Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85445
in the cab is the easy-clean vinyl ceiling and the sweep-out floor, making it a snap to keep the interior tidy. The steel cab is given a thorough rustproof- ing in the paint process, and the sleeper is a honeycomb- sandwich aluminum construc- tion for light weight and corro- sion resistance. The windshield is split for inexpensive replacement. The tow hook is set in the middle of the slab bumper, where loads are distributed to both frame rails, rather than pulling on one. ON THE ROAD Our route ran north on I-215 to the 138 cutoff to Pearblossom – down through the San Fernando Valley and back via Ontario to Perris and, finally, Fontana again. A second day brought our trip to 350 miles. The run across to Perris was easy and showed the truck's ride is not in any way compromised by its ruggedness. Once loaded, the ride was excellent, even with the fifth-wheel setting on the tandem centerline. One thing that quickly became apparent was the light but precise steering. There have been significant advances with the steering gear, made by TRW Aftermarket, but at least some of the credit goes to the needle bearings – a feature of the Detroit front axle. Other controls had the same quality feel, too: The dash is full of information with no fewer that 20 gauges, most visible through and around the adjust- able steering wheel. The wheel has none of the in-spoke switches with the excep- tion of the cruise control. These switches are under the shift knob and, while the trend has been to September 2012 | Overdrive | 41 put these on the steering wheel, their location on the shift lever is convenient and especially handy when hitting the resume button after a shift. There was an obvious performance difference empty and loaded, though the 560 is a strong puller and excels in situations where you need a quick burst of power. (Continued on Page 72) Text INFO to 50298 or visit ovdinfo.com