My new truck questions
 

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Glad you got a good deal. Good to hear.
Downshifting from 6th to 5th. Just gotta work on it. I used to have the same trouble. Do you use the clutch or float the gears? Try reving up the engine before you try putting it in 5th and ride the gear till it slides in.
All the tires shouldn't be locking up unless you have the interaxle locked (I think).
Fuel will flow between the two tanks. At least it does on F/L's
Sounds like you just made a lousy choice in truck stops. I don't think it was the truck they were interested in and you could have looked like me and they still would have wanted to spend time with you :D
I have found that a tractor rides, shifts and stops better when it is towing a trailer. Truck will take less distance to stop fully loaded.
Hope this helps.

I have been wondering when you would make it back. I am glad things went smoothly. It is not uncommon for a bobtail to lock the brakes in rain when you don't have a trailer. You may want to lighten your touch on them when you don't have a trailer attached. The abs is supposed to alleviate most of that, but it is something that you need to be aware of when you are not pulling a trailer. When you down shift you need to match the rpm's. In other words you should raise the engine rpm's to match the gears in the transmission. Never force it into gear. If it doesn't go in right away, just play around with the rpm's. If you force it into gear, you can damage the transmission. After getting some experience, you will be able to shift without looking at the rpm's. Most of us get used to the sound of the engine and shift accordingly. That comes with experience. Try getting the rpm's around 1500-1700 before attempting to down shift. Shifting without grinding the gears takes practice. My guess is that you are allowing your rpm's to get too low before attempting to shift.

Congratulations on the new ride.
We need pictures of the truck and spec's.

I'm not sure what your doing with the 6th to 5th shift ? But if your changing from high range to low range you might mean 5th to 4th which would have a range change ?
Anyway your probably not matching your RPM's by picking them UP when going to the lower range and gear.

When stopping and your light, either empty or bob tailing your wheels will lock easier, especially in the rain. So be careful and anticipate this by giving yourself more room and time to stop so your not too heavy on the brakes. Lock them too much and the back end might start to come around on you, especially in the wet.


Also using the Jake brake if it has one ? They can have three stages with each stage 1-2-3 adding two more cylinders of the engine to the
braking power. Their good for helping you slow down before and during regular braking.

Your on your own with the lot lizards.

when you're in 6th gear and want to downshift to 5th just prior to down shifting put a little throttle to your engine while it's still in gear and then thump the accelerator a bit and it should slip right into 5th.
Red is nice but My first conventional that I drove was red and the Tractor clearance lights put light on the Hood and back into my eyes and it drove me nuts.

Steve,

I was wondering all weekend when we'd hear from you. Did you go through any scales? What did you do about a registration? Did the lizards offer you a new drivers discount.? lol

The fuel tanks will equalize themselves. You need to watch when you park to not have too much slope to one side if you are low on fuel. All of the fuel could drain out of the primary tank to the secondary tank and the truck may not be able to get enough fuel to start.

A truck always rides better with a trailer. It will ride better with a loaded trailer rather than when empty.

Are you pre-selecting the range button BEFORE moving the stick from 5th to neutral? Most of the modern roadranger products require pre-selecting the range shift before moving into neutral.


When I was on my CDL road test I aimed from sixth to fifth and ended up hitting the range button too late. I ended up in tenth and stalled the truck rolling downhill to a stop sign. :oops:

Congrats
 

Congrats on the new ride. Let's see some pictures. The truck is much more stable with a trailer behind it. Glad you made it back home safely and had a good time!

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get rid of the Dolly Partons :P

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Steve,glad to hear that you made it home in one piece. Shifting,it will come natural to ya. You may watch your tach. That might help ya,if you're the type to watch the tach. I never learned how to use the tach when driving. Like they said,just smash on the throttle when you down shift. Sometimes you can over-rev the motor,and you have to wait for second,and slide it in when the timing is right. You'll get the hang of it,and you'll be gear jammin before ya know it. That is a pretty truck. About the girlies checking out the ride,sweet. 8) I like the chicken lights. Now all ya need are some 6" straights. Congrats on the new trucky.

Not a big western star fan.... but that is a pretty truck!!!!! CONGRATS and good luck to you!!!!

Steve, your base plate goes on the front in a class 8 truck. One way I can tell if someone is a newbie is the big grin on their face, for no apparent reason, as they drive down the highway. :wink:

I like having mirrors on the fenders. It gives greater visibility and helps eliminate a blind spot. Nice looking truck. Is that the 76" sleeper?

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Nice truck Steve. Good luck with everything.

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Looks good, Steve

What engine does it have ?

Say what you like about those "DOLLY PARTONS", but I like them. Wouldn't be without them. There have been ocassions when I was going to change lanes and they were the only things that told me I could not do so. My truck came with one on the right fender, and I bought one to mount on the left one. Holes be damned. Better than trying to explain why I didn't see someone alongside me. I want every safety device I can get my hands on, and I'm sporting a pair of them on my truck.

