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| Looking into getting another semi for the farm and getting away from straight trucks all together, We have a nice outfit but are doing longer hauls now and would like another outfit that would haul 950-1000 at a time. Have a 172" wheelbase now on our freightliner and with a 38'6" hopper we fall exactly 6" short of being legal for 80,000. Luckily the truck/trailer is extremely light and we still haul around 950bu legal. Dad loves the truck for the simplicity/how maneuverable it is getting around on the road.
Love the Freightliner/Mercedes but i am a sucker for a strung out 379 Pete/T800 KW's. Looking at a few from "old school" 1977's as a winter project to pre-06's to avoid emissions. 172" on our freightliner does a great job for maneuverability in and out of what little we use of field entrances, but am looking for something a little longer to smooth the ride out more.
We mainly load on the road, and seems like 210-230" WB are fairly common lengths, (one caught my eye with 270" wheelbase but think that might be a little too much haha), how handy is that base length with a 40-42' hopper for getting in and out of entrances? Not too concerned with driving around town, not gonna tip it over if you had to walk it over a curb here or there on the small patches in the center of town unlike if you missed the culvert.
Thanks for replies in advance, don't wanna spend $$$ on the wrong truck and then be stuck with it!
Edited by EbertFarms 10/30/2012 03:39
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NW Central Ohio | Have you had an officer measure your truck for legal weight? That sounds like it should be long enough to fulfill the requirements for the bridge laws. Friend of mine is just under length with a Freightliner of approximately the same wheelbase...and a 34 foot frame dump trailer. I was under the impression that the bridge laws were pretty much standard across the US. We're from Ohio...don't know if there are different lengths for Illinois or not. I wouldn't consider any truck with a wheelbase over 200"...it just gets too long to be handy. But then I don't like really short wheelbase trucks either because they loose traction in the front end while turning easier. Sounds to me like you've got a pretty good sized tractor there....you might just need a slightly longer trailer. |
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Newdale, Manitoba, Canada | As far as ride goes, wheelbase was more important in the days of spring-ride suspension and rubber mount cabs. Today with air ride suspension, air ride cabs and air ride seats, I don't think that wheelbase makes all that much difference.
Andrew
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| Dad wants to stay with a shorter trailer because it's handy for him, he's been driving his straight truck and pup trailer and was a little nervous about the semi/trailer to begin with. He's finally comfortable with it after 2 years and i don't really want him to feel uneasy about a different truck/trailer. Looking at the same 10spd trans as thats what he's used to and in a pinch he/hired hands could drive it if need be, but he likes "his" truck and thats fine with me. |
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NW Central Ohio | ...Never mind, I went and Googled the Illinois Bridge Laws....Looks like you have to measure 51 feet from the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle on a 5 axle semi. That makes a longer trailer necessary. I even found where you can't have a wheelbase of "over" 55 feet on certain roads in Illinois. |
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NW Central Ohio | ...I would also caution you...that long wheelbase trucks probably have quite a bit of trouble maxing out the weight on their front axle. I know my 180 inch wheelbase Peterbilt only carries 11,500 on the front axle..and I've just about got the mud flaps against the dolly legs of my trailer.
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So. IL | pupdaddy12003 - 10/30/2012 06:00
...I would also caution you...that long wheelbase trucks probably have quite a bit of trouble maxing out the weight on their front axle. I know my 180 inch wheelbase Peterbilt only carries 11,500 on the front axle..and I've just about got the mud flaps against the dolly legs of my trailer.
That will depend on how far back the king pin is on the trailer or how far the fifth wheel is slid forward on the tractor. |
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Bethany, MO | ekeller2 - 10/30/2012 05:52 That will depend on how far back the king pin is on the trailer or how far the fifth wheel is slid forward on the tractor.
5th wheel setting is the only thing that affects the amount of weight on the steer. Kingpin depth has nothing to do with it. |
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Newdale, Manitoba, Canada | bowtieighth - 10/30/2012 06:14
5th wheel setting is the only thing that affects the amount of weight on the steer. Kingpin depth has nothing to do with it.
But if he can spec a trailer with a set-forward pin, that will allow him to move his fifth wheel farther forward and get more weight on the steer axle! We've done that up here to get weight on the steer and shorten the over-all length at the same time running 244" trucks with Super-B's and still stay under 25 meter length. But they don't seem to be checking much anymore....
