Buying a KW to attract drivers

leave INTERS alone they been here much longer them kw's they seen alot of country over alot of years they have there place, preserved and hidden sheds or unfortunatly under pine trees (at least theres some shelter) or in many many cases there still on the road for all see if they want

RE: no choice of motor well why is cummins in the shed in one truck
and a screaming JIMMY DIESEL in another

I've been following this thread with interest, but have refrained from posting for two simple reasons:

1) I've NEVER owned a KW.......sorry
2) I've only had a few drives of them,& they've all being
test drives..........agian sorry.

However as someone who has operated his own Truck/s since the late '80s. I can safely say everthing I have ,has being paid for with the cashflow of My truck/or trucks.
So here goes!!!

Back when I started out in this industry, there were Three distinct groups of Owners/drivers.

1) the Euro vs the American
2) KW vs the rest
3) Mack vs the rest.
Sadly this 3rd group are almost thing of the past.Long gone are the days of being "built like a Mack truck"
Volvo's prostitution of the Mack name probably deserves a thread of its own.
There is little doubt though, It's purely an aspirational thing. Racecar drivers aspire to drive/own a ferarri, Jockeys aspire to win a Melbourne Cup.Truck Drivers/Owners aspire to own/drive a Kenworth.

Plus they're Not the biggest selling heavy duty truck in the country without reason. In essence they are the last Aust manufacturer/assembler left standing(almost) Mack are are now just Volvo's poor cousin. Iveco lost the plot with their insistance in fitting the Cursor motor in the Powerstar
.Ford & WesternStar are long gone.
Freightliner aere too arrogant, Trying to sell us what they have instead of selling us what we want or need.In fact this could be said about all the importers, with the possible execption of W Star.

Never mind that there are cheaper/roomier/more ergonomic/ fuel efficient trucks out there. The Kenworth is still what poeple rightly or wrongly aspire to.

OKay rant over

Hayseed, if you ever come west of the divide you will likely change your view about the popularity of Western Star. Kenworth is still on top tho.

Hayseed, if you ever come west of the divide you will likely change your view about the popularity of Western Star. Kenworth is still on top tho.

Mammoth,

I do live west of the great divide!!!!& a fair bit further west than Glen innes, I might add....

The point I was trying to make was that Westernstar (like Ford) are no longer built in Australia, as they were until the ealy 90's.

I agree with you on W.Stars popularity.
In fact I'd rated them ahead of KW in a few areas,Far roomier functional cab. Can have one with either a Series 60 or a Cummins. Comparable (almost) build quality, better value for money. You only have to look at Livestock & Logging trucks to see a lot of operators think the same. And am speaking as someone who has owned a WesternStar truck..

Which may beg the question... does country of build make a difference when it comes down to signing a cheque for big big $$$?

Never mind the $$$ Image is everything!!

Kenworth built its reputation in australia on the back of trucks like the SAR. extra heavy crossmembers and radatior mounts ect ect ect Trucks that stood up to the horendus conditions in this country. Things are different now. While the roads still leave alot to b desired there a hell of a lot better than they were in the 70s & 80s Gez the hume is almost startin to resemble one of those autobarn thingys that the euro trash is designed 4.
Slippen down the calder in me ol 76 cab over is actulay quite pleasent especialy after flogen ya heart out on single lane country roads. I recon the ol timers would turn in their graves if they herd us wingen about the roads or the trucks we drive but i still recon they had the best of it. The been counters have B-gg-rd it for us. Kenworth have held out longer than most but i recon there numbers nearly up 2.
Lucky theres still some blokes holdin a candel for the old ways & traditions.
Good on ya's

What happened to the days when you were grateful to get a job..let alone ask how much an hour or when pay day was...
Never mind what brand of truck you'll drive....
That'd be the boss' descision..not yours...

I think they were the 'good ol days'...
Wasn't that long ago either i didn't think...
chocs

Never mind what brand of truck you'll drive....
That'd be the boss' descision..not yours...

I think they were the 'good ol days'...
Wasn't that long ago either i didn't think...
chocs

In the company I drive for, the brand of truck I drive was very much the boss's decision. I was just lucky that at the time he decided to buy Internationals!