Terrastar

[Steve Frazier]

The Town I represent is in the market for a class 5 dump and I'm looking at the Terrastar. It's a relatively new model, I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with them? Are there problems with the engine like Ford had with it? Allison transmission looks pretty robust. Opinions?

 

[Buckfever]

Ours is a 2012 model. It's a 12 foot aluminum flat bed with air ride suspension. The air ride does nothing to soften the ride empty or loaded but the truck will not squat down at all when pulling a 16,000 mini ex. On a goose neck trailer.

Now I don't know how international got a round it but ours has a DPF filter but no def fluid. I thought all diesel's after 2011 had to run def fluid:beatsme. We only have about 12,000 miles on it so far so I cann't tell you if it's a problem child yet but I will say that my stock Ford 6.0 pulls a lot harder the the Maxiforce does.

The Allison is a good trany, shifts smooth and doesn't shutter at all when pulling hard but I do wish it was a little more aggressive down shifting to help hold you back when coming to a stop or going down long grades.

Now I know this might sound petty but IMO the interior could have been done a lot better. I'm 5'11" and the seat to pedal to steering wheel layout just sucks. I could not imagine driving this thing for 8 to 10 hours and be comfortable. Also some little things like no clock display, no up fitter switches, a turning radias of an ocean line. Ours is also the extended cab version with a rear bench seat but the thing is there are no rear doors and the front seats don't fold forward. So to get into the back you have to clime over the front seat then slide into the back. I know these don't sound like deal breaker points to some but for what you pay for these trucks you would figure they would put a little more thought into the design.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Thanks for the reply! We're looking at Dodge 5500, Ford F-550 and the Terrastar, it will be a short wheelbase dump. International is exempt from DEF because of a deal they worked out with the EPA, I think they're the only manufacturer who is. From what I read, they had clean diesels before they were required and built up emissions credits with the EPA which gives them some leniency today. It's disappointing to hear about the crudeness of the cab, that might be a dealbreaker. Any truck we get will be equipped with a plow and spreader and will need switches. I specced one up on their website and am waiting to hear from them on a quote. The truck has to be functional, I wonder if they might have made improvements for 2014? I think my build sheet gives them a basic idea of what we're looking for and then I have to talk with a rep to refine it further. It's not like the other manufacturers have their sites set up.

 

[Buckfever]

One other thing I forgot to mention. Traction with this truck sucks. I know it has a aluminum flatbed but even loaded with a 12000 skidloader run all the way to the front of the trailer it still sucks. Get a little snow on the road while empty makes for a very scary ride. My f-450 on the other hand has a shorter wheelbase and a aluminum flatbed and goes a thousand times better in slippery conditions.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Thanks. We'd be looking for a 4x4 regardless of manufacturer.

 

[BaseTech]

I bought a new 2012 Terrastar with an 18' supreme box. We bought this truck based on the advise of a dealer in Ohio to haul our excavator and materials on a 25' deckover trailer. For a little over a year the truck hauled with power to spare, but had a noise coming from the floor since the day I picked it up. I finally took the truck in to be fixed and refused to take it back until they did. They finally found that the driveline was off by an inch and fixed it. The noise is gone now. The problem is now it won't haul our trailers anymore. The dealer here in Rochester, NY (Regional International) has had the truck around a month and a half scratching their heads trying to figure out what they did to my truck. They got Navistar involved and they say that "the truck is operating with the acceptable range" and even though it is not up to the capacity that it was when I dropped it off they want me to pick it up and pretend like there's no problem. I told them that in over a year I never had a problem with this trucks' power until your dealer put their hands on it. The Navistar's rep responded "your keys are here coma and get it". Even when they have a truck that doesn't have an issue they set out to create one and make the truck unusable. Don't trust these people with your hard earned money!!!!!

 

[Steve Frazier]

I've heard stories similar to yours BaseTech, thanks. I couldn't get any response from IH when I inquired about the truck and between that and the reliability issues they are having we went with an F-550.

 

[Truck Shop]

About the only recourse is a lawyer. Even then you only have about a 30% chance anything will happen in your favor. I don't think there is a reliable truck
brand or even a dealer out there anymore.

Truck Shop