Truck Conversion & Toterhome Community - View Single Post - Converting Class 8 to a tow vehicle for a 5er

Warpath · 09-19-2002, 07:54 PM

Phil -

I am getting a Harvard education in truck selection.

I made a post on some items to consider in the motorhome section of these forums.

When I started looking for my truck, I had no clue what so ever what I should be looking for.

So, here was my initial criteria. To begin, I wanted a single axle & 48" sleeper. Beyond that I looked for new tires, straight body work, clean chassis and low price.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

Motor - I never even looked into the condition of the motor, got lucky there, type, again got lucky with a Cummins M11 350 HP. Definitely check this out, the consensus so far is Cummins is a motor to look for due to it's long life and ease of service.

Transmission - I have a Fuller 10 speed which is a good manual tranny with it's overdrive. I didn't even know how to shift a non syncro trannie when I picked my truck up. I hated that truck until I got the hang of shifting. At this point it is not a big deal to me, but if I had a choice I wouldn't mind a auto shift. In 98% of the cases you are not going to be able to make a change to a auto or auto shift unless you are willing to part with $25,000 +

Wheels - If the truck you love has steel rims, run don't walk to your local dealer and get aluminum rims put on a set of Michelin XZE(A) tires. I just did this and it made a unbelievable difference in ride quality. The tires just run so smooth over a set of Bridgestone's I had on before. The rims are so much lighter than steel and just roll so much nicer over the rough stuff. Make sure if you or anyone is going to have this done, you make provisions to get longer wheel studs put on or your thicker aluminum wheels will not fit. (Just been there and done that)

In the Larry Ziegler forum there are 2 great articles, he will tell you the correct things to look for. I on the other hand will give you the items not to consider.

Bill

1995 FL FLD120, M11, custom interior.

09-19-2002, 07:54 PM	#9
Warpath Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: N.E. Ohio Posts: 768	Phil - I am getting a Harvard education in truck selection. I made a post on some items to consider in the motorhome section of these forums. When I started looking for my truck, I had no clue what so ever what I should be looking for. So, here was my initial criteria. To begin, I wanted a single axle & 48" sleeper. Beyond that I looked for new tires, straight body work, clean chassis and low price. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Motor - I never even looked into the condition of the motor, got lucky there, type, again got lucky with a Cummins M11 350 HP. Definitely check this out, the consensus so far is Cummins is a motor to look for due to it's long life and ease of service. Transmission - I have a Fuller 10 speed which is a good manual tranny with it's overdrive. I didn't even know how to shift a non syncro trannie when I picked my truck up. I hated that truck until I got the hang of shifting. At this point it is not a big deal to me, but if I had a choice I wouldn't mind a auto shift. In 98% of the cases you are not going to be able to make a change to a auto or auto shift unless you are willing to part with $25,000 + Wheels - If the truck you love has steel rims, run don't walk to your local dealer and get aluminum rims put on a set of Michelin XZE(A) tires. I just did this and it made a unbelievable difference in ride quality. The tires just run so smooth over a set of Bridgestone's I had on before. The rims are so much lighter than steel and just roll so much nicer over the rough stuff. Make sure if you or anyone is going to have this done, you make provisions to get longer wheel studs put on or your thicker aluminum wheels will not fit. (Just been there and done that) In the Larry Ziegler forum there are 2 great articles, he will tell you the correct things to look for. I on the other hand will give you the items not to consider. Bill 1995 FL FLD120, M11, custom interior.