Should I buy this truck?

[yanmars]

Almost all front discharge here in western Ohio, only in the cities do I see the rear discharge

 

[Bg357]

I assume you’ve already considered this, but buying a 20yr old truck whose brand disappeared years ago carries some risk. Sterling was kind of a hermaphrodite anyway, and that can have only gotten worse in the 15+ years since they ended production.
Obviously, engine and driveline parts won’t be too problematic, one would hope, but all the unique parts that had Ford and some Freightliner DNA are probably hard to find now, if not completely impossible. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep it going, but there will be frustrations and modifications along the way, as you have to replace some parts with generic alternatives, or fabricate workarounds where generic parts are insufficient.

 

[Merck]

My 2-year search for a hay truck might have finally ended.
At the outset, I wanted a long tandem, 6x6, automatic.
Budget was only $30,000, so as you can imagine, it greatly limited my choices.
Looked all over the country and found many of them, but most were over $50,000. They would also need the auger or bucket body removed and a 24’ flatbed installed. That adds another ~ $10,000.
Also most were grossly underpowered (DT-466, CAT C-7, etc), because they only needed enough ass to pull the truck with a auger or man lift.

So I gave up on 6x6 traction and decided that a 6x4 with full locking tandems would give me the traction I need most of the time.
That opened me up to a lot more choices since so few trucks are 6x6.

Then the battle turned to finding a long tandem 6x4, full lockers, automatic, but now I had more choices in bigger power.

So anyway, I found a 2006 Sterling with a CAT C-13 @ 415/1400 and as a bonus, it has a Allison 4000 series. Most smaller displacement trucks have a Allison 3000 series.

I can buy this for way under my 30K budget. Even with shipping (1,000 miles from me)

The only downside is it will need painted. 310,000 miles on it, but seller showed me a video of engine running. No blowby. He also drove it while face timing me. It seemed to run & shift fine. AC works, has trailer brakes, jake brakes, locking diffs and a PTO. Bed has sliding ratchet straps and tool bin/box. Also has air to rear and pintle hitch for PUP trailer (which I am going to try to find the one that went with this truck).
There’s nothing by some minor surface rust as it has been a southern (Tennessee) truck most its’ life.

I know it ain’t pretty. I will paint cab white or dark green. It will be tagged as a Farm Truck.

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Having worked on trucks this size and larger for a living many years ago I would leave it alone. It is a business truck and knowing people it was probably beat to death every time someone other than the owner drove it. It is also not what you really wanted. Don't do a settle for. It may be fine but I feel you would be buying trouble. But you know what opinions are.

 

[neilpaku]

If you can find one, a truck with central tire inflation is excellent for traction. My brother's logging truck gets the tires reduced to 30 pounds and with the interlock and cross locks engaged, it's unstoppable. We're talking dirt logging tracks on clay and silt loaded to 54 tons truck and trailer. You can fit CTI to any truck aftermarket

 

[Hay Dude]

If you can find one, a truck with central tire inflation is excellent for traction. My brother's logging truck gets the tires reduced to 30 pounds and with the interlock and cross locks engaged, it's unstoppable. We're talking dirt logging tracks on clay and silt loaded to 54 tons truck and trailer. You can fit CTI to any truck aftermarket

I was thinking of putting super singles on it, that would get me pretty close to 6x6 traction cross locked, but that would be spendy.
It is VERY hard to find a large displacement automatic with a 24’ flatbed and cross locks for $20,000. Maybe do some checking around and see for yourself?

For everyone who thinks it’ll be beat to death, or as 5030 so ignorantly says a “turd”, remember, this going tom be a FARM truck for hauling HAY bales, not a show truck to impress your friends.

I’m expecting a basic flatbed for short hauling hay bales, not 55 gallon drums of gold.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Before I retired I operated a lot of hi line bucket trucks and other equipment on some terrible ROW's and I was most impressed with tri-axle trucks with the air boss system , I have gone as far as I could quite a few times and then aired down and crawled on down the ROW to the next pole all day long, if not for those tire systems we would have had to matted in to everything, all the single axle trucks stayed up at the highway.

 

[Hay Dude]

Having worked on trucks this size and larger for a living many years ago I would leave it alone. It is a business truck

What other kind of truck would it be?

and knowing people it was probably beat to death every time someone other than the owner drove it.

