Volvo

[KingRanch]

OK you crazed volvo addics,
As I posted in a previous post, we ordered the new MS 38, I have a 2003 F350 CC DRW FX4 6.0PSD King Ranch (hence the handle), now the 38 has every option they offer and the UVW starts @14.5, so I don't think that with everything loaded that the truck is going to make it!
So I took your advice and searched TruckPaper.com and found a 2001
Volvo. here are the spec from the site, I'm wondering if this is a good deal? will the hitch work with the 5th, what do I have to watch out for? :?:

2001 VOLVO VNL42T420, S60 Detroit 470 HP, 10 Spd, Engine Brake, Air Ride Suspension, 3.73 Ratio, 206" WB, 42" Integral Sleeper, 22.5LP Tires, Aluminum Wheels, Single Axle, 193,000 miles, Warranty on Engine and Drivetrain until 11/05. Dual 120 gal. tanks, Aluminum Merrit cab protector W/ 2 chain hangers and center storage compartment, Dump Switch. Interior is exceptionaly clean and has never been smoked in. Dual air ride seats, tilt/telescoping steering, stero. Truck was used to haul new cargo and horse trailers. Truck, $45,000

All advice appreciated

[rverdlm]

193,00 on a 2001 truck is very low milage. The price is a little high for an '01, but with the low milage it might be ok. There is a big group of HDT folks on the SKP forum. I think you'll get a bigger responce to you question there. The hitch will work, but it only moves in one direction. I feel that an air hitch with 2 way articulation is needed to prevent excess stress being put onto the pin box.

[KingRanch]

Thanks for the response rverdlm, what would you consider a fair price for this unit? how difficult would it be to swap out the hitch, I never considered a HDT, & this is cheaper than my F350. Do people upfit these things with a RV bed in the back?

[Tetoner]

I think $45,000.00 for a 2001 with that low mileage is an excellent buy.
If it as clean as you say, I wouldn't hesitate long as it will be gone!
I'd like to see a few pictures of it outside and inside. This is my opinion. have you checked your state for type drivers license needed, cost of regestration and plates, along with insurance costs? Have you ever shifted a HDT? Better go drive a few......IMHO

Mike

[2FoRtHeRoAdS]

She looks to be slick as a whistle.

http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/forsale/detail.asp?OHID=908647&guid=C047DB4B5A304CE0B4C26A698154D205


Lester & Delilah

[Tetoner]

It does look GOOD! If your truley looking for a truck like this, I'd check this one out. That 5th wheel hitch will work fine, especially if you get a Trailair air bag hitch for your 5th wheel. I used my commercial hitch on my truck when I first got it for a while and it worked better than any RV hitch I've ever used. I hated to give it up. I'm now kinda sorry I did.
If this truck checks out as good as it looks, I'd go for it. Volvo will let you purchase an extended warranty and who knows, the dealer will no doubt take a feww bucks less that they have it advertised for.......

Mike

[Motor31]

That particular truck has a rather small sleeper berth in it. That is going to be a bit cramped if you are going to actually use it. The most common Volvo model is the 610 which has a larger berth, some with 2 bunks. They have room for a small fridge inside as well. I have the 660 which is the same size except for height as I'm up to 13' tall and the new MS is also 13'2".

The transmission n that one is a "straight 10" that means shifting for each gear change. Quite a few of us have the autoshift which makes driving the truck MUCH easier.

I'd be a bit leary of the low miles but it may have been a private truck instead of a O/R hauler. It's ok to get it checked out by an independant mechanic and if they balk, run away from the deal.

I am still using the commercial hitch on my rig right now. I hope to be switching to a RV hitch later this year to get some left to right flex in it. The pin for the RV is the same diameter as the commercial hitch. You may have to get a spacer over the grease resevior on it or it will gall the hitch and bind slightly. I definately advise getting an air pin box or air hitch. Use a telfon disk as well if the hitch plate is smooth and level with the pin box.

If it were me I'd go look for a 610, 660 or a 770 for RV use. How do you intend to register it? What state are you in?

