gear ratios

[ihscoutsniper]

actually, mudguppy, if you would present your opiniion , i would like to hear it, I am still considering building my "hauler" out of a 5 ton so a cummins engine wouldn't be out of question, saw that the 10 ton tractors had cummins 400 big cams , that would be bad ass wouldn't it, so i am building a truck for a purpose within reason, money isn't my primary concern, as i can buy /sell /scrap part out everything to at least break even and make my parts costs manageable, just takes time and patience

 

[mudguppy]

here's my opinion: most all of the Cat v MF opinions that you'll get from folks on this forum that don't own both is worth the price you paid for it. there are way too many MF cheerleaders that talk down the Cat or other diesel and over-highlight the supposed advantages of the MF. in reality, it has three advantages:

1. it's already in an A2; so you have to be pretty motivated to fit something else in.
2. they're a dime/dozen. so when it blows, just pic up another. what i'm not sure about is what is going to happen when the well starts to dry...
3. it'll burn anything. so if you have a supply of WMO for essentially free fuel that you want to run in 100% mix, then sweet! i respect the crap out of that. otherwise, there is no benefit. running large amounts of gas doesn't make any practical sense (to me), so i don't see how this is much more than a talking point.

my opinion on the questions you posed (which is what you actually were soliciting):

• the A3 is a much more modern truck than the A2 in almost every sense. the engine has way more power potential (if you'd like) and predictable reliability than the MF. the auto is also proven, can be serviced anywhere, and should tow great. so if i were to be towing 5-8k lbs for relatively short intervals and don't mind 50-ish top speeds, then i'd choose the A3. (above that weight and you need trailer brakes).
• if i couldn't get over the 50 mph top speed, then i'd probably be looking for a different truck. getting a larger trans to fit in place of the A3 auto is going to be quite a bit of work.
• if you're doing all of this trans work for economy, i'd get a diesel pickup truck; it'll be much more economical in the total cost of ownership and comfortable on longer hauls at higher speeds. otherwise, the best economy you'll be able to practically get is the lockout hubs on the front and intermediate axle. and even with that, it'll take some miles to get a positive return on investment. same with the transmission swap expense.
• anything over 10k, i'd be looking again at the 1T pickup. or go to the 915/916/920 option; they'll be no limit to what you'll practically be able to haul w/out ever really taxing such a truck. but any kind of economy or low cost of ownership concept is out the window with fuel, insurance, fees, licensing, maintenance, etc.

so, to me, it comes down to what you want, what you need to haul, and what compromises that you're willing to make:

• practicality, lowest cost to operate, best economy - 1T diesel pickup
• medium loads, MV cool factor, relative comfort, ok economy - A3
• heavier loads, larger cool factor, unlimited power - 915/916/920
• low initial cost, MV cool factor, aren't in a hurry, an abundance of 'free WMO', decent economy - A2
• lots of fab work, MV cool factor - A3 with trans swap
• unlimited fab work and $$, way-cool factor, and who cares about anything else - A2 w/ 6BTA + OD trans, or A3 w/ 3126 (or DT466 or 6CTA) + OD trans + 4.90 gears

i think you need to be more definitive about what you want this truck to do and how you want it to do it.

i'd like to hear more.

 

[ihscoutsniper]

mudguppy , finally a definitive answer, kudos, i actually started another thread on which series of truck is better if you read that i think you will be better informed on my end use goals but the mv wow factor is way up on list..thanks for your honest opinion