Here's the 10k report.

I'll try to get all your questions answered, if I miss some just let me know. First is the milage. Here's what it is since new. I reset this as I left the factory with the truck and left it. It is the gps tracker and takes the same engine info the dash one uses. This is a bit decieving tho because the first 8,000 miles on this truck were bout the worst 8k miles I've driven since I went over the road. All heavy and mostly mountain miles. If you believe in breaking in a new engine hard, this one got it. It was down to 6.6 mpg but has been climbing since. If I had pulled these loads with the old truck I would have gotten about 6.2 mpg or so, so I am close to what I was shooting for.



Here is the dash one. I reset this one every tank of fuel. This is the highest it's been. This is just over 500 miles from Gary In. to Pine city Mn., home. I had a 17,500 lb load and went accross Wi. so this will be closer to what I hope to get. I think I'll be able to average about 8.5 mpg or so.



The axles carry the same weight as a twin screw, so that's the same, but this system is pretty complex and computer controlled so I'll try to explain it. The fifth wheel is forward more than a twin screw, almost over the front drive. This is to pull the trailer closer to the cab to close the space between for better fuel milage. They transfer the weight by keeping the tag axle about 30% lighter than the drive, giving more traction and keeping the weight off the steer. It works good so far.

It does have an engine brake, but with the small engine it isn't as good as the cummins. It does work good tho and it will work automatically with the cruze control so you just set it and the truck will downshift going up the mountain, then the engine brake comes on to hold it going down. It will even downshift to get maximum engine brake if neccessary. Of course you can control it yourself if you like. Even tho it's not 600 hp like the cummins it works pretty good.

The trany is a DREAM!! I've given 4 people rides so far and they all used the same term to describe it. IT"S SMOOTH AS BUTTER. This thing is flawless. It is as smooth shifting as any car, smoother than any pickup I've driven. It shifts up or down with ease and you can back just like with an auto trany. I LOVE IT. We'll see how it goes as it ages tho. Lots of stuff to go wrong.

The power is better than expected. It's not going to win any races. It's geared to go 110 mph, but the only way it will is if it's strapped to a 747 like the Space Shuttle. I took it to 70 a couple a times and it did it and had a bit more, but not much. I think it would hold 70 ok on most roads. I judge power by how it goes up a mountain with a full load. If you had asked before I would have bet a large portion of my kid's inheritance that I would never pass anyone. That's not so. In a line of trucks I hold my own, and occasionally get to pass someone even fully loaded. That surprised me a lot!! It will never be first up a mountain, but isn't last either, so that's good enough for me.

So Loren, she ain't no Cat Eater, but she does get them by the tail and hangs on tight. LOL

Jon,
We both know the the poney will turn into a horse so I'm sure you will be nipping the tails off Cats so that they are running bobbed tailed
Loren.

Thanks for the answer to my question.

Vito

It is geared to run 100 but how high is the governor set and what speed is normal for you to get these mileage readings. I assume you are running full trailer flaring’s also.
Our company has all our trucks set at 65 for the foot and 66 on the cruise to force us to keep our foot out of it and bring up mileage readings.

How do you like those single tires? I hauled gasoline in the past for a company that used singles all the way around. Unlike the old super singles of the past those Michelin X one singles worked well for us. Cut our gross weight by 700 lbs and we got better mileage with them. But we did stay within 100 miles of the house so finding a spare was not a problem.

I am real scared of tag axles. Been in to many places where I would be stuck on hard ground without interlock.

Just curious,you say hauling heavy and then give your mileage with 17,500 payload.I know(think Dart) you haul LTL,but that isn't even a good single axle straight truck or hot shot load which will get far better mileage.What is your normal or top payload?

They don't put a CAT in a road truck anymore.. Can't meet EPA specs..

Autoshifts the way they should have coverted road trucks years ago. Companys will get more people in seats with this option .

The heavy loads were earlier loads. I call anything over 40,000 payload heavy, my truck with the new lighter trailer will haul 52,000. Our loads generally go about 50% heavy or light. It's not uncommon to haul a full box of empty aluminum cans or plastic containers that only weighs 5,000 lbs.

How will you gross 80000 an carry 30% off the tag!
How will you have traction in say snow with tag
carrying weight therefore not having weight on drive
!Even if you have equal weight on tag axle you will
only have drive axle being held to ground with 17000
lb!

I set the governor to 82 mph because if it has a one I get a reduction in insurance. The insurance doesn't say what it has to be set at tho. lol. I generally drive 60-62 mph, sometimes up to 65. If I get behind for some reason I'll go faster. I've done the math enough to know that the milage increase payback is huge for driving slower so that's what I do. It was hard at first to let everyone pass me, but now that I'm used to it I just pocket the money and let the rest go. I've also found that I'm a lot less stressed at the end of the day too. I used to have to go watch tv or something for a couple of hours after parking before I could sleep, now I can shut off the truck and crawl in bed and go right to sleep. As far as the tag goes I know it isn't for off road stuff, but it works ok for this. On a twin screw when you lock the power divider you get one front wheel spinning and one rear wheel. With this it locks the diff so you still get 2 wheels pulling so no problems so far.

The suspension automatically compensates, as the weight goes up it adds more to the rear so at max it's allowed to have 17,500 on the drive and 16,500 on the tag, within the allowance for all states. When you start to spin it will automatically drop the air in the tag to increase traction. It also locks the differential so you have 2 tires pulling. All I know is I've been in some nasty weather and it's worked great so far.

c.hess
Makes some sense. Didnt realise that is what happens.Having driven 2 trucks about 100000 miles on super singles i would prefer old way BUT fuel is a very big item an am sure profitable companies will do what needs to be done.Drive safeely-keep dirty side on bottom

That should help increase the accident rate and raise insurance premiums...

Rod

Use to pull 45000# of milk powder in a 53' from Lake Norden SD to Norwich NY with my 98 Ford 9522 N14 and get 6.3. Thats thru Chicago and Cleveland via Rt 86 in New York. Lota curves and hills. Coming back with 19000 in the box, 7.2. Sometimes on the ohio pike I could get 8-8.1. So you're lighter and smaller engine and not much different mileage than a 13 year old truck. Yellow freight and some others had Fords and Sterlings with only one axle driving years ago.

You say the computer automatically changes the weight by putting more on the drive axle?It used to be against the law to do that,at least in Ill.They used to split your drives on the scales and weigh individually.If you didn't have the tag axle weight set correctly,you would get a fine.

One last thing,can you even pick the idle up completly.I have seen on packed snow where even with live tandem,you had to get all lift axles off the ground and still spin out on grades.Or with semi on I90&I94 in Wi.-Mn.use the rumble strips to keep moving.

I have no control over the tag, it's all computer controlled. It never lifts, but if you are light enough it has no air in the bags.

We don't do any ltl, all tl only

Thanks,it would scare me when I couldn't dump all the air.Hard on the drive tires,but at least you can keep moving.