I'm getting it in four wheel drive.

Sounds like you need to get someone to show you the easy way to chain up. Once you get the hang of it it's no big deal.

I have run several 4x4 MDTs, and I can tell you that most times a 4x2 running tire chains would go in the same places, or at times go further.
Tire tread makes a huge difference too. One of the trucks, an International, had "Florida tires" even with lockers, and 4x4 it was nearly 100% useless in winter as it couldn't get traction if there was about more than 4 snowflakes.

Your getting into "unicorn" territory with 4x4, as they are not common and the parts will be harder to find vs a standard 2wd. It's not the same as a 4wd pickup truck. The MDTs are all 2wd and an aftermarket outfitter converts them to 4wd.

 

[TheViking]

Check with Monroe Truck. They sold a ton of em, even did pickup conversions for city cowboys. Think they have a place down in Louisville now, their home office is Madison WI

If I remember correctly these are the guys who built the Ironhide replica trucks from the Transformers movies.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

If I remember correctly these are the guys who built the Ironhide replica trucks from the Transformers movies.

Who is that? Not sure if you are replying to me?

 

[TheViking]

Who is that? Not sure if you are replying to me?

No I was replying to someone else but Ironhide is a Kodiak truck who is a Autobot in the Transformers movies.

As far as easy I'm sure there was a easier way than what we did but still it took half an hour or so to chain the truck up. That being said I much rather push a button, flip a switch, or pull a lever and put that front axle to work.

I have had to drive on muddy construction sites where even using the locker the dump truck was hard to handle loaded and unloaded, and forget turning in the mud......

Also I have ruined two automatic transmissions on our rural property when taking feed out to the horse or on a return trip having two wheel drive.

I wouldn't be operating the vehicle in ice or snowy conditions unless returning to the house. Living on a mountain though we get that when the valley only gets rain or just simply cold. Having had to walk a mile in the snow and ice to keep from hitting a vehicle, tree, or person on the side of the road sucks until you can thumb a ride.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Sounds like you need to get someone to show you the easy way to chain up. Once you get the hang of it it's no big deal.

I have run several 4x4 MDTs, and I can tell you that most times a 4x2 running tire chains would go in the same places, or at times go further.
Tire tread makes a huge difference too. One of the trucks, an International, had "Florida tires" even with lockers, and 4x4 it was nearly 100% useless in winter as it couldn't get traction if there was about more than 4 snowflakes.

Your getting into "unicorn" territory with 4x4, as they are not common and the parts will be harder to find vs a standard 2wd. It's not the same as a 4wd pickup truck. The MDTs are all 2wd and an aftermarket outfitter converts them to 4wd.

Unicorn? You're showing your complete lack of knowledge again. They're maybe 1-2% of the medium duty market, but by no means unicorns or even especially rare. All the utilities and many farms and construction companies use them here.

Freightliner and Navistar do offer 4x4 as a factory option as well.

I can also chain up a tire fairly quickly, but will avoid it if possible. It's the last choice option.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Oh. I haven't watched those. Don't get a chance to watch too many movies.

I've never timed it, it's quite possible it would take 30+ mins or so to chain up all the tires. That would only be around 5 mins a tire if you figure 2 steer tires and 4 sets of drive tires. Most of the time I just chain up one set of drives unless it's REAL bad.

I'm not trying to say that having that front axle help won't be a good thing, but for most folks it's not worth the added cost, weight and maintenance. If your looking into that type of use, an old M35 6x6 would be much more rugged than any Kodiak could think of being and usually are pretty cheap too.