Should I buy this truck?

[LouNY]

Mine were only 30 inch rears.

 

[tradosaurus]

Stop and think for a moment. You were buying a Mustang. A car, which you will use to travel around for relaxation, errands, fun, women in passenger seat, kids in back, etc.

This is a FARM truck! lol Lot different set of expectations than a Ford Mustang!

But the basic premise of what you are saying would be correct. Getting eyes on it would be preferred. I just don’t have the time to jump on a plane, fly/driv to buyers place from PA to AL and fly home.
Not as easy as it is to type out.

If I was within 100 miles of this truck in Alabama I would do you a solid and go look at it for you.

 

[Paystar]

ACERT engines are notorious for compromising spacer plates, failing turbo's and breaking exhaust manifold studs. In fact, Caterpillar offered a special tool-jig with high rockwell drills especially for drilling out and replacing broken exhaust studs. The number 2 service related issue in the Western Star dealership / shop I retired from was repairing ACERT engines, mainly spacer plates and exhaust studs and I drilled out many exhaust studs in my tenure there.

Keep in mind that when Caterpillar divoriced itself from the on road engine market, they have, since then, also divoriced themselves from the replacement parts business as well so today, replacement-upgrade parts are NLA from Caterpillar and replacement-upgrade parts come from mostly offshore manufacturers.

Candidly, I was never impressed with the torque rise of an ACERT engine in the first place and I got to motor them regularly when not in the shop getting dirty. I much preferred the 3406 Alphabet engines over it.

Horsepower means little in a diesel engine. People like to dwell on horsepower but in reality it's the torque rise that provides the work done when loaded. Horsepower means little.

In this country today and yesterday, people always seem to equate horsepower with performance when it's torque rise that makes productive work easier.

My 3406 B model that is presently sleeping in the barn is set at 475 horses but the advertised torque rating is 1750 pounds feet and it has no emission junk on it, never did actually.

475 horses was the maximum allowable by Caterpillar to keep in force the extended warranty that all the fleet trucks ran. Sure, you could shim the pump for more, way more actually, but above 475, Cat would deny any extended warranty claims.

Keep in mind that the more torque delivered, the higher the driveline issues became as well as drive tire wear.

The tractor I own has a 15 speed Eaton Roadranger in it and when the trailer is loaded (or should I say overloaded, which is the norm for a hopper bottom grain trailer, if you get on the loud pedal on the low side of the tranny, you can literally feel tire squirm and squirming tires equal accelerated wear and why I refrain from hard acceleration when taking off loaded. Tires today, especially today, aren't a cheap date and becaus the unit I own is more for a hobby deal, I'm always aware of inherent operating costs. Someday, I'll post up a picture of it. Not photogenic at all actually. Classic, long nose Western Star double bunk and a 42 foot Timpte hopper bottom tandem frameless grain trailer. Old school drum brakes and pennies in the front brake hoses to insure the front axle brakes are inoperable. Not a fan of steer axle brakes on any semi truck.

Most of the issues you noted were the C15 ACERT. The C13 rarely had any of those issues. And that's coming from my dealer Toromont Cat. My C13 never had a single issue set at 525/1650 torque.
I did buy all the extended warranty I could get though just to be safe because back in 2005 if anything went through the turbo's it would have been minimum 15 thousand dollars according to what Cat said it was costing the C15 guys.
Like the C12, that C13 was a strong little motor. I used to load 21 metric tonne of asphalt and pull out of driveway onto a 10% hill with two other friends that had Cummins ISX 565/1850's. We all had 18 speed double overs, 4.11 rears on 22.5 rubber and though I couldn't pass them I could stay on their tailgates and have to lift on throttle.
Ashamed it's dirty in this pic but it was winter time and I was doing an oil change.

 

[Hay Dude]

Seller took down ad on truck and removed ad.
Aside from the camo paint, I liked that truck.
Especially the price. Took a lot of lookin to find it.
Now I have to start over…..again…

 

[Paystar]

Sorry if I missed it in posts Hay Dude...what rear suspension does it have?

 

[Hay Dude]

Sorry if I missed it in posts Hay Dude...what rear suspension does it have?

I don’t know. It don’t think it said in the ad. Pics didn’t show.
I’m pretty sad I missed on this one.
Was too busy to call buyer and have extended discussion about it and he was just as busy as me.

 

[Paystar]

Oh okay, lol Most did come with Tuff-Trac, which was a pretty good suspension as far as ride and traction.

 

[5030]

I see Cat is coming out with a T4-5 emissions compliant engine badged a 3406 something. Will be interesting in as much as the 3406 compliant engine was a inefficient bust for Cat. Don't even physically resemble a 3406 series except for the paint job.

Far as ACERT issues, 'my dealer said' don't hold water with me because I got my hands dirty working on them, larger displasement and smaller displacement. Some were just fine, some were problematic but all the emissions compliant 3406 Series with the 'furnace' were problematic. Least the Cats didn't puke coolant mixed with engine oil like the DDEC engines did or the Cummins engines that ate themselves from failed ceramic furl pump rollers failing.

Got to see all of them, close up and personal.

Once the EPA got involved with their emissions mandates, everything went downhill rather quickly.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Have you tried truckpaper.com?

 

[QRTRHRS]

I only ever bought one vehicle sight unseen except for photos. FL70 extended cab, 3126 CAT, 9 spd, flatbed, 450k miles. The truck was in Louisiana. I agreed to pay the asking price of the sell we would drive it to KY.

Everything was fine until I looked the truck over. Not 450k but 550k. "Oh", the ad was not corrected said the seller. I bought it anyway. He tossed the cash into a duffle bag.

I took us to breakfast while the seller waited on a friend from Tennessee to pick him up. LOL, I never saw anyone put that much salt on food. A true Cajun?

A couple of days later he called me up. Said that he got home and went fishing. The duffle bag with the cash, he lost it from the truck that they were in.

I told him that I did not know if I should laugh or cry for him.