[KingRanch]

Man do you guys/gals know what you are talking about!
I've just started my search for the ultimate beast, and you have me questioning my train of thought already! My contract here in OH runs to the end of the year and I just ordered the MS last month so I figure I have time to look! The berth would basicly be a dog house for the 2 65lb pups, unless momma gets mad at me, then the pups will replace me in the queen!
The tranny is a good point! I'll move more in that direction, I think!
I ordered the rig with the air pin box, but was wondering if anyone does upfitting for a custom bed, and if so with the airpin, could I get by with my 22K reeses peices, or should I go air ride?
My home base is in tax hell Wisconsin, I'd want to register it as an RV. Patti & I have been talking aboult moving the base to South D, maybe through Escapee's, she's looking into the lodgistics now as we(she owns the business). (I'm the grunt)
Back to what truck, what would be your dream truck if you don't already own it, and where or who would I get a great deal from?
Thanks,
John :D

[Tetoner]

You can see what I put together on my web site (in sig) Both the place I bought the 770 and the place that built my bed will help you. Contact Bryan at the Volvo dealership in Nashville.

We've spent our summers around the Black Hills Of South Dakota for over 10 years although we reyired out of Florida. We Alternative Resources in Sioux falls for our mail forwarding service. 1-800-477-2664. They can do the titleing for your truck also. SD has a neat law, if you don't do commercial hauling you don't need a commercial drivers lic. and it can be registered as a private truck. No need to go through the licensing junk of trying to make a motor home out of a truck and it cheap.

Go to : www.escapees.com go to the forum, then go down to HDT and you'll learn a ton about these neat trucks.....you don't have to be a member to read and post......
We had a BALL finding, buying and converting our truck and the way it tow's is out of this world...........Mark us HAPPY, and you can WRITE that down!!! :D

GOOD LUCK

Mike

[Motor31]

John,

Go to www.truckpaper.com and look over the volvo's listed there. Like I said the most popular is the 610 since it's less than 11' tall. Most 5ers are about 12' or more anyhow so to me it was a wash.

Look for the term "autoshift" for the self shifting transmission. Sometimes they don't list it on the heading so you'll have to read the newer adds to make sure you don't miss one. They are out there so don't get discouraged about it right off the bat if you don't see one close by. I looked for a few months and ended up getting a 660 autoshift in my own state just up the road.

As far as the residency issues are concerned SD is a good bet. If you do want to go the motorhome route they do not recognize the conversions any more. Montana does. The conversion is fairly easy and it is cheap to insure and register in Montana.

[Jack Mayer]

You can also look on our website for some general info and pics of trucks.

http://jmayer6.tripod.com

[lovenit]

John & Patti;
I bought my 1998 Volvo over two years ago.It had about 550,000 miles on it,I paid $17200.00.I have the small 11.1 Detroit engine in it which has more power than I will ever need.My truck has a 9 speed transmission which I don't mind shifting.My only regret is that I did not buy this kind of truck years ago.I get about 12 to 13 MPG pulling my 5er,hills mean nothing to this truck plus I never have to worry about stopping.I put my R.V. hitch on the HDT but removed it after one trip and started using the commercial hitch which I like alot better.Early this summer I put a Trailair pin box on my trailer.
If you are concidering an HDT I can guarantee you will never regret buying one.

[Gunship Guy]

King Ranch,
Like you we have a 38RL3 on order. It will be too much trailer for my 1 ton Dodge/CTD so we bought a Volvo 770. I have yet to pull anything with the 770 because the trailer won't be ready until the end of the month.

I have the straight 10 tranny and don't mind shifting. I say that now because I haven't been stuck in traffic yet. Our first pull will be when we drive up to Indiana to pick up the trailer. Looking forward to a two-fold new experience...pulling a new MS with a HDT.

[rverdlm]

Where in IN will you be getting your trailer?

[Gunship Guy]

Walnut Ridge RV in New Castle.

[rverdlm]

I think you'll be happy with them. We sure are. We were treated very well. We ended up staying 4 nights on them in the CG. During this time they came to the site to fix all the little things we found wrong with the trailer. The workers worked around us while we did our move.

[Gunship Guy]

Nice to hear you had a positive experience. I've only dealt with the salesman on the phone and email and it has been totally painless. I'm very happy with Walnut Ridge so far.

