Truck Shite

[willswitchengage]

Why then is it that the UK is the only European country that has mass use of 6x2 tractors? Everything on the continent is 4x2. And they seem to have fewer potholes.

 

Or should we do what they do in the States and have everything a 6x4 tractor?

[gordonbennet]

Different axle weights, we have to run 6 axles to be legal at 44 tons, even then there isn't a lot of leeway for error.

 

Britain's population per square mile is just about the highest in Europe and, apart from Japan and Hong Kong i believe one of the highest in the world, rapid population growth with those responsible never planning the infrastructure required.

 

Anyone who's been on the roads a long time can't fail to be staggered on main routes at the almost constant convoys of lorries near enough 24 hours a day.

 

Around 1979 to about 83 i used to drive a night trunk up to Leeds and back from Northants, so few were the night trunkers that we most of us knew each other and often met up for a tea and chin wag, in the wee small hours coming back you could drive for half an hour before you saw a lorry coming the other way, some nights you never overtook or was overtaken by a single lorry going your way.

 

This is just another thing that leads me to distrust the official population figures, which i believe are tens of millions out.

[mercrocker]

People who weren't around or aware during the 70s and 80s cannot understand how much more densely populated this country has indeed become....Or how reliant upon absolutely CONTINUAL distribution.    

[scruff]

Did a favour for a pal a few weeks ago and ended up driving this over the hills, and far far away.

 

1983, 14 litre Cummins, double drive with 9 speed fuller.

 

 

Straight out of the farm is a very steep hill with a sharp hairpin 3/4 of the way up that you have to use the wrong side for, soon followed by a quaint little market down built when a shire horse was the biggest thing to squeeze through. By then I had reacquainted myself with a full crash box and the immense satisfaction when it goes right - aided by the musical instrument emitting joy and black smoke behind my right ear. Shit it does sound nice!! 

 

I think it's probably supposed to be a 290 but the previous owner did tractor pulling and it's tweaked accordingly. No limiter and surprisingly quick to get past the legal limit for trucks.

 

Anyway we arrived in one piece, trailer is a similarly veteran King with castor steer on the third axle, and load a 6 furrow Fowler plough for use with steam ploughing engines.

 

[scruff]

 

Oh yeah and I moved this the other week. Straight out of a Thelwell cartoon.

 

 

[scruff]

Oh and I've got a "classic shite" trailer too.

 

1981 King built for the RAF and GR11 for moving steam engines.

 

 

It's quite long which makes it highly enjoyable to get around - I actually enjoy it immensely but you've got to have your wits about you as 95% of other motorists - probably very understandably - have no idea how much room you need to turn or get around things. 

 

We had a bit of a faff getting it through the MoT but sorted all that out and it's proving incredibly useful. I guess the RAF would have had a Crusader or something on the front but the Volvo manages it ok. 

[gordonbennet]

Bit disappointed that Foden didn't stick with their own 12 speed, but i is still dead jealous, haven't driven anything with a real box since about 1990, and that was an F90 MAN with Eaton twin splitter, though Kwik Save had one single Roadtrain, also with a ETS box, still running so would have driven that sometime in the late 90's.

 

Bet i'll never drive another proper lorry gearbox again, stuck with bastardin arsetronic currently, but should be getting a new gen Scanny early next year when me current steed goes back, apparently they've put a layshaft brake on the scanny auto box in the new generation so should be a lot faster changes than the previous so so things.

[Eddie Honda]

 

 

Lot cheaper VED now, but maybe too low

Why too low? I thought it was meant to be revenue neutral with HGV levy factored in.

 

Because its cheaper than some cars are now paying, VED is just another revenue and has no bearing on road useage or damage

 

The rest of your post doesn't answer my question either. VED may be a lot cheaper now, but that's because HGV Levy is added on top. Plus HGV Levy is payable by Johnny Foreigner too. That was the whole point in reducing the VED rates (for 12 tonne plus vehicles), to offset the cost of HGV Levy introduction.

 

How and why did the propaganda that 38 then 44 ton lorries on 6 axles would do less damage to the roads than 4 @ 32 ton, another load of bollocks swallowed wholesale.

