Old girl is under the weather

I need to see this Greentree Hill.
With 42,000 lbs and a 13 speed, what gear are you in when you crest the peak?
 
Mine was set at 460 with a 15 SPD and 3.42 rear with a 47-48000# coil I settle in at mid 30s did not matter if I come out of the tunnel at 65 or stopped halfway up from traffic. I mainly used it as a reference that I was pulling a hill, mashing the fuel pedal and settled into a pull. The blowby most likely overheated the piston and it started to seize lucky a quick bump start on the shoulder and it turned over and freed up. Limped up the shoulder past exit at the top to wide spot once the engine settled down I decided to shoot for our terminal/yard in eighty four PA to safely park trailer. I would say that the 3 worst pulls length and grade wise in western PA are route 40 out of Fair Chance PA , route 30 out of Ligoneer PA. and route 22 between Gas Center and Nanty Glo or a hill called Chickoree. These are basically the same mountain that all 3 eastbound roads cross. All are at least a mile long pull the first 2 are very winding and don't go over route 30 with a 53/102 if the DOT is on top. Route 22 has been straightened quite a bit but it also got steeper at the beginning and very top. I am in no way comparing these hills to anything out West (no comparison) but I also don't run out there so they are not wearing my junk out. West Virginia has some grades that will make you roll down the windows in the winter also.
 
Very similar to 44 in CT going north to Torrington.
Start the grade from a dead stop with traffic lights on the way up. Lost part of my load once which was in rolling carts when a load bar let go and a 1/2 dz. carts (~2,000 lbs ea) went bursting out the back rollup door. Luckily it was around 2:00 AM or so.

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Very similar to 44 in CT going north to Torrington.
Start the grade from a dead stop with traffic lights on the way up. Lost part of my load once which was in rolling carts when a load bar let go and a 1/2 dz. carts (~2,000 lbs ea) went bursting out the back rollup door. Luckily it was around 2:00 AM or so.

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Ah yes... air bag deployment cages... you're not allowed to toss undeployed airbags into the dumpster.

Greentree Hill isn't so bad, just busy, curvy, reasonably steep and long enough to cook your brakes if you like. The main feature for those uninitiated is that you go down the hill directly into a tunnel that empties directly onto the Fort Pitt bridge which can dump you straight into downtown. It's interstate, so no lights or cross roads and plenty of speed in lighter traffic... Just before the tunnel and on the bridge is a flustercluck of merging for those who are trying to read the signs.

Video is close enough to good but opposite direction of Dave's travels.
 
Very similar to 44 in CT going north to Torrington.
Start the grade from a dead stop with traffic lights on the way up. Lost part of my load once which was in rolling carts when a load bar let go and a 1/2 dz. carts (~2,000 lbs ea) went bursting out the back rollup door. Luckily it was around 2:00 AM or so.

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I remember being on the phone with a friend of mine and heard bang, boom ,clang noises, I said what the hell was that? Uh I gotta go he says. Turns out he had yellow safety railing on not banded properly probably should not have let them put it on but hey not going far right. One strap tore another came loose you can picture the mess. I still tease him about it to this day. Lucky nobody or things hurt and he could pick them all up by hand.
 
just out of the fort pitt tunnels heading up green tree hill. morning traffic.

 
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An update for those of you that care. Shop called block and crank are good and do not have to come out. #3 piston was the culprit for blowby/miss/trying to seize in ts liner. Bad news is cam is flaking and has taken followers with it (more money more labor), also connecting rod bushings are loose and need redone/exchanged. So she will have a fresh heart in about another week along with a bill that she will have to work off over the next year or so. Other news is I have got back to work on the walls in our addition, which is making Mrs. Bigblockdodge a little happier after the truck engine issue.
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Sorry for your bad news brother. My uncle just had to have his big rig cummings motor rebuilt and I think it was about $15K or somewhere in that range.
 
That's a pretty hard hit Dave, I'm glad you're taking it well. I hope your "vacation" is productive and not too long.
 
Just ouch on the truck.
How many sq ft did you add? Looks like you got the commode up and flushing!
Live in renovations seem to take longer, cost more and are messier than planned.
 
Started out as a little 24x28, 1 1/2 story cape cod. With the free gas, adding the pole building and able to park my big truck here I figured I would add on and make it more what we want. So added 32x28 out the back and made a full second floor on the original cape cod all overtop a 2 car garage for wife's daily driver and my Challenger lives in the house garage most of the time. I was moving along pretty decent till the economy went south in 08 then my 94 Peterbilt broke it's crankshaft in 09 which has basically put the house on hold for 6-7 years now I have done some stuff but i need to get focused back on it again.
 
No shaky state for this guy except maybe a fly in drive that special C body home.

Last good Pete they made was 1995 379. If you are willing to fix the A/C system properly you can go up to early 2k, once they took the vent windows and put the Volvo dash in, just not interested. There is a pretty 03 KW glider in Indy with rebuilt 500 hp N14 in it. I have a line on a cheap temporary truck local from another steel hauler.

I was told the 1999 379 was it. Computer controls, and some legislation on 2000 and up in California.
 
After 95 they went to a orifice A/C system regulated by turning compressor on and off to maintain pressures/temp. This works good for your refrigerator lives in your basically same temp all the time kitchen and maintains the freezer about the same temp. But for a OTR truck that is in 85° Laredo TX on a Tuesday then 2 1/2 days later in Maine drying the humidity out of the air blowing on a frosty windshield, you can see how the compressor is doomed. Not the end of the world but a total F you for a class of truck that is supposed to be quality. After they put the Volvo dash and the terrible ergonomics all in the name of profit and fleet sales.
 
What do you think of Western Star. Seems like they still strive to keep the traditional O/O in mind. Or have they changed also.
 
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