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| We've got 3 T600's. Very similar to a T8 except for the aero package on them. We've got one with a 3406, one with an N14 and the latest has an ISX Cummins. I prefer the Cat although I'm not afraid of the mechanics of the Cummins, I just think the Cat has more low end torque and they suit my driving style because the rpm's don't fall off as quick shifting, especially vs the ISX.
I've known some people who went to small blocks to save some weight on trucks where they were doing everything in their power to lose lbs. None that I know of were happy with them and all ended up going back to large blocks of what ever brand.
As for suspensions, that age of truck might have a 100 or a 200 series suspension, I don't know the year they switched. Our 95 has a 100 series, the 2000 has a 200 series and our 03 has a 400 series suspension. The 200's are the one's that you have to watch. I'm told the problem with the 200's was they were a high wear item and most did not keep them lubricated well enough. We looked at a used truck once that actually had an automatic lubrication system on it and they had never had any trouble with the suspension. If you get a truck with a worn out 200 KW makes a kit that you can put on it to solve the premature wear problems.
Two of our trucks have 13 speeds, one has an 18. You can get along with a 10, but I prefer to have a few smaller steps between gears. If I could make a wish list I'd go for the 18 in everything. The splitter on the bottom is a help at times, more than I thought it would be before I ran a truck on a regular basis with an 18.
All of our trucks have 3.70 rear ends. We get along fine with them although we never take a grain hopper out in the field unless it's bone dry and hard as a rock. Our last truck that is on a dump trailer running construction gets in more soft ground than any of the rest. If I am loaded heavy sometimes it helps to just back up a foot or so before I start out forward, especially if I am headed up hill at the time. If you were going to spend a lot of time off road something lower than a 3.70 might be all right, but with fuel prices what they are I'd hate to give up any economy.
If the truck has been serviced by a KW dealer they should have a service record on it they can bring up on the computer similar to what Cat does. If not most any of the new trucks will have a report that a mechanic can access with a computer hooked to the motor and it will tell you the actual milage, hours, fuel usage, hours spent idling, along with a lot more information. It will give you a little idea how the truck was used or abused.
Biggest things I'd worry about on a day cab was if it was on a dump trailer and treated rough or if it was on something that required a lot of pto hours like on a blow tank. Something where you'd have higher hours vs the milage. Don't know where you're looking, but last winter we found a bunch of T8's that had been shipped out of the NE part of the country that were city delivery trucks, had less than 300,000 miles but in New Jersey and New York that would be a lot of wear. Dealers around here (KS, OK, NE) also had a bunch of fleet returns that had been on jobs that had a lot of pto usage. I got the icm (?) report on one of them and the hours were out of sight for a truck with 260,000 miles.
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KW T800's & Cummins N14's
