Big kitty CATs
#101
01-03-2009, 02:00 AM
Great tip, thanks. There's a large used truck parts place near Windsor, ON on 401. Will ask there.
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#103
01-03-2009, 01:37 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Livin' large in the Ozark mountains of western Arkansas
Posts: 1,360
I've seen westbound cattle haulers going down I-40 and they've got a license to fly! I'd venture to guess most are Kenworth W900L's or Pete 389 with at least 600 hp and 18-speeds. One I've seen is a midnight metallic black Pete 379 with chrome out the wazoo! That guy must spend his days off polishing that rig because I've never seen it even close to dirty!
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#104
01-04-2009, 06:59 PM
The number I had in mind was about .25 mpg at ~ 65mph. Even less at 60mph.
#105
01-04-2009, 07:11 PM
I get the same fuel mileage as a van.....
#106
01-04-2009, 07:29 PM
Yes and no. I do know what you mean, but there are other less dramatic factors as well: increased rolling resistance from tires heating up at the higher speed, increased friction in all drive line parts would be the two primary additional factors in actually driving 90 mph.
Rank, if you understand how wind resistance really works, you'll know that the sloped hood means a lot. The overall height of the tractor doesn't mean nearly as much as the "profile" of it. Think of a truck driving down the road as a diver hitting the water from a ten meter board. In diving, one of the main goals is to minimize splash upon entry into the water... the smaller the splash the less the resistance between the diver and the water. What would be the result if a very petite diver hit the water with palms facing the water instead of pointed fingers? Big splash, right? Maybe even a bigger splash than say, a very large diver hitting the water with perfect form and fingers pointed directly toward the water? That hood, as Solo has already said, accounts for quite a bit of mpg improvement. I still say that a FLD120 flat top with the fairings and mufflers behind the bunk (similar to the ones linkes below) gets the same or better mileage as an identically spec'd high rise aero truck. I know what you're saying about slippery surfaces,but they can only HELP the fat man get in the water. Far better not be fat in the first place. 1995 FREIGHTLINER FLD11242ST Conventional Truck w/ Sleeper For Sale At TruckPaper.com 1994 FREIGHTLINER FLD12062ST Conventional Truck w/ Sleeper For Sale At TruckPaper.com 1991 FREIGHTLINER FLD12064 Conventional Truck w/ Sleeper For Sale At TruckPaper.com
#107
01-04-2009, 09:02 PM
I'm not sure I buy that.
I still say that a FLD120 flat top with the fairings and mufflers behind the bunk (similar to the ones linkes below) gets the same or better mileage as an identically spec'd high rise aero truck. I know what you're saying about slippery surfaces,but they can only HELP the fat man get in the water. Far better not be fat in the first place. I don't buy it.
#108
01-06-2009, 02:29 AM
No, dammit because my block isn't 13.5" high. I don't care how aero dynamic you make a high rise bunk....it's still sticking way the hell up in the air.
#109
01-07-2009, 01:10 AM
Ah, but that's my point...
For a specific frontal area, you are claiming that aerodynamics don't play a major part. So it's not 13'5" high...maybe 11'6"? 10'? If that were the case, back in the days of sailing ships, it wouldn't have mattered what shape or size object was on the mast, as it would have caught the wind regardless.... Whenever I try to understand a principle, particularly with physics, I take the concept to the extreme. This is why I'm comparing pointed cones with flat sails, of the same frontal area. If a wedge, or a cone, has the same frontal area of a flat surface, such as a sail, it stands to reason that it would move through the air easier than the flat wind catcher...apply this idea to trucks, it stands to reason that for a given sleeper height, some shapes move through the air easer than others. I'd love to see a study comparing a KW W900L with a T660. Both can be equipped with the exact same sleeper and wheelbase arrangements, only a different front end. Put each trucks, exactly identical with the exception of the nose, through some real world testing...and I'd put some serious cash on the aero for the winner....
#110
01-07-2009, 01:21 AM
Bobtailed 50 miles to the best CAT dealer in the region (Toromont CAT off QEW in Hamilton, ON)... Bruce the Wizard Mechanic once again proved he's worth his weight in gold! I had complained about booming noise in the engine and poor fuel mileage. He plugged in his laptop into my ECM port and we went on a test drive. At one point I was doing 130 km/h
 - close to 80 MPH ... He said the booming sound was nothing to worry about, he called it 'the pulse', something to do with how fuel was injected in all CAT engines.. However they later did find quite a few leaks (and turbo boost loss) in air-to-air hoses. No wonder my fuel mileage recently has been so poor. After they fixed all the leaks, I noticed a big difference in the truck's performance as I was bobtailing back to our yard in Guelph, ON. I hope I can soon post 7 mpg numbers when loaded
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