Freightliner Columbia

Production of Freightliner Columbia began in 2000. By the time the Columbia was put into production, the Century had already been in production for 4 years. It is believed that Columbia was primarily designed for large companies, and Century was designed for private carriers. There is some sense in it. After all, the Century had aerodynamic fairings, but in the classic manner this truck was equipped with two round headlights on each side. Columbia was equipped with drop-shaped headlights, which by the way were borrowed from the first generation of Mercedes ML-Class W163. There is nothing unusual in this, because by that time, Daimler and Freightliner companies had already experienced a merger.

Freightliner Columbia, thanks to its aerodynamic fairings, was supposed to provide better fuel efficiency. There is no absolutely vertical radiator grille as in the Classic, and the exhaust pipes are hidden under the bottom (although some owners brought them up).
This truck was produced in two versions of the wheel configuration: – 4*2 и 6*4. The truck can be equipped not only with interaxle, but also with interwheel differential lock.

Sale and price of Freightliner Columbia.

Today the cost of a well-groomed Freightliner Columbia is about 30 – 40 thousand dollars. A truck with a mileage of 60,000 miles is sold for an average of 80,000 dollars. A truck that has been extensively modified or restored can cost well over $100,000.

A truck in good condition can be bought for $15,000. The mileage will not be so low, but it is not uncommon for Columbia engines to have 2 million miles and not require major repairs.
Offers for sale Freightliner Columbia is quite a lot. Because of this, and also due to the relatively low price of a used truck, today Columbia can be a good choice for a private person who just decided to do transportation.

Exterior and photos.

To make things easier, the huge hood of this truck is made of plastic. The hood closes with two latches on its sides, and there is a special handle on the front edge of the hood. The roof of the sleeping compartment is also made of plastic. The doors and walls of the sleeping compartment are made of aluminum.

The filler neck is located just above the step. The fuel tanks are covered with cladding, which improves aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. Both tanks have a combined capacity of 1136 liters. A 110 volt outlet is located slightly to the left of the fuel tank filler neck. This equipment is designed to heat engine oil and engine coolant. This equipment may be useful in the northern United States, or in Canada. Looking ahead it should be added that the cars produced for the northern states had additional insulation.
You can see from the photo that the additional mirrors are mounted either on the fenders or on the sides of the hood.

There were 8 different variations of cabins for the Columbia. The smallest was the Day Cab, which was a low and short cab. Low cabs, but with a sleeping bag are called; – Mid Roof and were available in variations 34, 46, 58 and 76. High cab with a sleeper is called Raised Roof and was available in versions 58 and 76.
Behind the driver’s door you can see a toolbox with a fire extinguisher. From the factory it even had a sticker on it.

Columbia is a bright representative of American trucks of the second half of the 90s and early 2000s. This truck retained the hood layout, but at the same time it received better aerodynamics. The last moment is very important, because the cruising speed of the truck on American highways can sometimes reach 140km per hour.

Interior and equipment.

In the early 2000s, such a long gearbox lever could be seen only on an American truck. It is interesting, but even if the glass on the driver’s side door is manually lowered/raised, there is a button on the driver’s door for electric window drive on the passenger side.

The ignition switch is located on the left side – just like on a Porsche. Probably everyone has heard about a very stiff clutch pedal. It is worth noting here that manual gearboxes require almost no clutch release. Being behind the wheel you can notice a lever Trailer Brake. Very useful equipment on mountain roads, for example in Alaska. Many owners like to equip their trucks with additional devices. So Freightliner can be equipped with a temperature gauge in the gearbox and axles. Options that are not often needed, but please their owners just by the fact of their presence.

The Columbia cab is attached to the rear through two air bags and two shock absorbers, which contributes to comfort. If the machine is equipped with inter-axle differentials, their activation toggle switches are placed on the front panel.

The Raised Roof cabin is so high that it is difficult to reach its ceiling standing with an outstretched arm. The heater control unit is mounted on the wall of the sleeping compartment. In the upper part of the sleeping compartment there is not only a window that opens and is equipped with a masking net, but there is even a small door. By the way, the width of the lower sleeping compartment is 178cm. Think about it! – not everyone has such a width of a home sofa, or bed. As they say – you fall in love with an American truck at the parking lot.

The Freightliner cab is equipped with a 12-volt electric system. While European trucks are equipped with 24v system.

Engine and characteristics of the Freightliner Columbia.

Under the plastic hood of the Freightliner Columbia could be installed an engine: – Detroit Diesel, Mercedes, Cummins and Caterpiller. Probably each of these engines has its admirers. Columbia engine can be recognized simply by its color. So Caterpillar was painted in yellow, Cummins in red, and Detroit was gray. By the way, the last engine could be found under the cab of Mercedes trucks.

The Caterpillar engine was produced in modifications C13 and C15. In the first case the power is 470 hp, and in the second case the output varies from 435 to 500 horsepower.
The Detroit Diesel engine was offered in 12.7 and 14.0 liters. In the second case the engine output is 435 horsepower.

For the Columbia truck were offered axles; – dana, meritor and eaton fuller. Manual transmissions have 10, or 15 gears. Eaton Fuller automatic transmission was available as an option. Front and rear suspension here is leaf spring, rear suspension is equipped with air cylinders. Brakes on all wheels are drum, which is normal for American trucks. The American truck is equipped with 4, not 2 batteries and they are mounted inside the frame.

Many years have passed since the release of even the last Freighliner Columbia. But these trucks have proven to be sturdy, reliable and maintainable machines. They are actually not too difficult to maintain and it can be done by a common, private carrier, who not only drives his own tractor, but also repairs it himself. These vehicles are in demand outside of North America as well. They can be found in Australia and other countries, where reliability and good cross-country ability in poor road conditions are of paramount importance in transportation. Equipped with self-locking inter-wheel differentials, the three-axle Freightliner can easily climb up a snowy hill. The latter is not always possible with a traditional, two-axle tractor from Europe.