M920 at work

[reb87]

I put the fifthwheel off of my M915 on my M920. The pins on the m920 were 1.5 inches so I had to use bushings to make the pins from the 915 work. I hauled 845 bushels by loading the back hopper of my 43 foot trailer almost full and the front hopper a little less. 86940 total lbs, I had 67400 on the trailer and truck tandems(I didnt get the individual weights on them but it was around 33720 on the trailer and rear tandems), 6800 on the tag(with about 25psi in the tag) 12700 on the front. It pulled great and had plenty of power, about 55mph at 2100rpm. Im going to get rid of the super heavy wheels/tires as they weigh 320lbs per.

 

[paradeduty]

Cool - Great to see her strutting her stuff - Awesome looking Truck!

 

[NDT]

Amazing that last week that truck was growing roots in a Louisiana pine forest. You are the definition of "git er done" . . .

 

[roscoe]

reb87, what are you going to use the 916 for?

 

[reb87]

Couple more things, dont put much air in the tag or you wont be able to make a turn especially on a gravel road. The oscillating fifthwheel works great, usually when I turn on gravel roads with an empty trailer one side of the wheels will be off the ground because of the crown of the road. The oscillating fifth wheel tilts side to side and takes a lot of the torque off of the kingpin when going out of a field to a higher road or turning on a high crowned road.

I kept a good record of my mileage on the way home from LA with my gps and was getting a little over 6mph bobtailing on highways. Probably get a little better mileage on the interstate.

 

[reb87]

Ive been using 818s to get grain out of the field but its a hassle hooking up a second set of lights to work with 24volt and not having much power if I am going to town from the field. Because of the recent flood of trucks I am replacing the 818s with a 920 and 916...capacity for 12 volts as well as 24 and 400 hp is hard to beat especially at the price.

 

[Josh]

You going to go with 1600s on the 920 like ya did your 919?

 

[reb87]

Yes, I have the wheels and tires just need to put them together...Im thinking of putting singles on the trailers as well to get them level.

 

[docfarmall]

now thats a grain truck for sure

 

[stellaruthie]

Reb87,seeing you work your trucks ,makes me wish I was a farmer.Good job.

 

[cornrichard]

I am right there with you. I tried to put together a 817 and pup combo to haul grain with. Then the 915 series showed up and I had to buy in. We are having great luck so far. I have pulled some 90,000 lb plus loads through the field on our home place, no problem. No wheel ever touched a public road, so no ticket. Here are some pics. They are a little to far away but I will get some more in the am.

 

[hoopsoft]

So one of your old post said Allison kills cat. How are you liking the Cat in the 920 I'm sure you liked not shifting, but fully loaded does it make a difference having the closer gearing.

 

[Hammer]

Nice to see them work!
I wish you had some serious hills so I could hear how well that truck does with a 5 to 9 mile 6% (or more) grade. I REALLY want to get a 920 to use for some heavy haul, but unless I run JUST heavy haul, I can't justify the weight of the 920 compared to a regular OTR truck.
But, how well does that trans shift with a full load like that?

 

[cornrichard]

We are working at home right now so travel is less than a mile. Getting the truck moving in the field is the tough part with a heavy load. Once you are rolling just shifts like a car with a hd shift kit. I live in one of the flattest places on earth so I will not have a steep grade report anytime soon. One odd note on the 915a1. They all have different amounts of power and they all shift different. The one I just picked up from Jeff City is real fast but is just sitting and watching because of no plates.

 

[rlwm211]

That trailer looks like a toy on the back of that truck!!!!!

RL

 

[reb87]

Great pics Cornrichard, hows the corn,moisture,yeild??
Like Cornrichard once the truck gets rolling the allison is much better. The only times the allison is a little iffy is when the truck sits in a field while getting loaded and the wheels sink in the dirt a little. The gearing is a little high and the truck has a little trouble getting started. The trucks have a much lower gear in reverse so I usually back up a couple foot to get out of the tire ruts and then it comes out fine. Ive found the best way to shift while pulling a load is to start in the 1-2 position and run the truck up to about 28mph, it feels like you are getting 3 or 4 shifts(it is the convertor locking up and the gear shifting) then I keep shifting up manually as I approach 2100rpm. If you let if shift automatically you get some really harsh shifts and I think its hard on the tranny. Once the truck is moving there is no disadvantage to only 5 gears instead of 16. Thru town while loaded I can blow the other trucks away with the allison but its not as dramatic with the cat. With the allison from a stoplight I will be at least 50 foot in front of the other semi. The cat takes more time to shift so isnt as fast. I have a big hill on the way into town and again the allison is faster up the hill(Im running about 68 mph at the bottom with that truck because of the tall tires while the cat is only going about 57 at the bottom) The hill is about a mile long and steep for nebraska, I drop about 5 mph with both trucks loaded. There is a steeper hill that I go down and have to run the jake and brakes to keep under the speed limit and when I come back empty the trucks will pretty much go up it without loosing any speed(1-2mph if I have my foot into it at the bottom) The cat tranny shifts fine its just a lot more work than the allison. The allison would be even better with a 2 speed transfercase (916A1 style)

 

[cornrichard]

24% moisture and 195 bushel. I am going out right now to get some more of it.

 

[cundupa]

Cool pics. I know I'm glad the 817 didn't work out for Cornrichard! She's still on the job hauling clay.

 

[Ord22]

cool pics, reb.

 

[cornrichard]

Cundupa, This is the second or third time you brought up my lack of 817 ownership. Yes I miss that truck but it paid for almost two 915s. I hope it is getting good fresh fuel and a stiff workout. What do the drivers think of it?