At Watson Diesel we offer reconditioning of your old truck "bumper to bumper" as we like to say. We start with an evaluation of your existing truck. This is done with someone from our drive train shop and someone from our fabrication shop. They will evaluate your truck using a scoring system and help you determine if a recon is a viable alternative or if it would not be a good investment. This service is provided at your facility at no cost to you.

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The team will first look at the make and model of your truck, engine and transmission make and model. For example, some trucks have what are considered "throw away engines". This is usually an engine that is designed with what we call cast cylinder bores. This is a design like your gas engine that does not have removable cylinder sleeves.

 

Without being able to replace the cylinder sleeve, any wear in the bores would have to be repaired at the machine shop by boring the cylinder oversize, necessitating the removal and total disassembly of the engine. This can be an expensive operation that may make the whole project less appealing.

 

If, for example, you had the popular DT-466 Navistar engine, this has removable "wet" sleeves and is a very economical rebuild. Also the truck may be just too far gone. The municipal business is one fo the toughest applications for a vocational truck. Very Seldom are they driven on a nice day, on dry roads. So besides the normal wear and tear we deal with a lot of rust and corrosion.

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After the evaluation, our team will get together and formulate a suggested path to follow for the reconditioning. We will print out a suggested list of repair and then sit down with you to discuss the options. We will list the repairs that we see necessary, along with a "wish list" of items and their prices that you can choose from in a menu board style. 

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For example: it is popular to replace the dump box as it is a wear item, along with upgrading the hydraulic system to a new electric control system, a new plow and hitch, repainting the cab, adding extra lights, and even installing a new driver's seat. At this time, if the engine is high hour it may be a candidate for an overhaul or at least a tune-up.

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Maybe the truck has not had wheels pulled off and wheel bearings checked. It may also be time for a new clutch, or maybe just na adjustment. The bottom line is there is no limit to what we can do to your truck to return it to like new condition. A lot of used municipal trucks, for example, may have rusted frame rails that are beyond repair. We can remove the old rail and replace it or just replace the bad section as needed, along with cross members, wiring and hoses.

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Your old truck has a higher value than you may think, and is worth putting the money into. With the addition of the emissions previously mentioned, you may find your old truck has a much higher dispatch reliability than the new truck that you could purchase. 

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The program of reconditioning is much the same as the "Glider Truck" program that is so popular in the over the road market today. Owner operators along with some of the largest fleets in the country are building gliders using pre-emission engines. It is unfortunate that the OEMs do not offer a glider in the smaller vocational trucks that are popular in the business. 

 

That is where our "Recon Program" comes in. We use your old components and build around them, changing out the wear items to return to you a truck with a new lease on life at a fraction of the cost of a new truck. The beauty of this program is you pick from the menu board and have the truck you want at the price level you are comfortable with.

 

Call us today and we will be glad to come out and meet with you and help you make a decision that will fit you. But remember, these are all custom jobs, and no two are the same.