Pit fenders?

[Aaronw]

Are the heavy duty pit fenders found on many off highway trucks a factory option, or are they usually fabricated locally?

[mackinac359]

"Pit" fenders, or "flat fenders" as KW and Peterbilt call them were factory options. KW still offers them on the C500 series. Peterbilt offered them on 357-123 until 2003, in the70's and 80's the 353 and 387 had them.

Autocar's DC series. Diamond Reo offered them. Ford never did, GMC never did. White had the "Construcktor" with them.

Each make had their own shape and style of fenders.

The ones seen in the Revell of Germany Pete 353 are more aftermarket than factory.

Tim

[Aaronw]

Thanks, but I guess now I have a second part to the question. Are aftermarket / locally fabricated pit fenders common, or do most stick with factory / commercially available units?

Basically I'm trying to figure out if it is really going out on a limb to scratchbuild heavy duty fenders to personal specs on an off highway truck, or if it is something worthy of finding good photos to duplicate factory / commercial aftermarket fenders.

No particular truck in mind at the moment.

Edited May 30, 2011 by Aaronw

[mackinac359]

From what I've seen - the homemade fenders are usually installed after the truck is in its second or third life - from highway tractor to local/farm truck and eventually converted to a water tank or such.

Some of the purpose-built vocational applications such as what Halliburton or Schlumberger might have built have the fiberglass tilt hood fenders removed and fixed to the frame flat fenders installed are rare.

Here's a tilt hood Pete 357 setback axle with the round fenders removed and Peterbilt style flat fenders installed to mounts on the frame. (similar to how the 357-123 (butterfly hood) fenders)

Anymore, the pit fenders are becoming rare. (exception being the C500 and WS off road configs).

Tim

Thanks, but I guess now I have a second part to the question. Are aftermarket / locally fabricated pit fenders common, or do most stick with factory / commercially available units?

Basically I'm trying to figure out if it is really going out on a limb to scratchbuild heavy duty fenders to personal specs on an off highway truck, or if it is something worthy of finding good photos to duplicate factory / commercial aftermarket fenders.

No particular truck in mind at the moment.

[Aaronw]

That is quite a truck.

Thanks, being off highway trucks I don't see these things running around much. The only time I've actually seen them is quarry / mining operations in the Eastern Sierras (California) along 395 or in Nevada and those are all pretty high dollar operations that can afford to buy what they need (lots of IH Paystars). I thought some smaller operations might resort to more do it yourself methods.

I also assumed that the fenders were used due to harsh conditions and needed frequent replacement, but I guess they are actually built really tough and hold up for the normal servce life of the truck.

[mistermodel]

Im thinking a truck like Tim showed needs a heavy duty fender because of the weight of all the mud that could build up under them.Fiberglass wouldn't take it.

Here a link to factory gmc general pit fenders

http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thscale/truck_brochures/gmc/gmc_general_1980/scan0025.html