As a former civil engineering student, it's not a load of bollocks, it's because engineering (axle weight ⁴) 

 

Britain's population per square mile is just about the highest in Europe and, apart from Japan and Hong Kong i believe one of the highest in the world, 

 

Cobblers.

 

I'll give you the first one, just. With regards to Europe, density amongst the most populous countries in terms of number of population per square mile (702) - the UK comes 3rd. Behind Belgium (963) and the Netherlands (1070). In terms of all countries and dependent territories, the UK is 10th.

 

In response to what "you believe". Saying "apart from Japan and Hong Kong" is strongly suggesting third. Following it up with "one of the highest" can mean anything below third. Lets look at the figures. In terms of most populous countries 15th (behind Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Korea, Rwanda, Netherlands, Burundi, Haiti, India, Israel, Belgium, Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka & Vietnam) and in terms of all countries and dependent territories 50th, which given you are using Hong Kong as an example makes it NOT one of the highest.

 

If that's the standard we're working to now, then I'm "one of the richest"* people on the planet.

[Eddie Honda]

stuck with bastardin arsetronic currently, but should be getting a new gen Scanny early next year

 

The Scannies are good enough these days. The old Opticruises with the clutch pedal are a big pile o' wank, but fucking dismal goes to M-B uninTelligent® pre-selectory type things that didn't like rushing and half the time were a box full of neutrals.

[simmo]

[gordonbennet]

Eddie Honda.

 

Not sure where you're getting the population figures, as looking around the 'official' figures vary an awful lot.

 

How come those clever buggers who based road damage on axle weights alone (influenced?) never took into account the scrub effect of three axled vehicles, both tractors where in most cases two axles are usually non steer and trailers where three non steer axles are the norm, which are causing the massive road wear we see everywhere, let alone 44 tons repeatedly over undulations with suspension bounce increasing the weight imposed on the same road sections repeatedly every few seconds...we all know these sections because as you drive along you can see black marks (not from braking) developing where the tyre load has increased as axle after axle thousands of times a day repeatedly hits the same spot.

 

The two that spring to mind for me have recently been resurfaced, the worse being the A34 northbound by the A44 turn at Oxford, that bump could empty your cubbies, and the M6 n/b at jct 4 in the second lane (most heavily lorry used) of the 4 lane section just before the M42 diverges.

I know these sections because i've travelled them almost daily for ever, you will know of similar on your travels, easily identified due to the tyre marks.

 

We simply didn't see the massive road damage to the same extent in the day of 32 tons on 4 axles, because with most vehicles it was either the tandem of the trailer doing the scrubbing, far less than a triaxle, or the twin fixed axles of 6 or 8 wheeler, which didn't and still don't turn as tight as an artic trailer for obvious reasons.

[quicksilver]

So which one of these three would you take home? I know Cavcraft would have the delightful* Iveco.

Forest family variety by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[willswitchengage]

 

 

 

In response to what "you believe". Saying "apart from Japan and Hong Kong" is strongly suggesting third. Following it up with "one of the highest" can mean anything below third. Lets look at the figures. In terms of most populous countries 15th (behind Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Korea, Rwanda, Netherlands, Burundi, Haiti, India, Israel, Belgium, Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka & Vietnam) and in terms of all countries and dependent territories 50th, which given you are using Hong Kong as an example makes it NOT one of the highest.

 

If that's the standard we're working to now, then I'm "one of the richest"* people on the planet.

 

 

 

 

 

Our population density is highly non-uniform in the UK however. Night maps highlight this:

 

 

Or adjusted to density

 

 

The 'populated' part of the UK, i.e. a square with Liverpool at its top left, is as populous as Europe's other large industrial region - the Benelux and Nord-Rhein Westfalia. I'll let you be the judge of which has the better infrastructure.

[Guest Hooli]

Did a favour for a pal a few weeks ago and ended up driving this over the hills, and far far away.

 

1983, 14 litre Cummins, double drive with 9 speed fuller.