I don’t know about that. Some companies have drivers who are very responsible. For all I know, it could have had a decal under the door with the name “Joe” on it and he may have been the only one who drove it. Then again, it could have been abused, like you said.

It is also not what you really wanted. Don't do a settle for. It may be fine but I feel you would be buying trouble. But you know what opinions are.

Yes, I do appreciate your opinion. It was given with class.

I wouldn’t consider it “settling” too much, trying to find a 6x6 auto with big power and a 24’ flatbed for 25-30K is impossible. I been looking for 2+ years.
Every truck I looked at would be trouble to some degree, right? You have to remember, my budget, so what would be realistic to expect at that price point?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

just checking if you bought the truck.

 

[Hay Dude]

just checking if you bought the truck.

Not yet. I just did a 70 hour work week last week. I don’t have much free time.

 

[Hay Dude]

I assume you’ve already considered this, but buying a 20yr old truck whose brand disappeared years ago carries some risk.

Crap, buying a 5 year old truck still in production carries some risk, too. You seen what the exhaust aftertreatment trucks are costing truck owners?

Sterling was kind of a hermaphrodite anyway, and that can have only gotten worse in the 15+ years since they ended production.

“Hermaphrodite”, huh? That’s quite the description. What do you know about hermaphrodites? lol

Obviously, engine and driveline parts won’t be too problematic, one would hope, but all the unique parts that had Ford and some Freightliner DNA are probably hard to find now, if not completely impossible. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep it going, but there will be frustrations and modifications along the way, as you have to replace some parts with generic alternatives, or fabricate workarounds where generic parts are insufficient.

Show me what you think would be a better buy in the 25k range? I’d be open to the alternatives you find.
Has to be tandem, auto, lockers, at least 300HP, preferably 400, with a 24’+ flatbed with no rust and towing package. Exhaust brake and good tires a plus.

This truck has all those. Show me what else is out there….I might buy it.

 

[5030]

One thing for certain, if I was to buy a used truck like that, I'd never ask opinions on any site, including this one.

 

[Hay Dude]

One thing for certain, if I was to buy a used truck like that, I'd never ask opinions on any site, including this one.

But your not, so go take your little hobby farm kubota, the highly dubious stories you’ve repeated over & over again for the last 10 years, and troll somewhere else. I’m sure Mrs. Oldsmobile is tired of hearing them, too.

 

[Rustyiron]

That truck, in the lumber yard business might have made 1 load a day on average! Single axles and 450' & 550's made the majority of less than the whole house framing package delivies. With the self loading moffet type forklift with all 3 wheels driving all but eliminates difficult off road conditions for this large truck. I've been witnessing these types of operations and deliveries for years contracting with larger and national builders myself.
Depreciation, and to a much lesser extent age determines when a unit is rolled out of the fleet and replaced.
Asking this type of truck to haul hay for 6-8 weeks a year by an owner/operator is a gravy retirement!
Probably the biggest concern would be any maintenance to the emissions like a DPF filter if so equipped.

 

[Hay Dude]

That truck, in the lumber yard business might have made 1 load a day on average! Single axles and 450' & 550's made the majority of less than the whole house framing package delivies. With the self loading moffet type forklift with all 3 wheels driving all but eliminates difficult off road conditions for this large truck. I've been witnessing these types of operations and deliveries for years contracting with larger and national builders myself.
Depreciation, and to a much lesser extent age determines when a unit is rolled out of the fleet and replaced.
Asking this type of truck to haul hay for 6-8 weeks a year by an owner/operator is a gravy retirement!
Probably the biggest concern would be any maintenance to the emissions like a DPF filter if so equipped.

It has 300,000 miles and 16,000 hours on it. That’s an average of 18.75 miles per hour. So lots of idling time while loding/unloading.

It was a drywall delivery truck. It had a moffet and a pup trailer.

 

[Paystar]

Front wheels are aluminum. Back wheels steel. Could replace outer rims. Would really like to put super singles on back axles if I can accumulate additional sheckles. That would give even more traction. I know there’s downside to SS, too.

Yes, the door was damaged and they put one on from another truck. I was going to paint it dark green, like the 7500

Super singles won't not give you more traction than duals. I've tried them even on pony/pup trailers and went back to duals.
The Sterling (previously a Ford) was a good truck. We ran one for several years. Biggest complaint was the cheap plastic switches in cab. Not sure how parts availability is on them now though. The people I know that are still running them are collecting every old used one they can find.
The Cat C13 ACERT was an awesome motor and even more reliable than the twin turbo C15's. I ran one for several years set at 525 h.p.. It was a 485 with the field uprate.

