Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/74547
CUSTOM RIGS READER RIGS Fully Loaded Mercer flatbed hauler and Muscoda, Wis., resident Kenneth Fisher says his truck is a work in progress. In the 11 years he's owned the '97 Peterbilt 379, he's stretched its frame to 312 inches, hopped up the truck's Cat to 625 horsepower, installed wood flooring, added a flip bumper and painted a set of green flames down the hood. Fisher says he's put 1.6 million miles on the rig and, he adds, "I don't plan on getting rid of it." OTR Big Bird \ POWER IN THE PAINT Salinas, Calif., small fl eet owner Ray Rodriguez — founder and head man at Lil' Ray's Transport — made a fairly clean sweep this year of the Pride & Polish awards handed out in June in Las Vegas at the Great West Truck Show, a show he's attended several years in a row with his two purple combos. After pulling in some second and third places in various categories in 2011, he came back strong this year. Most of the scoring changes resulted from when he had the 475- hp Caterpillar out for maintenance and decided to paint some fl ames backdropped by a purple base. "It's an eye-catcher," Rodriguez says. His '88 Peterbilt 379 and matching Brian Sames, an owner-operator from Quakertown, Pa., added pinstripes, fiberglass fenders, lights under the cab and sleeper, and a Texas square bumper to his 2009 Peterbilt 389. He also made the interior a little more like home, adding a refrigerator, microwave and flat-panel TV. It's equipped with a 550- hp Cummins and an 18-speed transmission. Sames uses it to pull his bin trailer or flatbed. Grey Ghost '03 Fontaine fl atbed won not only Best of Show in its Working Combo category at Vegas, but also took home trophies for its interior, engine and paint. Hoyleton, Ill.-native Scott Schnitker drives this 2000 International 9400, powered by a 460-hp Cummins and 10-speed transmission. He named the truck the Grey Ghost because of the color and "because it sounded good," he says. Since buying it in 2006, Schnitker added lights to the bumper and under the cab, a 6-inch gear shifter extension and chrome accents to the interior. He hauls corn, wheat and soybeans for his family's company, Schnitker Farms. 82 | Overdrive | August 2012