Anyone else find "Trick My Truck" cool???

Sigman

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I watched several episodes last night...cool work! I thought the show was a little "too scripted" though. However, they're trying to squeeze a LOT of time & work into a short show - so...

I like some of the other shows as well...what are they - Pimp my ride, Overhauled, and for sure American Chopper!
 

xochi

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Yeah, cool show! Caught my GF watching it last night.
 

cobb

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Yeah, that looks a lot useful to the public than the mtv pimp my ride. I think fixing up a truckers broken truck is way better than stuffing a two thousand pound bass speaker, a 4 thousand watt stereo in a ford escourt with 8 tv monitors and two playstations.
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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They ARE pretty fond of Woofers and TVs though.

And I can't quite wrap my mind around underneath car/truck lights. (can't think of the proper name just now).

I saw on Chromeshopmafia.com that CMT has ordered 12 new episodes!!!
 

LaserFreak

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I agree that the show does seem a little too "scripted". It's quite reminiscent of Bob Saget when he was doing AFHV. I seem to remember him saying in an interview that he absolutely despised the writing because the jokes were so lame.
 

DieselTech

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Okay, I'll admit it. When I first heard about this show, I was excited. I know it only re-enforces my redneckism, but the idea of people modifying semi trucks seemed cool up until I saw the show. If you've never seen it, it's very akin to MTV's 'Pimp My Ride' and follows the same principle as TLC's "Overhaulin'". The 'Chrome Shop Mafia' find some poor soul with a dilapidated truck and refurbish it for him and make it really nice. Okay. Sounds good.

The show starts off showing the guys in their spare time, doing something stupid. Just stupid. Playing polo with semi trucks instead of horses, or bowling certain truck parts at other truck parts. Who does that? Who? I know a lot of rednecks. Nobody has ever done that. Then, of course, you get to the truck. Now, in theory they catch this guy at a truck stop, take his truck with no warning, and give him a new Western Star loaner. There are a lot of problems here. First off, if they're surprising this guy, how do they get the before shots of the truck going down the road with him driving? Hokey, but I can overlook it. Next, every driver goes to the same truckstop. Also hokey, but that could be arranged by some creative dispatching on the part of his company if they were in on it- which they'd have to be. Why? Because an OO (owner- operator) cant just swap tractors without telling his employer. They identify you and your location by your tractor number. So how do they arrange the Western Star loaner truck? The company would have to be in on it, but the show never mentions it.

Next, the subject always comes out and challenges them while they crawl all over the truck, then just gives in. Come on! This truck is the guy's house, and you're just going to give it away to 5 random guys because they say they have a TV show? That's crazy. Would you give your car to a bunch of guys you'd never seen before if they said they had a TV show? NO! Besides, this truck is the driver's home. Do you understand how long it would take him to move all of his clothes, log books, and other personal belongings into a new truck? But I digress. It's a TV show, you have to allow for some stuff. What about the actual trucks?

These trucks are rolling crapboxes. I -guarantee- 90% of the trucks would be SHUT DOWN at any commercial weigh station. Broken mirrors, fenders, inoperable lights, etc...these guys are a DOT officer's dream. They can (and will) shut you down for having the wrong tractor to trailer brake wire, so how do you keep operating with bald tires and duct tape grilles? There's no possible way you can operate a commercial truck and avoid every weigh station and every DOT or Highway Patrol officer on every run. Therefore, I believe the whole premise of the show is bogus. These have to be set- up situations.

But what about the work, you ask? Well...it's very nice. I definately admire the quality of their work, despite the bad acting, stupid plotline, and bogus 'surprises'. These guys can sure make a truck look nice. Unfortunately, that's all they ever talk about. They never mention any functional work, such as to the engine, transmission, or driveline. Just cosmetic work. But they cant just stop at making the truck pretty and functional. They actually have to make it -less- functional.

The #1 issue with semi tractors is weight. The heavier your truck, the less you can pull because you still cant go over your total vehicle weight. Light truck equals heavier trailers, which means more money per load. Or a light truck means better fuel economy, which is always a plus, especially at 2.85 a gallon that comes out of the driver's pocket. 200-300 pounds can be a big deal. Now take that truck and add solid hardwood floors, hardwood swinging doors (on the interior), or a real stone fireplace. These guys have gone so far as to bolt a propane powered grill to the side of the truck or mount a stereo speaker system in a box beihnd the cab in front of the hitch. Am I the only one that sees this truck starting to get heavier by the ton? But maybe I'm being too critical. After all, it's a CMT original production. I guess their original program is just like their music- rebadged pop culture with a fashionably 'redneck' twist.

Not that I'm really opinionated or anything...:lolsign:
 

Sixpointone

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I really do enjoy this show.

My only complaint would be that I wish it were a hour hour show as opposed to thirty minutes.
 

bwaites

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Dieseltech,

I would agree with a lot of your points, especially about the weight issues, and even more so about the "set ups" at the beginning.

