Which Medium Duty to Buy?

BoiledCrabs · #1 (**permalink**) 05-22-2009, 03:56 PM

Hello all,

I'm not a pro trucker. I used to own a few KW's and Petes years ago for my construction business but I'm not up to date on current trucks.

I'm going to buy a used medium duty truck to pull a trailer with about 18,000 lbs of equipment on a daily basis. My trips are mostly short seldom exceeding thirty or forty miles one way. I've been using a Ford f350 but I just believe it's too much of a load for it. In fact I'm sure I'm overloaded and I know if I don't go to a medium duty rig the f350 will bite the dust.

I've been looking at some used Freightliner M2's and International 4200 to 4400's. I see both auto and manual trannies out there. I'll end up with something in the mileage range of 70,000 to 170,000 depending on what I run across. I'm holding out for air brakes so I can have air ride seats, although it wouldn't surprise me if it isn't now possible to have them without air brakes.

I would appreciate opinions and input from anyone with experience with the medium duties to help me decide what to look for and what to watch out for.

Thanks,
Jim

I think I originally posted this in the wrong place Recommendations for a medium duty truck?. Anyone administering this forum may wish to remove that post. This looks like a more appropriate topic so I've replaced it here.

pro1driver · #2 (**permalink**) 05-22-2009, 08:27 PM

Medium Duty Trucks - Medium Duty Vans

Sterling Trucks - Custom-Built Medium and Heavy-Duty Vocational Trucks and Tractors

Medium Duty Trucks - Freightliner Trucks

Kenworth Truck Company | Medium Duty

i personally have driven many of the medium duty trucks linked to here, although i do believe some of the models have changed from what i did drive.. i liked them all. it was just a matter of the company i drove for and what they had. i drove a sterling that had air brakes, etc.

ranger309 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-23-2009, 10:42 AM

A Freightshaker FL70 might fit the bill pretty well, IMO. You can spec it out with a wide range of engine and tranny combos too.

Cerberus_Kelpie · #4 (**permalink**) 05-23-2009, 02:41 PM

A person that I drove for had a FL70 stretched out 3 feet (had the drives moved back) and it increased carrying capacity up to 20k+ with only 6 wheels. It rode better too.

Guardrail · #5 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 02:07 PM

I would look at the engine and drive train. A truck is a truck, especially when you are buying used. If it were me I'd look at a Ford F450 or F550 with a Cummins.

longhaullounger · #6 (**permalink**) 05-28-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardrail

I would look at the engine and drive train. A truck is a truck, especially when you are buying used. If it were me I'd look at a Ford F450 or F550 with a Cummins.

I thought all the F450 and F550 models still had the Navistar V8 diesel in them.

The Edmunds Inside Line review talks about the 6.4 liter diesel (which would be the Navistar) in the 2008 F450.

I think to get a Cummins, you'd have to go with Dodge's 1.5-ton trucks or the Sterling Bullet, which was Sterling's pumped-up version of the Dodge Ram heavy duty trucks that they only produced for a couple of model years.