TrailerRV.com

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation
To Offer Front-Engine Diesel Chassis Option
for RV Customers

Gaffney, S.C.—Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) announced today that it will produce a front-engine diesel motorhome chassis. The combination of a front-engine chassis with a diesel engine presents a unique combination of benefits for RV manufacturers and RV owners alike. This new configuration is affectionately nicknamed “FRED,” an acronym for Front Engine Diesel chassis. Prototypes are planned for the third quarter of 2005, and production will begin at the end of 2005.

FRED (Front End Diesel chassis

“There’s no question diesel is the optimal power plant for the RV market,” said Dean Schaper, Director of Sales and Marketing for FCCC. “FRED is our way of showing gas motorhome customers they can have all the power, fuel economy and durability of a diesel engine at a price point that’s a very attractive alternative to gas.”

The new FRED chassis also features a lowered engine position compared to gas models, which will reduce or even eliminate the intrusive and cumbersome “engine hump” normally associated with front-engine RVs.

“Not only have we created a unique combination of value and performance, we’ve improved the formula by lowering the engine, which translates into real benefits for our owners—more room inside and better handling,” remarked Gary Poole, RV Product Manager, Freightliner Custom Chassis. “With all this chassis offers—more torque, higher payloads, better fuel economy and the strength of Freightliner’s 400-plus service centers, FRED is going to make friends with our customers fast.”

 
 

The FRED chassis is powered by a Cummins 5.9-liter diesel engine mated to an Allison 5-speed transmission. The chassis will also offer a new, custom-tuned Hendrickson spring ride suspension, exclusive to Freightliner Custom Chassis. The front axle design allows for a 55-degree wheel cut for increased maneuverability.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation manufactures premium chassis for the motorhome, delivery walk-in van, school bus and shuttle bus markets. It is a subsidiary of Freightliner LLC, the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Freightliner produces and markets Class 3 – 8 vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, American LaFrance and Thomas Built Buses nameplates and is a company of DaimlerChrysler, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Reported on RV Trade Digest

Finally the cab that came late to the party. With GM and Ford selling more crew cabs each year than Extended and Super Cabs, Dodge for 2006 will give them some real competition. “Packaged with full-size Ram capability, the all-new 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab offers the most interior passenger space, cargo capacity and functionality of any pickup truck on the market,”  More of course.
Quadrasteer GMC Towing a Zeppelin travel trailer to Estes Park at the Spruce Lake RV Park. The Denali is on the move again showing off it's backing skills in the picturesque Rocky Mountains. It makes me want to move to the hills near the Big Thompson River. Read more...

It started with tailgate parties, like the ones famous where I live in Denver at the Broncos Mile High football stadium. A clever way to pack it all up including the tables! It's a "transformer for adults." The Tailgate Cargo Box transforms from storage into two tables.  Read this..

Back into anything lately with your trailer? Rostra Optical Sensing System can help. Trailers are growing each year and campsites aren't. Rostra, the leader in safety products has a back up sensor that will dial in how close the back of your trailer is to those soft trees. Reverse doesn't have to be a bad word. Gotta read this
The ideal hauling and living vehicle, Featherlite aluminum custom & standard Sport Utility Recreation Vehicles (SURV) trailers give outdoor enthusiasts a trailer they can rely on to get them & their cargo to their destinations in comfort More.

New Truck and Trailer Forum, learn all you can

Towing Vehicle Tips

Limited slip differentials.
Generally in a limited slip rear end a clutch engages when the right wheel, which is the driver, spin's, allowing both wheels to give you traction. It's usually beneficial to have it unless you are pulling heavy loads most of the time and on dirt or mud wearing the clutch in the differential.

Do you need a diesel?
The right diesel can dramatically out pull a gas engine. Ever see a gas powered semi-truck? Diesels will generally last longer and get better fuel economy. At the present they have better resale.

The down side. Diesels can cost over $4000 more. If you keep them a long time, or pull trailers constantly, the cost of the diesel option will be minimized. You know diesels are louder than gas engines. If you buy a diesel with a manual transmission, it will require more skill to shift. In very cold conditions you will need to plug in block heaters and be sure you are using blended fuel, #2 and #1. And the ever popular if you get diesel on your hands while filling your tank you will smell it for a few days option. Oil changes will cost twice as much or more than gas trucks, and in area's where you are required to have an emission test on trucks, the diesel costs more.
1/2 ton, 3/4 ton or 1 ton?
The size of the truck you need depends of course on your needs. ½ tons and light duty ¾ tons are for light duty work, loaded part-time. Heavy-duty ¾ tons, 1 tons and above are designed to be loaded all of the time. They have twice as many tapered bearings in the rear axle. It’s called a full floating axle, similar to semi-truck eighteen-wheelers. While ½ ton pickups have a semi-floating axle similar to a car, with just 2 bearings. ½ tons and light duty ¾ tons will have a flush axle housing matching the wheel. With the heavy duty ¾ ton, 1 ton trucks and larger, the rear axle housing will actually stick out past the wheel and have an additional 8 bolts on the end of the hub holding the axle into the differential.
Nissan Pathfinder Armada, new full-size SUV and new Fleetwood model. More... click on picture to enlarge and back button to return.

