Truck Shite

[CreepingJesus]

Oman 5 - WELCOME BACK FELLA.

 

Thanks for the posts re. moderns, fellow drivers. We got a guy at volvo on the case and have bought a 62-plate FH classic, should be ready in about two weeks. I've got to say I am well happy with it, just got to keep it earning!

 

In the meantime the old Daf has been trooping along. It had a whoopsie last Friday and shat out a four-way valve that feeds the range change, seat, clutch and the splitter I think. I limped it back and our garage got it sorted pronto overnight, I was there when the bloke in the Daf parts van arrived and he said it was nice to see an old 95 still at it, I still think of it as quite a modern truck.

 

Result! Although, the 'classic' FH cab is considerably newer than the Daf 'Cabtec' cab: 1995 vs 1987! To think when the 95 first arrived on the market, it still sported Leyland derived engines (albeit distantly) and actually competed against the Roadtrain. Although, children born in either of those years would be eligible to drive one now!

We were supposed to have a bit of Daf de-fleeting at work, but to my surprise it hasn't happened. The last of the 61-plate XF105s is hanging in there, at 700thou and counting. It and its' brethren actually didn't come up here til Nov 12, because they sat around in Portsmouth for a while, waiting to have their LPG kits fitted. MX61EKE was the lowest mileage of the bunch, because it did a stint down at HQ in Lincolnshire: the company completely fails to take into account that 'Scotland' includes everything from Gateshead - Carlisle and up to the Black Isle (plus regular trunks to Cannock and Lincolnshire) and involves Space Shuttle mileages which the English yards just don't do. There was a reason the old company used to buy its' own motors, and run them until they dropped. No having to explain to Salford Van Hire (or TOM) where the excess mileage came from!

In theory, it's to be replaced by a 65-plate XF105, but that remains to be seen: they've de-fleeted a rigid that was needed, to save cost. Troubling times ahead...

[Split_Pin]

The FH cab was still a 'baby' when it was replaced, being used for 'only' 20 years from 93 to 13 but other cabs are still going. Ivecos cab came out on the Cargo in 1991, Scanias P cab in 1996 and Daf's 65/75/85 cab in 1993. The Cabtech is 30 years old this year would you believe it!

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[Split_Pin]

Can't beat a pentechnicon TK 😀

[Vin]

Is that a Pantechnicon or just a Luton body??

 

I always assumed, maybe wrongly, that a Pantechnicon is like these...

 

 

 

[worldofceri]

Yeah, the TK has a luton body.

 

Stoopid qwestyun: How do they tilt the cab on modern pantechnicons? Or do they modify the interior to create an engine cover?

[mercrocker]

Good selection of old wagons here...

 

 

 

 

DAF 33 Van alert!   01:40 in the Stanstead vid.

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[CreepingJesus]

Yeah, the TK has a luton body.

 

Stoopid qwestyun: How do they tilt the cab on modern pantechnicons? Or do they modify the interior to create an engine cover?

That was how it was done on the Marsden Vanplans and the like: removable engine cover, or up from underneath. Bus practice really. I think the conventional pantechnicon has been abandoned, because it's cheaper to build on a regular chassis, and people's stuff goes in standard size boxes now mostly, thus obviating the need for the box over the cab. Certainly the utterly dismal FL6s I drove for Pickfords worked that way. The sleeper pod is attached to the cab and goes over with it when it gets tilted.

[meshking]

Spotted this on twitter

 

[Split_Pin]

Tilt cab pantechnicons/lutons whatever have a hinged flap at the front of the box that gets propped open to allow clearance for the cab to tilt. Some don't and engine access is just left at being marginal, stupid really as the engine is up inside the hump rather than in its side flat underneath the floor like an old bus.

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[Jim Bell]

More randoms harvested from Facebook.

 

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[Split_Pin]

I have joined about 20 Lorry related Facebook pages recently and whilst there are quite a few members who post up Google image pictures, there's a smashing amount of original material. The absolute best 2 are Abandoned Lorries and Trev's Truck Pics Malta-Gozo. Id totally recommend joining them if you like trucks to any degree.

 

Best thing is that my news feed is now rammed with lorry stuff, which has somehow pushed out the trite 'inspirational' quotes, pictures of folk's dinner and anything political.

 

I joined a Shelvoke bin lorry page last night and now actually heart Facebook again.

