Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/354293
Dino Guadagni likes the old school styling of his Model 351 show truck (left) and the fuel economy performance of his new Model 579. experienced veterans and give them what they want. "Hiring experienced drivers and giving them equipment that they're proud to operate also pays off in that they'll take care of the truck. And on the other side, there are owner-operators, and those in the farming and ranching industry who want a truck that will last a million miles. People are calling me all the time asking, 'When are you gonna have another truck for sale?' We've learned that if you take good care of this equipment it will really hold its resale value." MX delivers While Guadagni says veteran driv- ers have often preferred classic styling, they also tended to prefer the power that a 15-liter block provides. But when testing started to prove they could get equal performance, greater fuel economy and significant weight savings out of the PACCAR MX 13-liter block, Guadagni took notice. "We've been running eight new PACCAR MX Engines, and they're doing a great job for us," he says. "In fact, our success with the MX is what led us into testing the new Model 579. We had had some concerns about getting enough torque and horsepower out of a 13-liter engine but it's been doing everything we need it to do, especially now that we can get 500 horsepower and 1,850 ft./lbs. of torque out of it. Our sales representative assured us that we would not feel under- powered with this engine, and our drivers haven't been disappointed." Neither has Guadagni. Packaging the Model 579 with the MX Engine, an UltraShift automatic transmission and fuel-saving accessories such as sleep- er side extenders and rooftop shields, wings or domes has been an eye-open- ing experience "The first batch of 579s with PACCAR Engines, we said, 'Let's see what we can "You've got to pay attention to fuel economy in this day and age, and the 579 is really delivering."