Andrew
Edited by Andrew_D 10/30/2012 07:29
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Liberty, MO | Long wheelbase truck rails may make contact trailer dollies or hoppers while trying to get axle weight on front . Mine is 221 wb with 630 Volvo and get plenty of weight on front. |
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Bethany, MO | I agree, but kingping setting still had nothing to do with the weight on the steer, it just relieved the limitation of sliding the 5th wheel. How short of pins are you specing? Most I've seen on hoppers are only 20 - 22". |
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Lee Co | I think you need about 190" tractor with a 41' trailer to bridge 80k in Il. that is what I figure anyway. you get more that 210 and it's a bear to get in driveways. a setback steer axel like a t800 does help. |
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north central ky | we used to have everything under 200" but like you i wanted a longer truck now we have two 225" trucks that will turn as sharp as two of our other trucks that are 200". our little 180" 8200 int. will out turn anything by far though. we also used to have all 28 ft. dumps but got tired of hauling 900 bushels 80 miles when i could be hauling 1000+ so now we have 2, 40 footers a 32 footer and a 35 footer and the 28 footer stays in the shed unless we are hauling gravel or lime. good luck. |
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Central Minnesota | Have a couple of 379 extended hood petes here... One of them is 260, other is 265... Have a 40 foot timpte on the one that's 260, and a 42 foot on the one thats 265... No issues here, and we do have some pretty small field approaches.
Did the same thing as you want to do. Bought one of the 379's as a fixer-upper... It's a 260inch daycab...
Longer wheelbase will take that "choppy" feeling out of it. You don't notice it quite it as much when you have air ride cab, suspension, and trailer. But it's still there a little bit.
Alot depends on how efficient you want to be. Long wheelbase "big" truck, like a pete or kw, you will have a big block motor in the majority of them. well, long wheelbase adds frame weight, big block is heavier, and all of the air ride is a bit heavier. Eventually you won't be carrying as many bushels legally. But thats your call if your worried about hauling as much as you can legally, or if your happy with 910 bushels compared to the 960 legally. To me, it's about finding a good sound truck when i'm looking for one, or finding what i'm looking for. Doesn't matter what it is. Just want to find a good sound mechanical truck. Not one that you bring home and spend as much on it as you bought it for. Just to pass dot, or be a sound mechanical truck. And you will spend time looking. Atleast i do, but that's because i just never seem to buy anything "new"... I'm always the second owner or later than that even. |
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NE Iowa | Don't forget to factor in front end cut angle. Turn radius isn't just all about wheelbase. Our '00 Century has a 30" shorter wheelbase than our '87 FLD120, but it seems like you could about do a figure 8 with the Century inside the FLD120's turn circle - that thing cuts short. I am pretty sure we can go anywhere with the Century + 40' trailer that we can go with the FLD120 + 30' trailer. I looked pretty hard to find some cut angle figures on trucks in the 25 to 10 yr old range, and didn't have any luck. All I know is the '00 - '03 Century's and Columbias turn real short. |
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Wallis, TX | Not exactly, if your king pin is back AND you slide the fifth wheel forward you get a greater percentage of the trailer weight forward. Simple math, draw it out on paper and you will see. |
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Bethany, MO | Kingpin setting only affects how much weight is put on the 5th wheel, which can also be adjusted by how the trailer is loaded. 5th wheel setting is the only thing that affects amount of weight on steer. Unhook from a hopper with a 22" pin that has 28K on the 5th wheel and hook to a reefer with 36" pin and is putting 28K on the 5th wheel and steer axle will weigh the same in each case. |
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Liberty, MO | VNL and VNM Volvo's turn about the same as Century's Columbia , Take BIG LWB truck in the caves here in KCMO and you will realize the advantages of Set Back Axles BTDT ain't fun, but fun watching the big trucks work for hour getting into docks. |
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Liberty, MO | Volvo's turn 50 degrees VNL and VNM cab style. |
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Nebraska, The land of corn and cattle | For us the big block/lwb thing isnt an issue, we have a 96 W900L N14/13sp with a 60" flattop. Wheelbase is 260 i think, 42' Timpte 66"sides and ag hoppers and i can easily get 1100bu of corn and stay under legal limits with the 15% grace. truck weighs in at about 27500-28000 depending on how much fuel in the tanks |
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mw | Similar situation here, you get use to them or you modify your approaches. |
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NW Central Ohio | ...I just did the math, and with my 39' dump...and only 5% grace we get in Ohio...I can only legally scale 991 of corn. |
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Hubbard IA Cornpatch USA | Have 250inch w900l with a 41ft Wilson and don't have troubles getting around...... |
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| 260 wb pete with 43 wilson...no issues yet with turning...full of fuel, wet kit,,,sleeper....only weighs 28,200 empty... |
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Longest Wheelbase you would buy for a semi?
