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19.5's on an MDT

Clastic

Clastic

Active member
Joined
Jan 3, 2022
Member Number
4670
Messages
35
Looking at MDT's to help around the farm.

Wanting a truck with 19.5's so that I can actually load stuff on a flatbed or tow the goosneck no problem.

19.5 trucks are sort of scarce in my parts. HOWEVER 22.5 mdt's are plentiful also cheaper (for whatever reason).

I assuming the suspensions are different to lower ride height but how different? If there a brand of MDT that would easier to scale down than others?
 
There is not much difference . I know international has offered a lot pro frame that only gets a smaller web after the rear axle spring hangers. The frame becomes 4 1/2" tall. Not worth it IMHO.

I'm not sure about the other truck brands and how they do lo pro trucks.

Most of your lightweight MDT's with juice brake will have 15.5" rotors with 2 piston calipers. They will fit a 19.5 wheel easy. You just have to find the wheels. The 8 lug pattern is the easiest to get used. 10 lug 19.5s are out there in the used market.

I will get some pics later tonight of my trucks lol pro frame.

If you can't find a truck with the smaller wheel. Then I wouldn't sweat it. The smaller wheels and tire roughly lower the truck 4" or so. If deck height is a concern then just resize the 22.5 wheel with a 255/70-22.5 or a 275/70-22.5 tire. Both are about 36-37" . Saves money on wheels.

You can get almost any tread pattern with a 275 also.

Hope this helps
 
Freightliner did the FL50/60 with 19.5's... so did Chevy in 3500HD/Kodiak/topkick.

Any wreckers/towtrucks are commonly running with 19.5's.
 
ANGRYBLACK said:
There is not much difference . I know international has offered a lot pro frame that only gets a smaller web after the rear axle spring hangers. The frame becomes 4 1/2" tall. Not worth it IMHO.

I'm not sure about the other truck brands and how they do lo pro trucks.

Most of your lightweight MDT's with juice brake will have 15.5" rotors with 2 piston calipers. They will fit a 19.5 wheel easy. You just have to find the wheels. The 8 lug pattern is the easiest to get used. 10 lug 19.5s are out there in the used market.

I will get some pics later tonight of my trucks lol pro frame.

If you can't find a truck with the smaller wheel. Then I wouldn't sweat it. The smaller wheels and tire roughly lower the truck 4" or so. If deck height is a concern then just resize the 22.5 wheel with a 255/70-22.5 or a 275/70-22.5 tire. Both are about 36-37" . Saves money on wheels.

You can get almost any tread pattern with a 275 also.
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I appreciate it. I had wondered the difference between the Lo Pro and the regular 4600 as far as frame. Good information of the 22.5. Deck height is definitely the driving factor. Didn't even think about the lug count.

u2slow said:
Freightliner did the FL50/60 with 19.5's... so did Chevy in 3500HD/Kodiak/topkick.

Any wreckers/towtrucks are commonly running with 19.5's.
Click to expand...

Frieghtliners are getting hard to find in my parts thanks to them coming with a Cummins. Once people figured it out, everybody had to have one :shaking:

YotaAtieToo said:
Hopefully highway cruising is not a priority?
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Nope. Just moving hay and the tractor around and such. 55-60 will be all I want out of it.
 
Clastic said:
I appreciate it. I had wondered the difference between the Lo Pro and the regular 4600 as far as frame. Good information of the 22.5. Deck height is definitely the driving factor. Didn't even think about the lug count.



Frieghtliners are getting hard to find in my parts thanks to them coming with a Cummins. Once people figured it out, everybody had to have one :shaking:


Nope. Just moving hay and the tractor around and such. 55-60 will be all I want out of it.
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I figured.

Most of the mdt's I've driven are about maxing out at 65, dropping tire size that much would obviously drop that down a lot. Will be good, for low end grunt though :laughing:
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I figured.