2003 Lincoln Aviator pulls a Coyote Sportster To Estes Park. Parked here in front of Estes Ark a popular place to find stuffed animals Click for review click on picture to enlarge and back button to return.

TowingReview.com    Read my reviews of trucks, trailers and SUV's.

Camping Sites    [RV trip planning site]

Camping Trailers

Pop-Up   [Pop Up Times] [Base Camp] [Coleman]  [Towlite]  [Viking]  [Hi-Lo]  [Four Wheel]

Solid-side   [Trail-Lite]  [Desert Fox Sport]  [Fleetwood

Fifth-wheel RV Trailers

[Americana] [Carriage] [Gulfstream] [KingoftheRoad] [KZ] [Sunliner] [Teton] [Fleetwood]

Trailer Lights

Sierra Products. Trailer lights, legal and submersible Ph. 925-443-3140 Livermore CA

Trailer Repair  Jim's Repair & Parts 1-800-865-0339 Denver, CO

Truck Slide-In Campers

Pop-Up  [Outfitter] [Hallmark] [NorthStar]

Solid-side  [Lance] [Alaskan] [Bigfoot] [S&S] [Northstar] [Fleetwood]

Useful RV Sites   [RV.net right mouse click to save this image

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After you spent the $40,000 on the Truck, Do You know if it will pull your Trailer in the Mountains?

TRAILERS THE BASICS.

#1 Gooseneck, fifth wheel or bumper type.
The gooseneck, attached to a 2 5/16 ball in the bed of the pickup truck or the fifth wheel trailer attached to a pivoting receiver with a king pin from the trailer similar to semi-trucks, are usually attached to the truck 2 to 4 inches in front of the rear axle toward the cab. This puts enough weight on the front axle to steer properly leaving the majority of weight on the rear axle. This type of trailer is dramatically easier to pull, back up and control. Bumper trailers are for lighter loads. They tend to sway back and forth unless you attach a weight distributing hitch to the tongue of the trailer and are more sensitive to load balance. Bumper trailers are also harder to back up. With any trailer, having too light of a pulling vehicle can be dangerous traveling down hill or when stopping, the trailer can push the vehicle!

#2 Tandem, double or triple axles.
It all depends on use. For heavy loads triple axles are cheaper, but are harder on your tires unless you never turn corners. When you turn corners with triple axles the front tire and the rear tire flex their sidewalls extremely. It can pop the tire beads under a heavy load. Not to mention the pressure on the wheel bearings. I had trailer house axles for awhile under my 33 foot hay trailer. The tires on trailer house axles are touchy. I had to have at least 90 PSI of air in them to keep them from heating and disintegrating. I found some 6 bolt Chevy wheels that matched the spindle bearings. That was an improvement! When I bought my first new gooseneck 32 foot flatbed, I made sure it had 8 bolt wheels to match my pickup wheels. You can never have enough spare tires and it's nice to have the trailer and truck use the same spares.

#3 Springs.
The right springs makes life much simpler if you use your trailer a lot. Torsion axles, the most expensive, involve an round axle inside of a square axle. The gaps between the round axle and the round axle are filled with rubber. These axles are the least maintenance and easiest to replace. The slipper springs are cheaper. They are a leaf spring attached at the front and allowed to slide through equalizer at the rear. Also a low maintenance spring. The shackle spring, popular because it's cheaper, is attached with hangers to the leafs. This spring gives you the least independence of the axles. The bolts and bushings and equalizers need checked more often or replaced. They do work well on light trailers not used everyday.

#4 Wheels, tires and bearings
I've wore out several trailers, axles, and those wonderful brakes. I switched to Dually's just to be sure I had brakes. If you can, match the trailer wheel to your pickup truck wheel. Six bolt, five bolt, and 8 bolt. You will generally have more flat tires on your trailer than on your truck. The axles are closer together and they tend to throw what ever they pick up from the road at each other. I like the axle hubs that are greaseable from the outside or oil bath with a site glass and plug. Get the highest ply or load rated tire. C rated is 6 ply, D is 8 ply, and E is 10 ply.

Trailer News with Andrew Lyons.

Technology is changing the trailer world to keep up with the more powerful trucks that pull them. News on air brakes, disc brakes, independent suspensions, hydraulic brake controls, and pour on flooring. For more click  Andrew Lyons next to a Hart aluminum slant  horse trailer. Horse hauling has come a long way from the "seventies" when I would back my truck into the ditch and jump my Quarter Horse in the back of stock racks.

Stop tire cupping, vibration and premature wear on those expensive truck, RV & trailer tires. Centramatic automatic wheel balancers have been saving money on tires for semi-trucks for over twenty years. Now you can automatically balance your tires, wheels, hub and rotors or drums while you drive. A balanced tire doesn't cub, vibrates less & lowers the tire sidewall temperature from less flexing, giving you longer tire life. 5 year warranty, made in the USA. More

"MrTruck's Insider Club" The Truth about Trucks!  Nine fact filled reports to Save You Money, Time, and still get the Right Truck and Accessories! Get breaking truck news first. Reviews and custom truck evaluations just for you. Friends don’t let friends buy the wrong truck! Full money back guarantee!  For the rest of the story Click  or at least a year of it!


 

 

 

www.enjoythedrive.com. SEMA's site for accessories.

Here are SEMA's "16 Tips For Towing A Trailer."

Here is a good site for basic trailer tips. Click here

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