Driving long hood trucks?

I own basically the same truck a 1997 9300 though I've yet to put it on the road .

My company Western Star 4900 I used to drive has the exact same wheelbase as the International though it has a setback axle.


The nose of the Western Star is 18 inches longer when you set the trucks side by side axle to axle .

My experience is i am looking forward to the maneuverability of my International over the Western Star that had the turning radius of the Titanic.

I don’t care for the slope hoods that you don’t know where the end is. .

 

Square nose easier to sense where the front of the truck is in tight maneuvers.
Not sure if 9900 is same as earlier 1993 model I drove once, turning that truck reminded me of the song “Give me 40 Acres and I’ll turn this truck around “

 

Say what you will about sloped hoods, i find my 94 t600 to be way easier to turn and know where my nose is than a w9 (probably more to do with setback axle on t600) and the short nose pete 379 with its small slope was way nicer than the long nose 379 in my experience.

As far as other considerations, sloped hoods dont tend to blind you as much as straight hoods and in rain/snow i find sloped to perform far better in the visibility space due to snow etc somewhat going around the windshield instead of driving straight into it...

 

With a long hood it's good practice to keep count of the cars that pass you, that way you don't pull a PIT maneuver on old Francis' Honda Civic. Moving around in tight places isn't too bad since you can obviously see where your hood and fenders are. The ride is a little better too since the wheelbase is generally longer.

I personally hate long hoods. I was very happy in my slant nose Pete, now I have a W900 and it's rather irritating. It's all personal preference though! Definitely an old school look and feel

 

I jump back and forth all the time. Own a long hood/long wheel base, but my uncle has a few t800s I drive on occasion, The long hoods definitely look better, but for both it really becomes just another day at the office

 

I never cared much for the longhoods. I prefer the regular, non-extended hood KW and Peterbilts. They just look more proportionate.

 

The more aero the truck the more bugs and ice/slush you get on your windshield . Long hoods typically have shorter wipers that work better in bad weather . The huge windows on a aero truck need long wipers which tend to freeze up and lift off window easier. Long hoods are harder to back in tight spaces but once your used to it you’ll like driving it . After taking a ride in a Pete this week I forgot how easy it is to keep sun outta your eyes in a classic .

 

They should've kept the 379 short hoods square like the 359 short hoods, they just look goofy to me with that slope.

 

I never really cared much for the 359/379. I'm more of a high hood 367 fan.