Most of the mdt's I've driven are about maxing out at 65, dropping tire size that much would obviously drop that down a lot. Will be good, for low end grunt though :laughing:
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That's the way my Kodiak was. Eaton 6 speed 3116 Cat. 55 was it but to quote a old PBB sig. You could put it in 1st, get out and take a shit and it wouldn't be out of the driveway. :laughing: I usually drove around unloaded in 3rd-6th but it would run 55 loaded or unloaded.

I just hated the truck because when it came to buying non drivetrain related stuff it was a mismatch. Go to buy A/C lines and CAT would say it's a GM part, GM said it was a CAT part. 🙄
 
Clastic said:
That's the way my Kodiak was. Eaton 6 speed 3116 Cat. 55 was it but to quote a old PBB sig. You could put it in 1st, get out and take a shit and it wouldn't be out of the driveway. :laughing: I usually drove around unloaded in 3rd-6th but it would run 55 loaded or unloaded.

I just hated the truck because when it came to buying non drivetrain related stuff it was a mismatch. Go to buy A/C lines and CAT would say it's a GM part, GM said it was a CAT part. 🙄
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I was just reading that the new gm 4500/5500/6500 ar IH chassis, gm cab and engine, Allison trans, merritor tcase and brake, and Spicer axles.

I get that everything has a bit of that, but it sounds like a nightmare to me.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I was just reading that the new gm 4500/5500/6500 ar IH chassis, gm cab and engine, Allison trans, merritor tcase and brake, and Spicer axles.

I get that everything has a bit of that, but it sounds like a nightmare to me.
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That's the norm. The oems make the cab and nose. Then it gets the standard stuff from other OEM.

If you want less hodge podge then you gotta go Isuzu, Mitsubishi, or hino. Domestic MDT stuff is the bottom of the barrel. But they are cheaper so there's that.
 
ANGRYBLACK said:
That's the norm. The oems make the cab and nose. Then it gets the standard stuff from other OEM.

If you want less hodge podge then you gotta go Isuzu, Mitsubishi, or hino. Domestic MDT stuff is the bottom of the barrel. But they are cheaper so there's that.
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I guess I was thinking ford would be the alternative if shopping those gm trucks.

Although, I'm not sure I really consider either of those a true mdt with pick up engine and transmissions.

Anyway, enough derail! :flipoff2:
 
My Dodge 5500 has a flatbed sitting at about 38" it's 1/4" plate and flat-ish... flater than dirt anyhow.

Makes a handy ~100 sq ft bench.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I figured.

Most of the mdt's I've driven are about maxing out at 65, dropping tire size that much would obviously drop that down a lot. Will be good, for low end grunt though :laughing:
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Around here even the garbage trucks will hold 70. I see an MDT cabover going 90 in the left lane about once a week and a Mack tri-axle doing 75 about once every two weeks.

I think the limiting factor is how big the driver's balls are more than the vehicle.
 
arse_sidewards said:
Around here even the garbage trucks will hold 70. I see an MDT cabover going 90 in the left lane about once a week and a Mack tri-axle doing 75 about once every two weeks.

I think the limiting factor is how big the driver's balls are more than the vehicle.
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Last 2 I drove were a brand new freightliner with a Cummins/Allison. It actually moved pretty good from a dig to about 45-50. Foot to the floor, it may have done 72? But slight grades and you were back to ~65. The other was a 90 F750 with a cat and some type of 6 speed. It was loud and shitty enough that 65 was fine. :laughing: it was also a CDL truck and I wasn't at the time.
 
Here is the 90s international lo pro frame. I'm measuring the top of the frame right at 30" on leaf springs and 295/75 -22.5 tires.

IIRC the front axle beam has more drop at the kingpin but it's been a while since I've looked under or been around a non low profile frame.
 

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Between the 2 non-low-pro FL70s my brother had, one was geared 4.88, the other 4.10. 22.5" wheels, 6BT & direct 6spd in both.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Is that really what the uhauls had? :laughing:

At least you had a high revving engine :flipoff2:
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mine had the 3rd swapped with a dumptruck or something.

a pirate member scrapped one and sent me a 4.30 rear. Fucking legend.
After that top speed was 74 mph on flat ground with the IDI wound to the governor.
 
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