 

21741207_10156710598147796_6732205163007737527_o.jpg

 

Straight out of the farm is a very steep hill with a sharp hairpin 3/4 of the way up that you have to use the wrong side for, soon followed by a quaint little market down built when a shire horse was the biggest thing to squeeze through. By then I had reacquainted myself with a full crash box and the immense satisfaction when it goes right - aided by the musical instrument emitting joy and black smoke behind my right ear. Shit it does sound nice!! 

 

I think it's probably supposed to be a 290 but the previous owner did tractor pulling and it's tweaked accordingly. No limiter and surprisingly quick to get past the legal limit for trucks.

 

Anyway we arrived in one piece, trailer is a similarly veteran King with castor steer on the third axle, and load a 6 furrow Fowler plough for use with steam ploughing engines.

 

21731507_10156710680522796_164129932407594831_o.jpg

 

That looks right proper, I'd love a go in such a thing.

[Vantman]

So which one of these three would you take home? I know Cavcraft would have the delightful* Iveco.

Forest family variety by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

ERF for me please!

[Asimo]

 

.....trailer is a similarly veteran King with castor steer on the third axle, and load a 6 furrow Fowler plough for use with steam ploughing engines.

 ]

If a trailer has castor steer on an axle, what happens when the trailer is reversed? Does something have to be locked?

[CreepingJesus]

Yeah, sometimes there's a locking system triggered by the reverse lamp signal. Unless there isn't, which has been the case with every 50' and 55' I've had my hands on: you have to make sure it's straight, then get out and pull a valve to lock a pin through the steering mechanism (whether that's dolly or castor) and dump it again before you go.

Heavy haulage/specialist trailers like that can be much more complicated, but they're intended to be steered by the attendant, who might well have control of suspension valves and so on, too.

 

Anyhoo...abysmal pic of a Ford D series, which is in a field of dreams type scenario, that's gonna be a bit of a challenge* to cover.

And an unusual, but not that shitey Magnum 520 drawbar. Fucking would.

[quicksilver]

This legend of the fairs is still going strong - not bad for a lorry that celebrated its 40th birthday last month. I bet very few of today's trucks will last anywhere near that long.

 

VRW 531S - Albert Smith by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[hairnet]

Oaft

 

Also saw a vario merc van articulated thing on the dual carriageway back from belge

[Junkman]

[tooSavvy]

Before the PPC web forum disintegrated... A guy was building a custom crew hutch/back box, on a Merc.

 

He was from showman background and could 'maek owt, lyke'.

 

Has a chip shop in Matlock, I think....

 

 

TS

[Supernaut]

 

Hnnngh.

[Vantman]

Operated by a good mate and 'hero' of mine,who on occasions I worked for and with.

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

i remember when dustbin lorries had that face

[bigstraight6]

i remember when dustbin lorries had that face

And fire engines, the company I drive for had a Dennis Pax based recovery lorry many years ago...

[wuvvum]

Stupid question: why do those 2-stroke Detroits always idle so unevenly from cold?

[gordonbennet]

Quite a few Bedford TM's were fitted with Detroits (course the bastarding Rolonoff 6 wheeler they rented for me had a poxy gutless KM engine, just my luck), they ticked over smooth as silk, dunno but are the American versions bigger more cyls? so lumpy in the way a big V8 is in comparison with a V6?

Don't know just thinking out loud.

[CreepingJesus]

Stupid question: why do those 2-stroke Detroits always idle so unevenly from cold?

Same as any other stroker: the flow system is pulse tuned, so until everything's properly warmed up and working in perfect harmony, they can be a bit grumpy. Not so apparent on a 50cc scoot, very apparent on a big diesel at 70/80in3 per pot.

[CreepingJesus]

Some disguised prototype on the road in Turkey. Speculation is it's a Ford...

[Split_Pin]

Question for ERF fans here. I saw a picture of an EC10 with the cab tilted and a Perkins Eagle TX fitted.

 

I thought those were the EC 12s and the EC10s were all Cummins LT10?

 

Edit: it was a Maltese examole so anything could have been changed I suppose!