From 1923 until the last cypress was milled on June 5, 1959, Cummer Sons Cypress fed its Lacoochee mill with logs from more than 50 square miles of land in Pasco, Sumter and Polk counties, with logging trains hauling them in. Today the old mill site holds a precast concrete plant that supplies major Florida road projects, and the county’s industrial area next door has a rail spur in its plans. RDI Power repairs the Class 8 tractors and heavy straight trucks that work this corner of east Pasco, in our Brooksville bays or on site.
Heavy loads on Bower, Coit and Cummer roads
Pasco County’s 90-acre Lacoochee Industrial Area sits near Bower and Coit roads, with The Reinforced Earth Company operating there as of 2021, and those roads, along with Cummer Road, were slated for rebuilding with block grant and state funds. If your trucks haul dense loads on short runs out of this area, the stress lands on a tractor in predictable places, and the next 2 sections cover them.
Air brakes and suspension for Lacoochee flatbed work
A loaded flatbed stopping at a gate, a scale or a job-site entrance asks a lot of its air system. The compressor has to recover pressure quickly, the air dryer has to keep moisture out of the lines, and slack adjusters, chambers, drums and linings wear in proportion to how much weight they stop. We check chamber stroke, hunt down leaks with the system charged, and replace dryers and valves that have started passing moisture or oil. Our brake systems page covers the air side in more detail.
Suspension takes the other half of the punishment. Spring hangers, U-bolts, torque rods, air bags and bushings all wear faster under heavy loads, and a cracked hanger or a loose U-bolt is the kind of defect that turns a roadside inspection into an out-of-service order. Every truck that leaves our shop has those parts photographed in its digital inspection.
Engine and aftertreatment work for tractors on SR 575
Short, heavy runs and long idles keep exhaust temperatures low, which means the diesel particulate filter loads faster than it can clean itself and EGR parts collect soot. A derate in that situation can trace to the duty cycle, a leaking injector, a boost leak or a failed sensor, and we test for each before recommending parts. On the engine side we work on Cummins, Detroit, Volvo and Caterpillar power, and RDI Power is Caterpillar certified. Fuel systems get Bosch diesel components and Alliant Power fuel injection parts. Tractor owners from Lacoochee can find every make, engine and system we cover on the semi and heavy-duty truck repair page.
Moving a disabled tractor out of Lacoochee
From the middle of Lacoochee, our shop is about 20 road miles away, a short run for a healthy rig and a long tow for a dead one. That is why the first call should usually bring a mobile technician to the truck. Many failures, including air leaks, electrical faults, a stuck sensor or a fuel filter problem, can be repaired where the tractor sits. If it needs the bays, the technician’s findings go with it, and we plan the tow with you, either west through Trilby to US-98 or east on SR 575, which becomes Burwell Road (CR 575) in Hernando County and meets SR 50 at Ridge Manor.
Fleets that want PM and inspections on a schedule can read about RDI Fleet on our Lacoochee fleet maintenance page. For heavy trucks working the US 301 corridor just to the south, see semi truck repair in Dade City North. Lacoochee tractor owners can call (352) 433-3800 and talk the symptoms through with our service advisor.