Very nice looking truck. Status symbol, even.

GOOD LOOKING RIDE!!!!!

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:shock: ??????Hoping thats a typo...

I may be a newbie to this site BUT, I have been driving for the last 17 yrs, .Do I have this right.You have zero trucking experiece, knowledge, but you jumped in head first and bought a truck, then you inquire about plates,insurence,shifting, braking(bobtail).Honestly, I wish you luck, but I think you're nuts! Maybe its that I just wish I could jump in head first into the o/o arena, I don't know...WOW.Good luck,more power to you.....

Looking forward to reading you experiences!

I kinda think it's crazy too, but you can't knock a fella for being enthusiastic about a new venture and having the cajones (or, maybe ignorance) to jump into something likes this as he's done!

Not trying to be an ass, but I can NOT wait until winter hits. With the cold season right around the corner, I look forward to hearing from Mr. Booth when he can't get is truck moving in a icy parking lot, or when it took him 9 hours to go 50 miles b/c he was driving on a sheet of ice, or when he runs into his first white-out and runs up on stopped traffic...

I'm definitely not knocking him.I wish I had the stones to do it (READ: have the ability too).Seriously, I wish him the best of luck.

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Now, now, Steve. 9th grade? Come on. I met a guy just the other day who graduated from 10th grade. :wink: One thing I have found is a great diversity in today's drivers. I have met lawyers, police, college professors, mechanics, factory workers and about any other profession you can imagine. Most will have at least a high school diploma. Some will have college and advanced degrees. That wasn't always the case. I can understand how you might think that, with the way some act and communicate. I think it would be wrong to lump everyone or the majority in that group.

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way to stereotype people buddy, you should share this wisdom at truck stops you visit, don`t be suprised when someone cuts your glad hands off though :lol:


just jump in and throw the chains on and learn eh, yeah you`ll do real good.

You will probably get some flak over your statement. There are always those who can tell you why you cannot do something. And to be honest you have some things working against you, such as lack of experience. On the other hand, you have things working in your favor, such as being able to pay cash for your equipment and reserves to run the truck. Determination and initiative can over come a lot of obstacles. I have known of people who have achieved great success, that they probably should not have achieved, through sheer determination and grit. I have also met some educated idiots. I recall one guy I knew many years ago who had a good education and high intellect. The problem he had is that he didn't have any common sense. He was fine if it was in a book. He repaired a car by getting a book from the library. Take away his book, and he was lost. :roll: One thing I believe a good education can do for you is teach you how to go about finding answers.

I bought a new step deck last year. I looked for a good used trailer, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for at a decent price. I finally just bought a new trailer. If you had more time, you could probably get a good deal at one of the truck auctions. I am not familiar with trailer dealers in your area, but I got a good deal on my step deck at K & L Truck and Trailer in Knoxville, TN. They are a Transcraft dealer. They saved me about $2M. If I were looking for a moderately priced flat bed trailer I would look at Transcraft and Great Dane. By the way, there is also a fairly large Great Dane dealer in Knoxville. You may find someone near you. Lufkin makes a no frills steel trailer. Not too long ago, you could buy one for less than $20M. I priced a new one last year for about $16M, I believe. I am sure that the price has gone up since then. Regardless of which trailer you purchase, I would spec it to haul coils and steel. I understand you can't haul it now, but may want to do so once your restriction is lifted. Besides, it makes for a stronger trailer. It is called a coil package.

Steve, when it "grinds" is that you grinding the gear or does it grind instantly when it goes into neutral? The 5-6 or 6-5 shift will have a slightly different tempo then the other shifts. You have to wait for the tranny to "click"(going into a different range. Sometimes you have to feather the throttle a little differently.

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why not go for a Spread axle that you can switch between Spread and Regular Tandem?
They're a bit pricey though

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I haven't run into Canada for quite awhile
Actually States prefer Spread Axles because, Supposedly, they distribute your Weight which in turn saves wear and tear on roads and Bridges.


I'm sure somebody that is more DOT qualified than me will chime in with more definite Regs.

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Here-this will help you

http://www.tdrc.ca/axle_weights.html

WOW! Nothing like going into this thinking your the "Gifted One".Thats a fantastic attitude to have. You'll quickly find out how fast your arrogance will get you no where, and just how wrong that statement actually is.

As GMan said, you'll find everything from drop outs to former CEO's, teachers, lawyers, cops , the trucking industry runs the entire gamet.

I would at the least have gotten some experience before I jumped in, but that just me.

I would be very leary of going w/ flatbed right off the bat.Your going to have soo much else to worry about, being a new driver PLUS O/O, that adding all the compleities of flatbed(IE regs on how certain products have to be secured,loads shifting, tarping, etc...) will be a HUGE learning curve. But, as you said if all the stupid people can ....

Yes its great to be able to pay cash for everything, BUT that doesnt equal success. It certainly helps, its great that you can do that, we all wish we could, but you still have to have the return on that investment.Just because there are no payments, doesn't mean you can afford to make less.