Kenworth Produces Last Severe-Service K500 Cabover, Model Served Oil and Gas Exploration Worldwide

The final Kenworth K500 cabover was completed today at the Kenworth assembly plant in Renton, Washington. This ended production of that severe-service truck model after 14 years. The K500 served as one of Kenworth’s premier models popular primarily with oil and gas exploration customers worldwide.

Kenworth K500

The K500 used a combination of the Kenworth C500 drivetrain with a modern COE cab. This configuration addressed the need for an on/off-highway vehicle with improved jobsite visibility, which also offered more cab space conventional models. The result was a shorter, more maneuverable truck or tractor with the mobile off-highway characteristics that made the Kenworth K500 highly desirable around the world, whatever the application. The K500 featured a variety of configurations, including 6x4, 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10.

Kenworth K500

Sintagma Holding purchased the last Kenworth K500 cabover for use by the Mining Society of Chitotolo (Sociedade Mineira do Chitotolo) in Luanda, Angola. The K500 will be used in a gold mining operation.

This Kenworth K500 features a Cummins 525 hp engine with 1,650 lb-ft of torque, Allison 4700RDS 7-speed transmission, and AxleTech tandem rear axles rated at 100,000 pounds with a 9.59 rear axle ratio. The front axle is a new Meritor front drive axle rated at 32,000 pounds with a 9.66 axle ratio. The K500 also is spec’d with a 1,480-inch radiator, 30K front springs, and Chalmers 130K dual rear suspension.

Kenworth K500 Exits the Kenworth Renton Plant

Over the past 14 years, Kenworth delivered K500 units to numerous customers and countries throughout the world. The first K500 order was in 2006 and went to Karamay in China as part of a total order of eight K500s.

“The Kenworth K500 cabover has been a stellar truck model, and provided excellent performance and reliability for our customers worldwide,” said Laura Bloch, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing.

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Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.

             Photo Credits: Aaron Kitahara/Kenworth Renton