Saga of the Truck, Part Deux

 In November of 2021 I wrote a diatribe lamenting the life that our 2006 truck had dealt us.  It wasn't all bad mind you, there were plenty of good times but those memories have faded against frustrating breakdowns and bank-draining repairs that became intolerable.  For the amount we spent on the 6.0L diesel engine in repairs we could have bought Cyndee's 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport two times over.  But it is not like all of that expense came out of our pocket at once.  The grand total was spread out over 16 years.  So when we looked at it on a per-year basis it just made us wince.  When we looked at it as a cumulative total we gasped.

Something had to be done.  One way or another we were going to have to replace our truck.  The only problem, as I outlined in the November post, is there were pandemic induced shortages of everything and it was proving maddingly difficult to get the truck we needed.  After nearly a year of trying to get into the order window for a new truck (built to the specifications needed for our purposes) with absolutely no luck we went to scouring the internet for a used truck or one that a dealer had been lucky enough to order but the person it was meant for didn't or couldn't take delivery of it.  Looking at thousands of postings and making dozens of phone calls yielded nothing.  Either they didn't actually have the truck advertised, it didn't meet the specifications I needed or they "just sold it".

In our current situation we are virtually stranded.  The pandemic is abating and volunteer positions we would like to do are opening up but we do not have transportation that we can trust to get us there.  Big Gulp is running and if pressed we could hitch up and go but we don't think we would get very far before breaking down.  Having that hanging over your head is not a fun way to travel.  Something has to be done.

After months of searching with no luck for a replacement Ford F-550 we finally decided to move from an MDT (medium duty truck) to an HDT (heavy duty truck).  It is always what I had wanted anyway but it had been beyond what I was willing to spend.  Now it was within the realm of possible.  We began looking for a Volvo tractor with less than 400,000 miles on it and no older than 2018.  Easy, right?  Right.

Actually it was easy.  With just those two factors, miles and model year, there were lots of choices.  The catch is that you have to go from this:

To this:

This step is called "singling", they remove one set of duals,
modify the frame and build back with just one axle.

Then it is ready to be converted to this, an RV Hauler:

Simple.  NOT!

Our search turned up plenty of trucks but as you might imagine that while the mechanics were good the condition of the cab and sleeper were many times nothing short of gross!  Most of the interiors would have had to be gutted and built back from scratch.  That would have been totally possible except that the shortage had hit the HDT's too and the prices of trucks with even 800,000 miles on them were ridiculously high and rising almost daily.  And the cost of materials to build the tow body were rising rapidly too.  Ughh, I won't be able to afford fuel after building this truck.

But you gotta do what you gotta do.  I worked with a truck conversion company in south-central Kansas and got all the conversion work spec'd and was in the process of procuring a truck to get to them when Cyndee called to me from across the room and said; "Don't sign anything yet.  I think I just found an F-550 you should call about."