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Straight Truck Idea??

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BigBusBob

Veteran Expediter
Driver
3 axle straight truck moving van with "texas style" sleeper... where bunk is built into the cargo box. Would it work? I got 40 feet right? bumper to bumper. KW or International chassis, possibly Freightliner, or Pete? Don't know there yet. This is just an idea and was curious to see what the feedback would be. Lets say it's an Corn Binder Chassis, with an extended cab.... and put a boot into the box and instead of a usual 24" bunk- extend it out to 36 or possibly 40" to 48" bunk. Make it a stand-up bunk, put a 24" mattress in ? and shower? or eliminate the extended cab and make it a larger in-box sleeper, say a 50" bunk to have a little wiggle room? this would be done to help aerodynamics. Instead of 3 axles, perhaps a lift axle? Lift gate and genset would add weight... nose bubble on front of box, larger fuel tanks, aluminum wheels (and tanks), and poly storage boxes to help in weight savings.

Just an idea right now, ok, now for your input.
 
greg334

greg334

Veteran Expediter
That's all great but here is the thing I see, with the bubble, you still have an aerodynamic problem. I saw a neat setup with a pete today, with a small sleeper and a large box just under 40 feet. I think he said his box was 26 feet. It had one drive, two lift axles, one behind the cab. I asked how much, he said under 30k.

What made this one neat was the use of flarings and the rubber 'gasket' against the box and top. The box was the same height of the sleeper so it flowed.
 
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BigBusBob

Veteran Expediter
Driver
Interesting Greg, I would have liked to see that set-up. What got me to thinking of a set-up with a shower is a while back I saw in some trucking magazine- it might have been LandLine. Anyways, this guy was a car hauler, and what he had done was he kept his 60" Flat Top Sleeper, but he dropped the floor of it to include/make room for a shower and by doing so he did not affect his hauling capacity or the looks of the truck too much. It simply looked like a truck with a sleeper with skirts. Very clever set-up.

Greg, how would a nose bubble on the front of the box make MPG's go down??
How did that expediter that have air directed over the cab and the box? was there any turbo wing or ??? That was the other idea, to have a turbo wing type set-up on the roof of the cab to guide air over the box.

Another idea would be to have the bunk in the extended cab, and just have a 30" to 36" area inside the cargo box with a shower area... like the Shower Bunk AA Sleeper offers, except have it modified to not be an entire "Shower Bunk". Have space for a microwave, and sink and fridge.

I'm curious on these moving trucks that I've seen with those "Texas style" sleepers as they call them... what the actual load space is from the bulk head wall to the doors is... I have not had time to call a dealer to find out. I've seen them with International and Kenworth chassis set-ups... so far, and International seems to be a popular truck with straight trucks in the moving business.

Regarding those futuristic trucks, that would be great... Until there's a need for parts- Especially a windshield!!! That curved glass has got to cost a small fortune!!

I'm not wanting to go a cigarette box type sleeper with no amenities. I'm looking to make a working straight truck with some amenities, to make it more than just a box with a bed and cooler so to speak. I'm researching MPG's slowly....

What can be expected on average with MPG, with a straight truck with a high-top sleeper; with or without aerodynamic improvements?
The other idea is a cab-over straight truck, with a shower in the cargo box?
Hmmm, that's actually an interesting design concept as well - thought of that while typing.

Input?

BigBusBob
 
tenntrucker

tenntrucker

Expert Expediter
You keep refering to a moving box. Is this going to be both dock high and handle a forklift? I've wondered about not seeing any cabover expediter trucks, with the shorter nose it would give you room for a large box.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
 
greg334

greg334

Veteran Expediter
BBB,
The truck has one continues flow with no breaks or gaps between the truck and box, so no wing. It is a high top sleeper that looks like it is made for a second bunk but nothing there. The sleeper top is level with the box (12' 6" truck height).

The bubble doesn't give the mileage as does a nice flowing 'wave' from the nose to the box to move the air. The bubble may improve the mileage a bit but not like having the sleeper top level with the box.

I would think that if you do it right, you can have a nice sleeper with a nice box under 40 feet.

I have a shower in my truck, it is a portable shower I setup in the sleeper. It does the job and I have room to move around. By the way I have seen in a camper a shower unit built into the floor, attach the curtains and open the drain - no issues with it from what I saw.
 
jjoerger

jjoerger

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Army
I had a tour of a guys truck set up that had a 48" sleeper attached to the tractor. All he had in there was a small fridge, bunk and TV. He had a 26' box with a side door. Inside the box he had a shower, stove, toilet and sink and he had built a wall separating this area from the freight area. I would guess the shower/ cooking area was about 4-5 feet deep leaving him with 21 foot of freight space. This was on a 3 axle truck.
 
