|
<<<<Roger wrote:It weighed 20,760 pnds.
Now here is the point.
This truck is rated to pull 20,000 GROSS
COMBINED WEIGHT.. that is pull AND
STOP.>>>>
Well, Roger, we upgraded to a three
horse with LQ this year and my ++very cautious, by the book++ veterinarian
husband, thought long and hard about what to pull it with. I can tell you
we get some funny looks out there on the road from truck drivers, but we will
never have a problem stopping our trailer with the Ford L9000 semi that Dr.
Cautious ended up with. It weighs over 13000# alone, but it goes up the
hills and down the hills at the same speed and can stop at the bottom if it has
to.
The down side is that it is more difficult to drive,
and while he has gotten his CDL, I am still going around the block without
the horses in to practice. I wouldn't blame someone for not wanting to
drive it.
BUT, it gets 20 miles to the gal of fuel, can go half
way across the country without refueling, will go at least 400,000 miles on
an engine, has a wheel base no longer than the Ford Expedition I drive every
day, and it will stop that trailer anywhere.
We live south of Buffalo NY in the
snow belt, and my husband's greatest fear was to not be able to stop the trailer
in an emergency.
The bonus to all this, is that the
semi cost 1/2 of what a used one ton diesel dually cost, and as I said, will go
three times the miles before needing a new engine or other major
parts.
We are seriously planning on doing
some long distance hauling to Tevis and out west, and south this winter, and I
am thinking we will be happy we have our big truck for a little peace of
mind.
Laura Hayes AERC #2741
| 