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Hazelton, Kansas | Bryce,
We haul nearly all our grain to a local Coop. Haul distance ranges from about 600' to 15 miles, but most of it goes about 5 miles. Way less than half our road miles are paved, and since the oil play hit the area all our roads have gotten rough (I'm being kind here).
We run three 600 bushel single axle tractor-trailers. We used to run straight trucks, but we like the short semis much better. They are all Jet 22' steel trailers. Tractors range from an '86 IH-1954 with a 466 to a '98 IH 9100 with an M-11.
For our use, the important thing is not how fast the wheels turn, but that they turn. A good, reliable, slow truck (with decent tires and brakes) is what I want. The old 466 IHs take maybe two minutes longer to make a round trip than the newer M-11.
When we hit an empty pit at the Coop, unloading time depends only on how fast the help can crank the hopper door. By the time he gets it open, he starts closing it. When the Coop is busy, and there is a long line at the outside dump, we can often negotiate through the inside pit...same pit where I used to dump 13.5 foot straight trucks as a kid.
These trucks, which started life as urban beer-haulers, are very maneuverable. They can make u-turns in many country intersections without backing up. They turn shorter than a crew cab half ton. They also negotiate narrow field entries far better than a large semi or a tandem straight truck.
So...at least drive one of these little guys before you make your decision. They are short on show, but they're about as simple and light as you can get, and they get the grain hauled for us.
Regards.
MDS
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