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BigBusBob

Veteran Expediter
Driver
that is essentially what I'm thinking about- except the space in the box would be no more than 36" deep roughly. However, I would not have a side door in the cargo box, instead I'd build it from the cargo box and set up a bulkhead wall. a side door adds weight, promotes leaks, and also makes the unit drafty with AC/Heat. plus a side door is just one more potential problem with hardware issues and something to fix/upkeep eventually.

Put a boot into the cab... unless it's a cabover unit, then a side door would certainly be useful. You can put a boot into the back of a cabover unit, but I've heard of mixed reviews with those set-ups, over time- water and exhaust have found their way around the boot.

There's a poster on here that has or had a cabover and he raved about it. I don't want a mickey mouse job with a shower I got to set up and rip down all the time. I like having a shower on board that I can just walk into a take a shower- the set up is turning the water on. Simple as that.

I like the idea of a cabover, and it's ultimately the best way to get more than 21 feet of cargo space- but can it maintain 7 to 8 MPGs?? at the least?
K100E Aerodyne is being worked on by a friend of mine, and we're talking about making it a show truck or making it a work truck of some sort- or perhaps a bit of both.


What are your straight trucks with your rough set-ups getting for MPG's??

Any Straight truck that does any kind of half way serious freight work should be dock high, carry their own pallet jack, and be stout enough to hold a forklift.
 
dieseldiva

dieseldiva

Veteran Expediter
How about something like this........

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chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
At one point i was going to get into a ST, but me and rules and authority really don't mesh well, so dealing with the DOT kinda ruled it out...BUT..to have a truck like that Cabover.. could reconsider...I VERY NICE!!!
 
jjoerger

jjoerger

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Army
That is a nice cab over. I was parked next to him for a day not to long ago. He did a really high quality job.
 
BillChaffey

BillChaffey

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
Speaking of weight. A couple of years ago or so a member was building a Straight truck with roll down canvas sides. Anyone remember who it was?.
 
greg334

greg334

Veteran Expediter
That's a good looking truck but what about this all important age of the truck rule at FedEx or is that one another 'exception to the rule' thing?

Saw a Ford E350 with a 14 foot box, texas sleeper, single stack and a BIG wing on the cab this morning when I went out to pick up my Nissan test van. It is interesting to say the least.
 
jjoerger

jjoerger

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Army
greg334 said:
That's a good looking truck but what about this all important age of the truck rule at FedEx or is that one another 'exception to the rule' thing?

Saw a Ford E350 with a 14 foot box, texas sleeper, single stack and a BIG wing on the cab this morning when I went out to pick up my Nissan test van. It is interesting to say the least.
Click to expand...
I don't remember the year of that truck, but it was less than 8 years old when it was brought into the fleet. 5 years on a class 7 and 8 years on class 8 was the rule when we brought in our truck 21 months ago.
 
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BigBusBob

Veteran Expediter
Driver
I like that idea with that cabover. I like the concept, however with that design there's an issue of weight- pro's and con's... though. With their set-up they can change out their box and keep the truck and extra bunk. With the extra bunk though, there is considerable weight added- as opposed to keeping it in the box and simply installing a boot from cab to box, or a side door as was mentioned earlier.

The Twins custom truck is a cool idea, however, I've rarely seen them used except in specialty hauling... showcase trailers and demo stuff- stuff that's easily able to afford such luxury with out worry of weight and lengths.

I still like my original idea of a straight truck with a small custom sleeper in the box.
The cabover idea is very interesting though, and the Aerodyne with a 30" box behind it- perhaps with a boot, is now definitely going to be given some serious thought.

I noticed that cabover has everything I'd be putting on my rig though... lift gate, genset, 3 axles- though I'd lighten it up with a lift axle- and thats a nice sized tool box they got there that would many drivers jealous. I like their use of fairings on the sides. I'm curious whats in the added sleeper and it's true size. I'm guessing about 42 to 48 inches.
The box looks small, curious if it's got a reefer unit on it too.
 
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Aaliyah

Guest
Your idea is great. Trucks are mainly useful for move heavy loads. Your design should compatible with this.
 
Jack_Berry

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
someone posted this truck recently. remarks were made about crawling thru the window but look closer. owner said being a d-max he gets good service from isuzu. he has had 4 or 5 of these trucks. always leases the chassis cab and adds the sleeper and box to the new truck. he has had only one engine related problem and had that fixed the next day for free under his lease.

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rodes fabricating

bowling green ky
270-842-6886---ph does not work.
 
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