Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
Get a 2 speed rear end or a 6 speed manual transmission.
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They cost more than i'd like, especially if I have to buy new vs what I can get rebuilt, though yes that's one of the option. Also to the next, a 4bt and NV4500 i'm aware of and would love, but don't know if it meets my budget. (the amount more i'd spend would never pay for the better fuel efficiency, ever)
The transfer case range box is another way of getting a 2 speed rear - I haven't seen inexpensive (non racing) 2 speed rears, nor ones made for towing that aren't sized for a dump truck. This lets me use common rear axles including cheap replacement if I ever screw one up.
Someone argues for the spread of ratios, the TH400's are fairly close ratio for nonOD and what not - then the range box would mostly choose whether i'm in highway unladen mode, or crawling thru the rockies at 45mph mode.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
Your questions are all valid, OP. But you need to be specific about what work you plan for the truck in order to come up with a reasonable plan. That does mean you'll have to narrow the range of what is possible.
The order for vehicle performance (FE among them) is:
1] Truck specification
2] Climate
3] Terrain
4] Truck use
I recommend your working them backwards to arrive at number one.
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and 5) Budget.
Okay here goes: The specification is to stretch "universal use" as far as possible on the lowest budget. To simplify things assume that cooling and such are all up to spec - the only underspecced issues are engine and axle vs whats normal. Afterall the easy answer is to have plenty of power, a close ratio 6 speed, and a dual axle ratio. I'm trying to get by with far less cash outlay. The easy alternative is to not care about mileage and just gear low to tow the load. Were this a full time tow vehicle that might make sense, but it's not.
What I need is a runabout for a farm/ranch situation with the lowest total cost of ownership over the long run, to take advantage of craigslist free or cheap type deals for things that are useful to the farm/ranch. I'm not towing so often to justify the expense of a Cummins (never pays for itself, dont know if a 4bt would either with how prices have gone up so much), yet not so little that I can just rent a truck from someone. Several dozen loads over the next few years, maybe even 50 or 60 of them, saving $100 or more each time I need to use a truck over some length of whatever will pay for itself. The wider spec range I can move with it the more opportunities I can take advantage of where it's something like "this works if I dont have to rent a truck but to rent a truck makes it too expensive to get" situations, or alternately "this works if I can do it in two trips but not three".
Because I have more time than money, because most loads are infrequent or sporadic, I don't mind going slow. 70mph uphill is not essential. That makes me want to design for mileage most of the time. This is an all purpose backup vehicle in normal use to insure I can get to work if my main one is broke for instance or for a 2nd vehicle when the first is in use.
The desire to keep expanding tow capacities is because the more that I CAN do with it, when opportunities present themself, the more it pays for itself. And chances are decent it wont cost much more to spec out a truck that can tow 13k as one that can tow 8k when were talking something a decade or more old to begin with. So if a friend calls needing me to flat tow his 4x4 I can do it, if there's free scrap steel on craigslist I can pick up more of it instead of less, or if there's a deal on some piece of industrial machining equipment I maybe can bring home four pieces instead of two because it was 500 miles away and one day auction only type of thing that had to be picked up today.
Since for instance the M35 military trucks could move something like 5-10 tons on the land despite as low as 127hp, just not very fast (like 48mph) i'm trying to do something similar, just without buying an unreliable (after a life of abuse) military truck. :P Old farm trucks were similar, a 120hp 235cid inline six moving many tons in back, again just not very fast. I don't need to go very fast for the special heavy loads.
Climate - anything from subfreezing to hot summer, I live in the midwest, where 100 degree summers alternate with alberta clippers 60 below. But i'm thinking most hauling will be spring/summer/fall. I plan an oversized radiator for the worst of summer though under load, no worries, I think that's the only season-specific issue to consider..?
Terrain - on road 97% of the time, except possibly the last few feet to pick up or drop off certain things might be dirt, but probably not in the wet. Minor hills in a 500mi radius from where I plan to look for stuff, nothing like the rockies, no long grades - just hills, coast down one and ride up the next for maybe 30-40 seconds uphill. I might eventually see the rockies in the future - if that requires derating what I normally pull thats fine. I'm not designing it to haul there. Yet at some point it's possible a long distance move could have me pull trailers through there on my way to oregon or something and take several trips doing it.
Truck use - unladen MOST of the time, 1-2 dozen hauls of something per year, each up to about a day maximum driving distance. (ie 16hr day)