[Motor31]

Gunship,

I bought at Walnut Ridge as well. The sales portion as well as the "finance paper work" portions were easy, painless and cordial. The service area was also cordial, however, getting things done was another matter. I had to make 2 calls to the factory to get them to tell the service area to fix the problems. I ended up making a trip back for additional repairs and finally a trip to the factory for more including one the dealer was supposed to have fixed the first time. The factory went out of their way to get things done for me. It just took almost 800 miles in driving and almost 3 weeks spent at the dealer or factory to get things done. So far it's all not finished and I am taking care of some of it myself, like caulking all the windows. I'm over 1800 miles away now and not interested in returning to that area for more work. I'll try to find a dealer towards the west to take care of one or two more items.

FWIW, the items I had problems with are not "picky things" from a fussy owner. They are things like a hydraulic system that has air in the system, a sliding door collapsing into the basement area, inoperative washing machine and others.

[HighwayRanger]

Gunshipguy,

Did you buy your 770 new? If so, did you order it with the single rear axle? It sure looks good! Are you going to put an RV bed on it? That looks like a great way to go!

[Motor31]

Highway Ranger,

On the escapees BBS there is a section of the forum (HDT) dedicated to the type of tow vehicle that Gunship and I have. By my estimate there are about 200 to 400 of us that have them for RV usage.

There are a bunch of us at any time either looking for, obtaining or modifying the trucks for use. There is LOTS of info on the forum about it including how (if you are into do it yourself), where and what it costs to modify the trucks. WHile some can be found already singled out, singling is not necessary to make them usable for RV uses. Almost everyone who has singled has done so after purchase.

If you go to the escapees bbs you can read all abut the peocess nd pro's / cons of the truck situation. Frankly having used both a 1 ton and a HDT, I won't go back to the light duty trucks for RV towing. Our rig is far too heavy to do so safely and the HDT is much more comfortable than our old Ford was towing to boot.

If you have any questions feel free to ask here or over there.

It is noted that motor did not tell you, that his truck is very USED with over 500 thousand miles on it in hard commercial use. The motor block may be good for many miles more BUT there are HUNDREDS of other things that can and will likely give trouble.

Why do you think a commercial operator would want to sell a truck-- if it was going to be so trouble free?? They want to make money and not have a lot of problems on the road.

T0 buy one of these very USED truck you will pay about what they are worth-- no bargain in my book. I retired to enjoy myself!!

Volvo ,as many people now know , have a LOT of electrical problems--especially as they get a lot of miles on them. A lot of these problems can be hard and expensive to solve.

[rverdlm]

I have a Kenworth T2000 and my cost for the past 3 years have been the lowest of any since we started full time 11 years ago. The only exceptions being the years when each of my pickups were totally under warranty. I have less invested in this truck than any of my pickups and if I were to sell it today it's worth more than I paid for it. Try that with a pickup. You can also buy these trucks with an additional warranty that is many times longer than the new warranty on a pickup. Many of these trucks are turned in because they are leased. When the lease is up they turn them over just like many of us do with our cars. I'm not a person who thinks everyone should do what I do. These trucks don't work for everyone, but they are a good (IMHO) financial decision if the truck will work for you. Sure expensive things can go wrong, but when I talk to my friends with pickups that have been through 3 transmissions (one under warranty) in 100K miles I'm glad to have my HDT.

[Motor31]

Lee,

Yup I bought it used. It has about 500,000 on it and it has been pretty darn reliable as well.

As far as the rest of your diatribe is concerned, it's pretty much bogus. The only electrical fault I have had is the solenoid wire to the starter broke at the connection. The crimp on connector broke which can happen to any motorvehicle with a starter since it's a pretty universal connection. That's the only electrical failure I've had in almost 3 years of ownership.

These trucks are built to have a rather heavy duty lifestyle and run reliably for over a million miles before the first overhaul. I don't know of any other vehicles that are built as stout or for as much reliability as these are. I run about as many miles in a year on it as a regular trucker would do in 3 weeks. If these trucks were as fragile as Lee is claiming the country would come to a stand still due to the lack of delivery of just about everything. Everything that gets to a store, gas station or any other retail outlet gets there by truck.

The company that bought it new did trade it in on a new model. They traded it in not because it was falling apart, or because it was a maintenance hog but because after 3 years it had the best trade in value at that time for purchase of a new truck and after 3 years they had the best ammortization situation for their finances.

