by "Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
Published 08/23/2017 at 15:20
by "Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
Published 08/23/2017 at 15:20
No Tags
STARS: 0
Apparently we’re going to be evaluating a ProMaster-based bus for future fleet replacement. Our Freightliners haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire with their reliability, so I can’t imagine the horror of having a huge fleet of FCA products. I’ve read enough tales on this very site about the issues with these vehicles and I dread the thought of being at the mercy of several dozen of these things...
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
08/23/2017 at 15:28, STARS: 3
Those are 10/10 shit. Plus look at the way that thing is squatting.
International/Ford based chassis things are the way to go. Promasters are garbage.
"Stapleface" (patrickgruden)
08/23/2017 at 15:28, STARS: 6
I think in this case, you’re justified in sabotaging the vehicle to save your company years of repair costs.
"victor" (victor)
08/23/2017 at 15:39, STARS: 0
I’m assuming your freightliners are the Sprinters? Oh man, to go from German to Italian....
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/23/2017 at 15:53, STARS: 0
Actually, no. Not van based, but built on an FL chassis, I believe.
"victor" (victor)
08/23/2017 at 15:58, STARS: 0
So, uh..even worse.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/23/2017 at 16:07, STARS: 0
Actually, the Freightliner mechanical bits seem to be OK. It’s stupid stuff like power steps and air conditioning. There are issues with emission particular regen systems, but we have the same problems with our Chevrolets.
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
08/23/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 3
If he’s lucky, it will do that on its own.
"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
08/23/2017 at 16:20, STARS: 1
I really wish these things weren’t total piles, because they drive fine and have scads of room. I’ll stick with the Chevy Express or used E-series vans until they’re not an option, then after that I’ll just cry in my beer.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/23/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 0
Exactly. It’s kind of ugly, but it looks comfortable and spacious. I just don’t think it has the strength or build quality to last a decade in daily stop and go service.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/23/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 0
Does Freightliner build the bus bodies or are they outsourced to another company?
"Chinny Raccoon" (chinnyraccoon)
08/23/2017 at 16:43, STARS: 1
This style usually has air suspension, so it’s probably not sitting at it’s full ride height.
The Renault/GM equivalents are much better.
"Chinny Raccoon" (chinnyraccoon)
08/23/2017 at 16:49, STARS: 1
These are common over here. The bodybuilder usually buys two ‘cabs’ joined together and then bolts on the rear chassis from Alko or similar.
The Renault/GM type usually use a factory platform cab- a panel van without the bodywork, (but not with a chassis cab style frame). The cargo Vans built this way have become increasingly common in the UK as they have the cubic capacity of the traditional box van with a very low floor (about 40cm).
We have a couple of food trucks that we had built in a similar style and are just shopping around for another. The bus type usually have a chunky frame and weigh too much to convert, which is a shame as they are well built.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/23/2017 at 20:32, STARS: 0
They look a lot like this:
Another company makes and integrates the body onto the Freightliner chassis and does all the special mods necessary to accommodate or particular clientele.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/23/2017 at 20:38, STARS: 0
Sounds like your issue is more with the body shops work than the Freightliner bits.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/23/2017 at 20:51, STARS: 0
Yeah, probably so. The drivers don’t like taking out the new vehicles because of the silly little things that break, like the mirrors.
The mechanics tend to like the solidity and simplicity of the Duramax engines in the Chevrolets. One thing that I was not aware of that one of them pointed out to me was the gear-driven water pump vs. belt driven. A simple thing like that goes a long way when it comes to reliability in fleet vehicles.