1997 Ford LT9000 tandem dump truck

[MG84]

Figured I'd start a thread on this new tandem dump I just bought, have some small repairs and maintenance to do, then upfit the truck with hitch, tool box(es), barn door conversion, new tires, etc.

Truck is a 1997 Ford LT9000, 485K mi
-210" WB, 19'9" bridge formula, 56,600 GVWR
-16K front axle, dual steering boxes, 385 floats
-40K rear axles, RT40-145, 4.88 ratio
-15' Ox Bodies steel dump bed, 42" sides, air tailgate and electric tarp
-L10 Cummins 300hp
-Fuller RTX-11609B 9-speed OD transmission

Few pics:





More to come....

 

[MG84]

Few more pics:

 

[MG84]

I think I'm going to be ok on the height, skid steer has plenty of reach even with the sideboards, will try out the mini ex when I get a chance:


Hopefully this week I can get the few small items fixed and get the truck inspected and on the road.

 

[Truck Shop]

40-145 Rockwell rear drives are good units, and 4.88 because if the 11609B gear box.
Should be low enough for off road without issues, I'm sure it was in the past.

 

[skyking1]

curious about the barn door conversion.

 

[willie59]

Louisville cab Ford trucks were solid trucks. I loved driving them.

 

[MG84]

curious about the barn door conversion.

As am I, I've never seen it done on a truck with a swept tailgate, but I've had more than one person tell me there is a kit available just for that. I'm having trouble envisioning how it would lay flat against the side of the truck when open.

 

[skyking1]

why do you want it?

 

[MG84]

why do you want it?

Because I frequently haul large bulky stuff that wont fit out the tailgate, like when we tear out old farm fence or do farm cleanups, stumps, brush etc. Also for hauling logs, culverts, or putting attachments in the bed. On my current single axle trucks the tailgate can be laid down flat, suspended by the chains by one man, this truck obviously you couldn't. I might just have to take the tailgate off with a machine as needed, if the barn door conversion doesn't work out.

 

[skyking1]

Because I frequently haul large bulky stuff that wont fit out the tailgate, like when we tear out old farm fence or do farm cleanups, stumps, brush etc. Also for hauling logs, culverts, or putting attachments in the bed. On my current single axle trucks the tailgate can be laid down flat, suspended by the chains by one man, this truck obviously you couldn't. I might just have to take the tailgate off with a machine as needed, if the barn door conversion doesn't work out.

Yes I would strongly suggest not tying yourself to a barn door. It is truly a PITA to get out and swing the door on an end dump and chain it back<EVERY TIME>, and sometimes there is no room to swing it.
I take our slanted gate off easily because you get it in the latches, close the latches, then swing it up at the top to pin it.
I see no reason you could not dangle that gate on chains either.
I believe I'd want a high lift gate over anything, but that does not do the logs or culverts. It does dump out big wads of brush and stumps nicely and gets out of the way for poking things in there from the back.

 

[Truck Shop]

I believe I'd want a high lift gate over anything, but that does not do the logs or culverts. It does dump out big wads of brush and stumps nicely and gets out of the way for poking things in there from the b

Yes---on the high lift.----I remember years ago allot of three fingered dump/log truck drivers.

 

[JaredV]

I've never used a barn door but high lifts are downright handy. Can even use it to lift stuff like plate compactors or buckets in the back with a chain fall or comealong if you have a place to hook on the top of the tailgate.

 

[Tags]

A barn door is fantastic for an owner operator. When “Guys” are being relied on to operate one correctly, you can expect the gate to be FUBARed within a few days. I’ve seen them installed on a slanted gate but it’s ALOT of work. The ones I’ve seen, they added to the rear posts and relocated the hinge point to make the gate sit straight up and down. Probably still easier than adding a high lift, especially if you can do the fab work youself.

 

[materthegreater]

I'm not familiar with these barn door kits. Can it no longer operate as a normal tailgate once the kit is installed?

 

[Acoals]

I'm not familiar with these barn door kits. Can it no longer operate as a normal tailgate once the kit is installed?

No, it should run both ways, if it is done right. Normally you use the regular hinges, only barn door when you have stuff that won't fit out, swinging the gate sideways is a pain.

 

[MG84]

I'm putting the barn door conversion on the back burner for now. First priority is get it serviced, make necessary repairs and get it on the road.

Working through the small repairs:
-small air leak at the regulator for the air tailgate and air tailgate button leaks when engaged
-power divider seems to be locked in despite being in the unlock position (wasn't when I bought the truck), will have to diagnose
-electric tarp motor doesn't work
-transmission occasionally pops out of 3rd/7th gear if I don't make a good clean shift, not sure if it's a shift fork problem, shift tower problem, or if the shift collar/gears are worn. As long as I pay attention to shifting it properly it's fine, but would like to look into it before it becomes a bigger problem
-last thing, after reading through my shop manual and crawling around under the truck, it does indeed have locking diffs, which is a huge bonus. However, they are not working. Switch and light in the cab works, not sure if the air solenoid under the cab is operating or not. Again, will just have to take some time to diagnose.

I think I can figure out the lockers/power diver, etc but could use some insight on the tranny popping out of gear and where to start on that.

 

[Truck Shop]

OK--one of my forte's--Eaton gear boxes. Below is one I rebuilt a 13 speed front section.
Note the shift pattern for 3rd & 4th are reversed to correct pattern in the shift bar housing.
3rd is the input drive gear, 4th is on the main shaft. Two things that get really worn in a
9 Speed or 10 Speed- The next lowest gear from top hole which is in a 9 spd 3rd & 7th
because it's the same gear used, the back section does the low high range. In a on road
situation with a truck like your with that horse power under the hood it's a constant rowing
action between the top three gears, and 7th gets the brunt. Fore & aft play { no matter how
slight} in the main shaft and a worn sliding clutch, once worn to a point will and can have
a issue staying in gear. Also the shift fork, sliding rail & detent also take a beating from
constant shifting from 8th to 7th--3rd to 4th. Food for thought, but it's where the issue is.
*

 

[Truck Shop]

Shift towers--those do wear, along with the lever. But keep in mind there are three different
heights of shift towers, low, med & high. The low style was common on early trucks with
short levers, as time passed med & High style towers became the norm, Almost every part
on a Eaton will have a stamped or cast in part number. Your transmission being built in 1997
should be with out a doubt a high torque style gear box with cast steel bearing covers for
the counter shafts in the rear section. High torques use tapered counter shaft bearings which
are shimmed for pre-load during assembly. Roller bearing style use a stamped steel cover and
have no pre-load. But Eaton did build some low torque boxes in later years too.

 

[skyking1]

I knew you'd be all over that.
Our truck has some of that potential for popping out, but it is going to make it to the end of my career.
Exciting times there @MG84 !

 

[MG84]

OK--one of my forte's--Eaton gear boxes....

Shift towers--those do wear, along with the lever....

Excellent information, thank you for the replies. In my reading of old threads on other forums, it seems like half the time the problem ended up being in the shift forks, poppet balls, detent springs, the other half of the time it was gears, sliding collar, etc. If I can fix it without removing the transmission I might look into it, if the problem is deeper it's either going to wait till next winter or it gets too bad to drive. I haven't looked to see if there is enough room to get the top cover off with it in the truck, hopefully so. Also, what is a good place to order both OEM and/or good aftermarket parts for these transmission?