Yes, it is.

My Freightliner has a 70-inch condo sleeper that contributes NOTHING to the towing capacity. It actually subtracts about 4000 lbs or so from it.

The TRACTOR of an 18-wheeler can be used in applications other than pulling a trailer; a dump truck, or cement truck, tow truck, or ANY type of heavy hauling that requires that much capacity.

Families driving around in a scaled down 18-wheeler? International's CXT, and the various competing products from both Ford and GM.

From a certain point of view, a Ford L8000(?), or the Sterling class-7 trucks, could be viewed as a scaled-up SD. Indeed, ANY daycab tractor could be viewed as a scaled up SD.

They look sufficiently different to be confusing, but the various sizes of tractors are only different by their weight capacity, not their design criteria. Design criteria differences are in terms of engine make, transmission make, etc, and not part of the weight class.

-blaine

 

I am going out on a theoretical limb here: Your Freightliner has 10 tires on it and has an engineered fifth wheel hitch. 2 things here, tires are obvious. The fifth wheel hitch makes your mass fraction highly variable. The more trailer weight, the more your tractor becomes part of that weight. With a 66,000 pound trailer your tractor probably becomes 50% of the total GVW, maybe more. With pickup trucks and fifth wheel trailers, the same holds true. When I haul a 14,000 5er, my rear axle weight is just over 6,000, front just over 5,000 making 11,000. GCW is 22,000, truck axles carrying 11,000, there you go. With a traditional tag along, hauling 10,000 lb. trailer has very little effect on the front axle, even with WDH, and tongue weight at the back is only like 20-30%. A 10,000 lb. tag along is harder on the truck than a 14,000 5er and the 8,000 F250 is a very safe vehicle when towing a heavy tag along. The weight does make a difference.

 

Sometimes a nudge from government is a good thing.

"Necessity .... is the mother of invention."

I say, let the engineers at it!

See what the thermodynamics boys can do with the engine. Electronics. Materials Science. Advances in the transmission of the power.

I think thats what this country is supposed to be all about, now. Innovation and technology. Hopefully, Ford and others will hire back some of the engineers that left.

 

With a 30% illiteracy rate among high school graduates, I think that we may need to hire the Japanese and Indian engineers to realize higher standards of quality and efficiency. If America doesn't get back to the basics of taking pride in your work, rewarding excellence, and committing to quality, then we are done as a world leader in technology and innovation!

 

This is something that bugs me everytime I hear it.

In my schools, there are NO illiterate high-school graduates.

Maybe in YOUR state there are.

 

The No Child Left Behind Act pretty much elminates iliterate grads by requiring a reading AND comprehension test before graduation. Not saying a few kids don't slip through but it's not 30%.

The real problem with this act is that it provides NO funding for schools. If you truly care about America and it's future put your money where you mouth is and vote for those school levies.

 

Art:

Reference: "I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. Just wait and see. "

Long Island, still in New York City, still in New York. For your enlightenment and review!

Percentage of adults in New York and the nation in each prose, document and quantitative literacy level in 2003

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
Prose: New York 19 31 40 11
Prose: Nation 14 29 44 13
Document: New York 13 26 52 9
Document: Nation 12 22 53 13
Quantitative: New York 24 35 31 11
Quantitative: Nation 21 33 33 14

Why literacy rates in NYC aren’t getting better
Have New York City literacy levels improved in the five years since the latest federal study? It’s unlikely. Some of the reasons:

38% of New Yorkers are foreign-born (2000 Census).
47% of New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home (2000 Census).
Barely one-third of public school students performed at grade level on the 2001 English Language Arts exams (NYC Department of Education).
1.5 to 2 million adults in NYC need literacy services. Fewer than 60,000 receive them (NYC Mayor’s Office).

 

rmosso1, if you didn't know, Long Island is NOT in New York City.

And maybe I should have said "my LOCAL schools" meaning Lindenhurst.

And, your stats list all adults, NOT high-school graduates.

Wrong on two counts

 

rmosso1, if you didn't know, Long Island is NOT in New York City.

And maybe I should have said "my LOCAL schools" meaning Lindenhurst.

And, your stats list all adults, NOT high-school graduates.

Wrong on two counts

 

ART:
Sorry for putting you in the CITY. Wrong on that count. Art, think a little, if you are illiterate at age 25, don't you think you would be illiterate at high school graduation?

I know, wrong place for the debate, but you are still wrong, because of how your Lindenhurst school grades, and graduates their students. I stand with my point, you are wrong:

In 2007-2008 New York used the New York State Regents Examinations to test high school students in English language arts, math, global history and geography, US history and government, living environment, chemistry, earth science, physics and several foreign languages.
The results for English language arts, math, living environment, chemistry, earth science, physics, global history and geography and US history and government are displayed in GreatSchools profiles.
Students must take at least five Regents Exams in order to graduate.
Scores of 65 and above are passing; scores of 55 and above earn credit toward a local diploma (with the approval of the local board of education).
The goal is for all students to pass the tests.

The last line says it all....

 

CURRENT graduation stats, if you can't pass five Regents tests, you can't graduate.

And believe me, if you are illiterate, you can't pass ONE Regents test.

I stand by my previous statement.

 

CURRENT graduation stats, if you can't pass five Regents tests, you can't graduate.

And believe me, if you are illiterate, you can't pass ONE Regents test.

I stand by my previous statement.

 

Aren't the mods meant to keep things ON-topic?

 

Yeah, well, this thread is already done like a baked potato

 

And this is exactly why I have a SD. My truck feels solid, and acts like a truck, where as the GMs and Dodges I have been in feel chincy and light duty. I will stay in my overweight, oger of a truck.

Steve S.
To many to list.