Driving around a heavy-duty truck of your own all around the country is thrilling and fun. But that fun can quickly lead to anxiety and exasperation if your truck breaks down in the middle of the road while you are in a transportation job. This sudden truck breakdown can not only significantly cut down on your payment, but also force you to take your vehicle to a mechanic and make extensive repairs.
According to originaldiag.com, no heavy-duty truck driver would want this to happen to their truck, especially when they are in the middle of a job. Regularly diagnosing your truck for maintenance and ensuring all the components are alright is part of a truck driver’s job, but how does one do that?
The answer is a heavy-duty truck code reader scan tool that can provide you with all the diagnostics you will ever need. Depending on the tool you buy, you can check various aspects of your truck such as engine integrity, fuel usage, chassis strength, etc. These tools come in very handy when you encounter a problem with your truck
You can check up on the problem and try to resolve it yourself without the need for a mechanic. This saves costs as well as time. But many truck drivers get confused over the several tool choices present in the market and don’t know which is the perfect one for them. To clear that confusion away, in this article we list the best 3 heavy-duty truck code reader scan tools that can provide you excellent diagnostics without much trouble.
1. NEXAS NL102.
Source: amazon.com
The NEXAS NL102 is considered by many to be the most perfect scanning tool in the market. It is extremely well-rounded in all aspects and delivers excellence just when you need it. Before you buy it though, you need to ensure that your truck falls under one of the three protocols – J1939, J1587, and J1708.
These are the most standard heavy-duty truck models but on the rare chance, if your heavy-duty truck does not fall under one of these, you should consider looking for an alternative. It can easily read all the codes your truck generates and clear them off with relative ease. It can provide you with diagnostic information on all the aspects of your truck such as your transmission, your fuel tank, and your engine so that you know the exact root of the problem.
For more thorough data, you can keep your engine running and this tool will help you get real-time data from your engine. It has an extremely intuitive design that can be accessed and used by anyone. If needed, you can also use it on your cars or other four-wheelers as it supports most of the vehicles out there. That being said, to not overload the tool, the manufacturer has instantly left out a few features from certain vehicle models which might be a problem if you plan to use it for different vehicles.
2. AUTEL ML529HD.
Source; pinterest.com
If you own a heavy-duty truck that was released around 2004-06 then look no more beyond AUTEL ML529HD. This tool features one of the most unique and amazing diagnostics modes that can help you diagnose your truck in a matter of a few minutes and this technology is none other than the Mode 6 technology.
Released in vehicles around 2004-06, the Mode 6 is an extremely handy software to help you get all the information you will ever need about your vehicle. The tool gets regular software updates that keep the tool updated with the latest models and has a variety of features like the advanced testing feature which checks various aspects of your vehicle such as emissions, etc.
It also comes with an amazing one-year warranty. However, while the tool does support two of the most standard protocols, i.e. J1708 and J1939, it does not support the third standard protocol of J1587. What’s worse, the tool won’t offer as many features as it does if your truck doesn’t have Mode 6.
3. LAUNCH X431 VPlus.
Source: digitalgadgets.ie
If you are looking for a scanner tool that is compatible with almost all heavy-duty truck models and has its own kit of connectors and plugs, then look no more because LAUNCH X431 VPlus is exactly that. It is not a single scanner tool but rather a toolkit that comes with a heavy-built case to store a variety of connectors.
These connectors make it possible to connect most of the heavy truck models, even those that are relatively unknown and less used, and diagnose them for information. It features its own dedicated touchscreen device that works like your average smartphone providing you immense ease of access.
The best part is, the case they come in is extremely sturdy and can handle all sorts of external damage to protect the delicate components and connectors inside it. That being said, the set comes with its own set of problems that several people may find tedious to deal with.
For starters, the toolkit and diagnostics device is extremely complicated to use and is not at all recommended for use in the hands of a beginner. Additionally, unless you are a mechanic or drive multiple trucks around, the varied number of tools won’t be of much use to you since you will only be needing one or two of them.
What’s more is that while it supports the protocols of J1708 and J1939, it doesn’t have support for the J1587 protocol making it unusable for the truck models who use the protocol.
Which tool is the best one for you?
If you need a well-rounded diagnostic tool for your standard heavy trucks as well as your other four-wheeled vehicles, then your best choice will be the NEXAS NL102.
If you own a truck that was released in the middle of the 2000s and has Mode 6, then you should prefer AUTEL ML529HD.
If you are a mechanic or a driver who actively works with different trucks, then LAUNCH X431 should satisfy all your diagnostic needs with ease.
Conclusion.
There are several heavy duty truck code reader scan tools that can satisfy your diagnostic needs with ease. We hope this article helped you to choose the perfect scan tool for yourself and if it did, please consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.