Now I certainly don't spend a lot of time working on it or getting it serviced. Once a year does it for maintenance including oil changes. About every 5,000 miles I check the brakes. I spend more time maintaining my 1 year old 5th wheel than my truck. It's had more than a couple failures in that time period, more than the truck has had since I bought it in 04.

In the mean time I have been able to tow my 5er with plenty of power, slow it down and stop it on any kind of road grade and certainly don't have to be concerned with towing overloaded like a light duty 1 ton would be with my trailer. I also get the same or better fuel mileage towing that I did with our previous Ford. I have not had to "chip" the engine or transmission, install heavier springs and I even didn't have to install a hitch as the hitch that came with it fit the trailer. I did change it later just because the RV style was a little easier to operate.

I went from an F350 to the Volvo and the ride is smoother, quieter, more relaxing and I can do a long day of 500 miles and feel good insterad of exhausted at the end of the day like I was with my Ford.

Before you start to buy into the "story" that Lee has supplied you might want to talk to some folks who had HDT's. There is a "national rally" in Wichita the last week in September in 07. There are also some smaller gatherings in various parts of the country informally. In Tucson there has been 2 of us at DMAFB and a third will likely get here in either January or February. You are welcome to ask questions and get information from any of us. All you have to do is ask. You also don't have to be an owner to attend the rally in Wichita either. We don't require that you have anything but a desire to learn, have a good time and be sociable. We don't care what you drive in, or that you even drive there at all. Just come on down.

[Gben]

Lee, you seem to be very misinformed. Dont care really what you or anyone else thinks but will post a couple of FACTS from our use with a USED truck with 500k miles on the clock. FACT: Have about the same invested as a new one ton dually that would be overloaded and not legal to pull my trailer. FACT: While my truck had close to a half million miles on it when i bought it, it came with a 3 year, 300k powertrain warranty, try that with a F350. FACT: Weigh a little over 43,000 loaded and pulled the rockies from the west to Eisenhauer tunnel this fall and topped the tunnel in 9th gear at 53mph, again try that with an F350, FACT: Even more important out of the tunnel, flipped on the jake brake and coasted down into Denver without ever touching the brakes. FACT: rides MUCH better than the old F350. FACT: Can stop anywhere, anytime without worrying if we are going to hit the idiot who pulled out in front of us or the guy stopped for the wreck just over the top of the hill in the rain in the smokies this summer. FACT: in over 30,000 miles have had the clutch adjusted, traded the new caps for new virgins and had the oil and filters changed twice.
Could go on but bottom line this truck and this style works for me
FACT: This kind of truck is not for everyone and if what you are doing works for you, then it works for me and we are both happy. I just hope folks seek the FACTS before making a decision that they will have to try to live with. Is it as handy as driving a pickup solo, no, not quite. Is it possible to get around and sight see, get groceries and in general do daily driving, absolutely it is. It is the same width as a dually but a little longer, we usually park a little farther out in the malls and use two spaces because of the length(farther out we do not worry about door banging our paint). Will it cost more when things do break, ABSOLUTELY IT WILL, to us it is worth it because of the above mentioned facts BUT everyone should make up their own mind what they are comfortable with and what will work for them. I could go on and on but wont, If anyone is interested in answers to specific questions to try and make a decisiion I will gladly visit with them about our experiences. I will just mention that we have 4 over the road trucks that each have well over 1 million miles on them and they are operating daily making a profit for us, therefore we did not worry at all about buying a truck with 500k miles on it. just my 2 cents worth on how it is working for us. Gene

[Gben]

