Fontaine Modification has developed a new lowered roof modification for Peterbilt 348 extended cab trucks that lowers overhead clearance for utility and construction companies transporting chassis-mounted cranes in areas with low bridges and overpasses.
While the extended cab provides room to store tools and equipment, Fontaine says its roof design also increases the overall cab height, which can cause a crane in transportation mode to sit too high to travel under 14-ft. bridges found in the western United States, forcing fleets to avoid those routes.
Fontaine says it developed a modification to lower the cab roof by 5.5 in. to accommodate bridge clearance for a truck equipped with a chassis-mounted crane that has been folded over the cab roof for transport. This modification also maintains the same amount of headroom as the daycab.
“When interior headliner and sidewall panels are modified to fit a custom application like this one, it is often difficult to make the interior meet high-quality appearance standards after the work is completed,” says Dan Jaynes, vice president of product development, Fontaine. “We were able to accomplish that goal while maintaining the structural integrity of the roof.”
Fontaine developed the modification in the company’s Charlotte Innovation Center in North Carolina, and the initial two trucks also were modified at the Charlotte facility. Current production has shifted to the company’s modification center in Garland, Texas, near Peterbilt’s manufacturing plant, the company says.