 

[Hay Dude]

Super singles won't not give you more traction than duals. I've tried them even on pony/pup trailers and went back to duals.

The military runs them and they can de deflated/inflated. I would trust their judgement on them. I would put my money on deflated singles making it through
mud better than fully inflated duals, but I probably would just stick with the recap waste hauler tread duals anyway.
You have to remember, this truck is going to be used more off-road than on road. Singles are used on mixer trucks and tree transplanter trucks with great success off-road.

The Sterling (previously a Ford) was a good truck. We ran one for several years. Biggest complaint was the cheap plastic switches in cab.

This trucks’ dash is in-tact and undamaged.
If that’s the biggest complaint, I think I can live with that lol

Not sure how parts availability is on them now though. The people I know that are still running them are collecting every old used one they can find.

They sold quite a few of them. Parts are available through Freightliner dealers.

The Cat C13 ACERT was an awesome motor and even more reliable than the twin turbo C15's. I ran one for several years set at 525 h.p.. It was a 485 with the field uprate.

That’s pretty much what I have heard.

 

[Paystar]

The military runs them and they can de deflated/inflated. I would trust their judgement on them. I would put my money on deflated singles making it through
mud better than fully inflated duals, but I probably would just stick with the recap waste hauler tread duals anyway.
You have to remember, this truck is going to be used more off-road than on road. Singles are used on mixer trucks and tree transplanter trucks with great success off-road.

This trucks’ dash is in-tact and undamaged.
If that’s the biggest complaint, I think I can live with that lol


They sold quite a few of them. Parts are available through Freightliner dealers.

That’s pretty much what I have heard.

Well yes, if you have that type of super single and beadlocks like the military and central tire inflation. But as for the regular super singles, on the highway in winter they suck.
Yes, Freightliner is who bought Ford's Louisville line and called it Sterling. But I have been hearing reports of them not carrying many Sterling specific parts any more. Not really a deal breaker because most components that you will ever need parts for anyway are driveline and generic maintenance stuff anyway. But body or cab parts may take some hunting.

I never drove our Sterling much because I ran the Western Stars, but any time I did jump in the Sterling I was really impressed with the ride quality. The cab air ride was super soft. And even though it has Tuff-Trac rear suspension it rode as good or better as my air ride truck.

 

[5030]

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.

 

[tradosaurus]

I can buy this for way under my 30K budget. Even with shipping (1,000 miles from me)

Just curious on the price you settled to buy the truck?
I bought a Mustang on AutoTrader without seeing the car in person back in 2014. I did due diligence in finding the seller on Facebook and corroborating his information and location. I talked with him on the phone. I paid him before going to get the car.
I hitched a ride with my brother who was heading that way (~900 miles).
Still my stomach was in knots the whole trip wondering if I made a mistake. Never again.
If not traveling to see it in person someone suggested hiring a mechanic to put eyes on it and look it through. This would give me the warm fuzzy.

 

[5030]

Interestingly, the outfit I worked and drove for tried the super singles on their Reitnauer aluminum curtainside trailers for a time because they weigh less than conventional duals. The issue was, if any of the drivers experienced a flat on the road, away from the garage, they were screwed as the availability of (at that time at least) super singles was limited and with duals in the drives and trailer, you could have a flat on one of the duals and keep on truck'in, whereas a flat on a Super Single put you on the side of the road immediately. Not every tire shop at that time had super singles in stock The military uses them because they have replacement rubber available, the private sector didn't at that time at least. Might have changed over the years I've been away from it but I do know my hunting buddy who runs a fleet of 56 Freightshaker Cascadia's leased to Fed-Ex, runs duals on all his tractors and wants nothing to do with Super Singles. Fed-Ex also runs duals on their trailers as well. Of course Fed-Ex never grosses out their trailers anyway. No package delivery outfit does that I know of. Gross or over gross is the realm of aggregate haulers and steel haaulers and over dimensional specialized carriers. When I drove for them, prior to retirement, I cannot remeber a time when I ran under gross, most times heavy because we were compensated by the hundredweight of cargo hauled, consequently, I always put a charge on the barge and so did all the other drivers.