Lee, you seem to be very misinformed. Dont care really what you or anyone else thinks but will post a couple of FACTS from our use with a USED truck with 500k miles on the clock. FACT: Have about the same invested as a new one ton dually that would be overloaded and not legal to pull my trailer. FACT: While my truck had close to a half million miles on it when i bought it, it came with a 3 year, 300k powertrain warranty, try that with a F350. FACT: Weigh a little over 43,000 loaded and pulled the rockies from the west to Eisenhauer tunnel this fall and topped the tunnel in 9th gear at 53mph, again try that with an F350, FACT: Even more important out of the tunnel, flipped on the jake brake and coasted down into Denver without ever touching the brakes. FACT: rides MUCH better than the old F350. FACT: Can stop anywhere, anytime without worrying if we are going to hit the idiot who pulled out in front of us or the guy stopped for the wreck just over the top of the hill in the rain in the smokies this summer. FACT: in over 30,000 miles have had the clutch adjusted, traded the new caps for new virgins and had the oil and filters changed twice.
Could go on but bottom line this truck and this style works for me
FACT: This kind of truck is not for everyone and if what you are doing works for you, then it works for me and we are both happy. I just hope folks seek the FACTS before making a decision that they will have to try to live with. Is it as handy as driving a pickup solo, no, not quite. Is it possible to get around and sight see, get groceries and in general do daily driving, absolutely it is. It is the same width as a dually but a little longer, we usually park a little farther out in the malls and use two spaces because of the length(farther out we do not worry about door banging our paint). Will it cost more when things do break, ABSOLUTELY IT WILL, to us it is worth it because of the above mentioned facts BUT everyone should make up their own mind what they are comfortable with and what will work for them. I could go on and on but wont, If anyone is interested in answers to specific questions to try and make a decisiion I will gladly visit with them about our experiences. I will just mention that we have 4 over the road trucks that each have well over 1 million miles on them and they are operating daily making a profit for us, therefore we did not worry at all about buying a truck with 500k miles on it. just my 2 cents worth on how it is working for us. Gene

[PSD_Tweaker]

Hmmm.....seems like that Lee fellow didn't have much more to say.. :lol:
Crap it's been almost 7 months...and no reply.
I guess that says it all right there!

OK...thread revival..
These older trucks are definately the way to go if you need a dedicated hauler.

I know because I've had mine for almost 4 years & I too have spent next to nothing on repairs.
All I do is PM, and general maintainance.

http://thumb12.webshots.net/t/55/455/9/83/84/2128983840097642812LqsMgg_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2128983840097642812LqsMgg)

Rick

[maltruck8]

Rick, I believe that that Lee guy here is like that Cole guy on the other forum we spend time on. He just likes to get stuff started, and doesn't like people that don't think like him. Jim

[bstark]

Another opinion: New vs Used. If new versus used is the only criteria for reliability you consider, then you have to add all of the stuff that goes with it such as more frequent transmission problems with the typical pick-up automatic towing a heavier trailer, expected mileage from L/T series (Light Truck) tires that will need replacing MUCH more often, brakes that are replaced (often rotors as well) much more often. The list goes on and on.

While some would argue that warranties would cover the tranny stuff, you have to be very carful upon taking your truck in for service, that they don't learn (from the attached pillar guages showing turbo boost, temps and exhaust temp) that it's "chipped to the max" and towing over 16,000lbs or they (dealer) may simply say, NOPE!

I've spent a fair bit of "comparison-of-cost" time mulling over new pick-up vs used HDT and it always comes out the same.

To achieve parallel reliability, comfort and capability:

initial purchase is much greater for the new P/U
Ongoing required routine maintenance expenses (filters, fluids, brakes etc.,) are closer to a par due to the higher frequency for P/U offsetting higher cost (eg. qts-P/U vs gals- HDT for oil) for the HDT.

I had many problems comparing the costs associated with stuff like tires and brakes as the typical offerings for the P/U lifespan are measured in Kilometers or miles of usage while the heavier duty trucks will be measured in years of operation. I suspect the brakes (among other things) on my MDT and most of the HDT's represented on these boards will outlast their driver's ownership of their trucks.

Were I to step back to 2001 and commence 'Snowbirding' over again, knowing what I now know about ALL of the available towing methods: I would have chosen a well maintained class 8 tractor and saved a whole bunch of money (even after reconfig) and enjoyed the increased measures of reliability, comfort, confidence, performance, and SAFETY for all of those additional years!

Lee's post; dare I say it, smacks a little of the jealousy of someone trying to belittle others while knowing he is obfuscating the facts to suit his aim.

We MDT & HDT'ers, try very hard not to come off as preaching. We all must remember that selecting a T/V is as personal a choice as picking the trailer we desire, it very often has very little to do with the items discussed above but rather with the perceptions of other family members, friends or a host of other criteria.

Respect for each other is paramount!