I'm looking for a dump, probably gonna be a single axle due to insurance costs for heavier trucks, but I've ran across things I've never seen before.
1. Air driven PTO's...anybody have any experience with these?
2. Anything to watch out for on the 9000 series? There are a lot of these out there, mostly converted roadway or the like, mostly cummins w/ 7 speed, found one with a EF 10 but the cab was shot.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

Air shift PTO's are common and just as reliable as cable/manual shift I have been useing them for years, trouble free. Generally speaking you will probably have good luck with the 9000 and it is more common to find them spec'd for vocational use vs. over the road. Lot's of beverage distributors and LTL companies use them and spec them on the heavier side. How big do you want to go on the dump? If you find a tractor you like I have a new never mounted 15' demo box with all the mounting parts and hoist just sitting in my yard doing nothing. Make ya a smoking deal on it.

 

Thanks for the offer on the box, looks like you're a little far from Ohio though. I'm trying to find a 33 to 34,000 pound truck, single axle. I was gonna go tandem til I looked into insurance. A single costs less than half to insure vs. a tandem axle. I'm trying to get into some backhoe work on the side and a rubber tire hoe is a little too much for behind the pickup. I've looked at a lot of 8/9000 series trucks and a few F800s and one International. I've never owned my own before so that side of it is new to me and I don't have really any time in the old ford trucks but they are easy to find and seem to hold up well. I've been in plenty of the 800 type trucks and some newer big trucks but never been in one with an air driven/shifted pto. I've asked the seller for manuals. The reason I'm lookin at the louisvilles is to get away from the 2 speed rear.

 

Never owned a 2 axle so the insurance cost is news to me, probably a weight thing. California is only a flatbed away from Ohio.....I shipped a dump body to Kansas for just under a grand last year. Keep it in mind, can Email pics if you want. Sounds like you have done your homework on the 9000, I love the way they drive, great manuverability and visability. Dont lose any sleep over the air shift PTO you will love it. As long as you keep a clean and dry air suppy you will get years and years of trouble and maintenance free service from it.

 

I had more problems with the cable PTOs.I always converted to air
Why not a 2 spd rear?
An L-8000 would be my choice for a single axle dump as the 9000 would be a bit heavy and not leave much for payload






l

 

Well the insurance costs vs. your weight hauling capabilities might be something you might consider the pro's and con's. Depending on the rates hour vs. per ton/load might make a difference. Although after owning several tandems in the past I now run a single axle myself.
Air shift PTO is the only weigh to go just less hassle but more expensive to replace then the cable operated PTO's. You can piece one from Ebay for a pretty decent price. Watch your used truck parts dealers and search Ebay and Craigslist for better deals.
I'd stay away from the former freight road tractors for a dump myself. They typically maintain them but they're road trucks. I've seen plenty of those 7 speeds that just couldn't pull itself out of a wet paperbag unless you done some major rear end gear changes. It's a little bit different starting off with 10 tons on your back in the muck with the proper gearing then pulling out of a loading dock. 2 speed rear axles are okay if you don't abuse them and shift them right.
It depends on the 9000's line/spec sheet and comparing one to a 8000 I'm assuming you mean a Ford with the Louisville style cab. They're pretty close in comparison except the 9000 is heavier built. Which might not mean much difference between a road tractor (9000) and an 8000 that's specifically built for vocational purposes(on/off road). It's a toss up between frame, axles, crossmembers, steering, and suspension. I would stay away from air ride for a dump truck if you plan on being off the road. Probably most road tractors will not have an inter-axle lock feature that enables you to lock both wheels like a posi-trac.
I guess what it boils down to is what you want to spend and intend to do with a truck. Shop around and you can find some pretty decent deals on single axle dump trucks that were factory built vs the road tractor conversions that a lot of dealers try to sell a $2,000 truck with a $5,000 bed for $12,000. You can probably find a good used single axle around $5000 to $6000.
Good luck.

 

One thing to keep in mind about an air shift PTO vs a cable operated one is that when you flip that switch it's pretty much going to engage and if you don't have a good clutch brake it could cause some damage to your PTO or trans., with a cable at least you can feel the clashing of the gears. One thing to remember, if you have an air shift PTO just stop the truck and keep it in gear with the clutch in and engage your PTO then shift into neutral then let the clutch out just a little FYI.

 

Normally at idle the air PTO will engage without the clutch without much of a gear clash,I did normally shiftmine before taking the trans out of gear.I would be afraid to guess how many thousand time I raised the bed with never a PTO problem
the road tractors are geared a little high for dump truck use but probly cheaper than regearing or replacing the rear axle would be to install LL (low hole) rear section on the trans if it's a 7, 9 10 or 13 speed

 

Thanks for the replies so far. Almost all the trucks I've looked at are converted tractors. The exceptions being one F800 and the International. I don't have spec sheets on any of them though. The truck with the air drive is far and away the best condition and it's got a 3 way gate on the box. I'll keep that in mind about adding an LL onto the trans. What is the biggest difference between the 8000/9000 trucks?

 

A converted tractor is most likely going to have the 7 speed, but if you can find one with a 9 speed or higher, then I would think it would be OK. Also if you're going to pull a trailer, then a converted tractor would also have all of the plumbing for air brakes for a trailer, unless you are thinking of getting a trailer with something other than air brakes. If you only keep the truck on the pavement, then air-ride is not an issue, and in many cases it won't be an issue off-road, as well as the diff lock. But the times when you need something like that, it will be a big deal. We go off road quite a bit, and the only time a diff lock is a big deal is when you did something you shouldn't have done, or there is snow/mud ice on the ground.
Difference between the 8 and 9000 is really just the engine. When those trucks were new, they could be spec'd so that an 8000 and 9000 were nearly the same. Granted a road tractor may have different fuel tanks and may have a lighter frame, but they are really the same. All 8000's used the standard motor, wether it be the 3208 CAT in pre 87, or the 7.8L Ford from '88 thru '93, or the 8.3L Cummins (1460 Ford) from '94 thru '97. The 9000's would have had the L-10 and NTC or Big Cam cummins, the 3306 and 3406 CAT, or the Detriot 671 thru 60 series.
Air shift or cable operated pto..... for what you want, I wouldn't discriminate against either one. They will both work, but the air shift is nicer.
Just cause you'd be looking at an Louisville does not mean the 2 speed rear would no longer be a possibility. Many of the older trucks had a 5 speed tranny and a 2 speed rear. The newer you go in years the less chance you'll find that combo in an L or F series.
How much highway use? A DOT truck could be had for under $4k, and would have been set up for a dump from new, but it might not have the highway speed.

Rodney