[Split_Pin]

What's the deal with speed limiters nowadays, I thought it was 56 mph? I was on the A66 last night and overtook a tanker truck on a downhill section of the dual carriageway. But the truck then sped up when it reached a flat section of road and even at 70mph I couldn't get away from it. On the twisty single sections I couldn't do more than 50 as it was 1 degree, pitch dark and at risk of ice. The truck was so close I could hardly see his headlights. It wasn't slowing for any corners at all. I had my wife and 3 year old in the car and I was absolutely bricking it. I was scared to brake for the corners in case it hit me ☹ï¸

[Snipes]

I've been ding an indicated 70, with Satnav in agreement, and had lorries stay with me too?

[2MB]

Is there any truth in the story of Irish lorries being de-restricted?

[Split_Pin]

It was totally like Duel in almost every respect. Overtaking a slow moving tanker which then develops unexplainable speed and handling capabilities. All whilst in a chronically underpowered car.

 

Seriously though, I can't think of a higher level of stupidity on the part of the truck driver, in light of the road conditions. Talk about being professionally trained, they give the rest of the industry a bad name which is annoying as it's a hard enough job as it is for the drivers without being tarred with the same brush.

[cms206]

The Irish were known for "fiddling" their limiters and tachos in the 80s and 90s but it's a rare phenominon now. EU limits are 56mph/90kmh for HGVs, 59mph/95kmh for buses without seatbelts and 62mph/100kmh for belted buses and coaches, though UK rules state 60mph for HGVs and 70mph for buses and coaches. That said it's not unknown for an HGV operator (I can think of two offhand) to calibrate tachos on 275/70R22.5s then fit 315/80R22.5s when they hit the road.

 

Interestingly, although a speed limiter must be fitted it does not have to work; if it has been tampered with then it is an offence and immediate PG9, but if it is genuinely broken then it's advise only.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Split_Pin]

Yeah i suppose there's no way of actually 'testing' it at the time so if it's just the casing of the unit (not sure if that's what it looks like or not, I worked with much older lorries at the time that didn't have them) then I suppose nobody would be any the wiser if the tachograph settings were pointing to a different tyre/ wheel combo.

 

Seems crazy that they'd take the risk with the tachograph readings though!

[gordonbennet]

If i recall correctly the tyre size, and tread depth measurement, is noted on the speed limiter/tacho calibration certificate.

 

I got a right high horse bollocking off a mod who branded me a racist on a Merc forum i no longer bother with for mentioning the Irish lads elastic speed limiters a few years ago, which was ironic considering it's the truth and i'm half Irish anyway and might have had some interesting limiters on stuff i drove in the past.

Best was an F90 MAN, circa 1987, if when you get it unwanted but by default (it was a killer, literally, and the other depot wouldn't have it on the premises) you find it won't pull your hat off cos it isn't getting full throttle, you then lift the bonnet and by judicious use of 2 x 17mm spanners adjust all the free play out of the cable, it transpires that once you reach normal limit (which was set at 71mph) if you gave the throttle a slight kick it would click past the limiter at the pump, and cruise quite gracefully at 95..so i'm told.

 

You get the odd older Irish or private (owner driver/small haulier) plated artic come thundering past, but doing a steady 70+ now you stick out like a sore thumb so very risky i wouldn't do it any more, now my own lorry has been recilbrated its doing a genuine 55 (satnav) even with half worn tyres i find myself passing quite a lot of modern Irish motors, the days of the elastic limiter are nearly over, pity.

 

Don't know about the speed capability of the tanker that harrassed you IanL (was it a mid noughties Scanny by any chance, you could pedal them following a downhill overspeed if you knew how and keep that speed up for several miles), but you'd be surprised how stable a low line tanker can be, empty or loaded, i'm no mad thing any more but on the open road empty its not unusual to find cars that were jammed up yer arse on the straight (though too close and clueless about overtaking) gradually disappear behind on a series of long bends, its all about maintaining momentum, though i obviously can't speak for the bloke that was tailgating you, tailgating is something i hate but it's on the increase in all sorts of vehicles.

[Guest Hooli]

There was nowt funnier than overtaking a car in a double decker coach because they were getting in the way, never did it loaded but empty it happened a few times. I had one favourite place where I could see over hedges & straight line it safely but doddery giffers would do about 25mph for no reason at all.