jmtandem wrote:
Very impressive. Looked at a Kodiak 4500 MDT a few years ago and ran into insurance issues, one company that would insure it was more than my Dodge Ram 3500. You say that you can insure the Freightliner for less than your Dodge? That is great.
What about truck weight stations, how do you deal with them?
When the second set of drivers were removed, how much did it shorten the tractor?
Is it an auto or manual trans?
Howdy jmtandem,
Check with "Blue Sky" for insurance. They will insure any HDT that weighs LESS then 26,000 pounds and is single axled as a "MDT tow vehicle". As my Freightliner is NOT a commercial truck but a legally registered motor home, it is not subject to being required to stop at truck weigh stations. The truck was already converted when I bought it, I can't give any before and after total truck lenght dimensions.
My truck has an Eton-Fuller 10 speed auto-shift, transmission. The "auto-shift" is a regular 10 speed manual transmission that has been equipped with a computer controlled shifter, this is what is known as a "three pedal" transmission, in that there is a throttle pedal, clutch pedal and brake pedal.
You MUST use the clutch when starting from a full stop and when coming to a full stop, when not at a full stop the transmission shifts itself. The driver has complete control over the transmission as at any time you can move a small switch on the shift lever from "auto" to "manual", when in manual the transmission will ONLY shift when the driver moves the shift lever, you can also pick the gear you want to start out in when starting out in slippery conditions.
Some of the newer HDT's come with what is known as a two pedal transmission, they have a throttle pedal and a brake pedal much the same as a regular car-truck with an automatic transmission. The three pedal gives the driver more control over the transmission and is especially useful when backing the truck up as when hooking up to the trailer, slipping the clutch is easier then one foot on the throttle and the other on the brake.
Having the ability to lock the transmission into a particular gear or force a down-shift to control speed descending a grade in combination with the real Jake brake make driving and towing in the mountains easy.
Something else to keep in mind when shopping for a tow rig, you will pay MUCH more money for a new or newer one ton dually or a MDT such as the Kodiak then you will for a converted HDT. Most of the MDT's have the same engines as the LDT's, they do have larger brakes and stronger transmissions and rear axles but most of the engines aren't any more powerful then the LDT's.