It's obvious that a lot has happened prior to them actually picking out a truck, and the owners have obviously signed off previously, though it may be one of those deals where you sign up with the proverbial, "if you choose my truck, then I give you permission to..." and could be months prior to the actual episode.

It's usually set up by some family member, so I can see a family member saying, "hey bro, I'm signing you up for "Trick My Truck", sign here so they can do it if you get chosen."

Yeah, its a little farfetched, but I love the way they do the trucks, and I'd like it better if they got into the mechanicals, not just the "showy" stuff.

Bill

PS, I see LOTS of drivers carrying extra weight they could do without, like those 100 pound beer bellies, and the 500 pounds of mud stuck in the wheel wells and in the floorboards.
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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I have a few silly truck questions that don't need a new subject...

Where are the horns on all the newer aero trucks?

And given the same engine, tranny and rear end gears, will an aero truck be all that much better than a classic big nose??? Because the classic big nose trucks are far more interesting!
 

DieselTech

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Bwaites, if they would just say they were building show trucks, I'd love it. Give up the hokey 'working truck' theme, and I'd be all over it. I'm going to the Mid America Truck Show this weekend, and I cant wait to see some horrendously impractical, gigantic, shiny things. :naughty:

Joe, a lot of newer trucks have the horns mounted behind the top fairing if it's a flat sleeper, or I've seen several Freightliners and Volvos with them under the cab.

For fuel economy, the newer trucks do tend to get a bit better. I'm not a driver so I dont know for sure, but from what drivers tell me the old trucks got 5-6 mpg average where the new, aerodynamic trucks get 8-9 mpg. It's hard to compare apples for apples though, because so much has changed with the introduction of computer systems on the engines. With the new EGR and other emmision requirements for '07, fuel mileage on manufacturer test trucks is back down to 5-6 mpg with the exception of Caterpillar. They're the only ones filtering the exhaust before they send it back to the intake, and they added a second turbo. Aside from that, I really havent gotten to poke around the two 'prototype' trucks a local company is running much.
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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I notice trucks like crazy out along 59 and today on I-10.

It SEEMS from my small sampling that independant refridgerator trailer haulers tend to have the cleanest coolest trucks.

Some of the big name company trucks tend to be awfully clean, but also quite Aero and plain.

Pert near ANYTHING can be pulling containers, flat top trailers and tank trailers!!!

I belive overall I like Kenworths the best with Peterbuilts close second. And Western Stars are kind of cool too.

I can hardly wait for the new TMT episodes!
 

cobb

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One thing Ive always wondered, why fix up the interior and exterior of a car or truck without touching the drive train? Is it touched and we arent informed. A poorly upkept car or truck is going to need more than some paint, body work, head liner and several thousand dollars in electronics.

THe newer cab over trucks get great fuel economy. We sell regular truck chassies by the big two ford and chevy and cab over trucks by isuzu, international, mitbuishi. The cab overs can go three days on a tank of diesel where as the regular trucks need to fill up once a day with a service, dump, flat bed, stake or aerial lift. The only exception is for big box trucks. Box trucks even with a cab over truck still get the same daily fill up requirement. The air dam that fits over the cab really does help it to cut through the air. Of course these contractors keep up with traffic and exceed the speed limits. The trucks we sell to South America, the islands, etc their speed limits are low and it doesnt matter. THey like cab overs anyway cause they can move better in tight areas.
 

bwaites

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Once or twice I've seen a peek at the drivetrain. If nothing else, they have steamcleaned and painted everything, but I suspect they also get work done on them.

Otherwise, you'd have a silk purse body and a sow's ear drivetrain!

I'd love to know about the mechanics, but suspect they don't tell us much because most of the TV audience wouldn't understand it.


Bill
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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On the "American Classic" truck with the old style raise up sides hood I did see what looked like a NICE engine.

That's the only one I can remember seeing...

The very newest most aero Kenworths are pretty darn nice for aero!
 

DieselTech

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I went to the truck show today and sure enough, there was a CMT'd truck there. The truck was called "Inferno", the Kenworth with the fake stacks with lights in them and the big KW logo cut into the rear of the sleeper as a window.

After getting up close and personal with the truck, I can say it's definately well done. However, they didnt have the hood open, nor would they allow me to get under it to look at the drivetrain. I understand their reasons (I wouldnt want strangers crawling under my truck either), but it was still kind of disappointing.

But the most interesting thing about this truck was that it had a "Not For Hire" sticker on the passenger's side step. I guess the poor guy that depended on that truck to provide for his family must've started doing a whole lot better after the show, eh?

If I can figure out how, I'll try to put up some photos later.
 

Brian E

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Haven't seen it yet. On a different topic, Pinks has turned out to be a lot different than it seemed like it would be. Have to expect that though, when your title rides on the races...
 
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