jsutherland:
I’ve always admired logging drivers, especially with some of the roads they have to drive on through the forests. The lads in this photo - well, what can man say. The super slick tyres wouldn’t have been much good when it rained and the tracks became slippery.0
Only thought you admired fridge drivers Johnny■■? I’ll get me coat…
jsutherland:
Spardo:
Froggy55:
I wonder how they could drag such loads with so few horsepowers!Very, very low gearing perhaps? I remember having a discussion years ago in Oz on this very subject when we had Macks pulling 3 trailers with, I think, 250hp engines and it was said even a Morris Minor engine in an Octopus would work if the gearing was low enough. A bit extreme perhaps, but a point made?
When I first saw that picture though I had 2 thoughts. As I couldn’t at first see the other prime movers I thought it was a road train, and then I thought, would I park up for a photo on such a ricketty looking bridge? I don’t think so.
Interesting points Spardo.
I am guessing these wagons were past the chain driven era.
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Johnny
Very low gearing or crawler gears indeed! Remember those mighty Scammels of old? They could shift just about everything, but were only fitted with a engine that produced 335hp at best, the secret is to be found in the gearbox, only downside to having such low gearing is that the top speed isn’t all that brilliant, for some of those wagons 30mph was top speed…
What Volvo has done lately with their I-shift with crawler gears is combining the old with the latest technology, very low gearing when needed and a acceptable top speed for driving on motorways. However, although the idea is good and they sell them by the dozen, for shunting a load (+150t) for a longer period it lacks the use of a torque converter. Some of my colleagues used it on a testrun to France and Spain and the Volvo can’t cope with driving on national roads with twisty bends and steep hills for a longer period, the whole drive line gets too hot, and shuts off the use of the retarder, not really what you want if you’re just about to descend a steep hill, going on for several miles with a total weight of +150t… Not sure if they’ve changed it by now, after all, Volvo has got a reputation to live up to.
I’ve added a link which explains the use of a torque converter (dating back to 1976) and a link that explains the working of Volvo’s I-shift with crawler gears.
archive.commercialmotor.com/arti … y-driving-
volvotrucks.com/en-en/news/ … gears.html
p.s. Is your Volvo fitted with that I-shift Danne?
Dirty Dan:
Well id guess its wrong spec unit and driver fault… we had the old 164 580 as a heavyhaul unit and it worked just fine. But someone will probebly say im wrong. But more hp arnt always the solution.Danne
newmercman:
[zb]
anorak:
Here’s an interesting clip:
youtu.be/PRykJtmA1Ps
There are others from the same quarry, showing vehicles being pushed along by other plant, one showing a tractor bogged down, going nowhere with smoke pouring out of the stack. The trucks are obviously underspecified for the work, which is killing them rapidly.Who can name a more suitable prime mover, from history? There are hundreds on this thread. Of currently available vehicles, I can only think of Kenworth.
The A trains are loaded twice as heavy as that stuck one, but they’re not changing gear, which is what is causing the guy to stop, the lower weight allowing a bit more rpm giving the driver the impression that it would take a higher gear, which it clearly cannot. My diagnosis of the problem is that the truck has a loose nut behind the wheel.
I’m with NMM and Danne on this one, seems the driver is making a mess of it, I’ve used underpowered units for a long time, running at 80t or more and that never happened to me, just left in gear and didn’t touch it when I was making my way up the hill.
Froggy55:
Fergie47:
few odds0At first, I thought this recabbed Pacific was a Bernard. Certainly a great improvement from the standard or armoured cab, even if the chain transmission was probably kept.
How often did the chains snapped when pulling loads far more heavier than those Pacific’s were initially designed for I wonder…
Thanks to Oily, Herr Sutherland, Danne, Dean, Froggy, Anorak, NMM, Fergie, Spardo and Rigsby and all the others that only have a quick peek for keeping the thread going, cheers gents, much appreciated 
DEANB:
jsutherland:
The FAUN just has a prescence wherever it is.Heres some more on Faun, Johhny.
Click on pages twice to read.
Very interesting article indeed Dean, cheers! However, I’ve missed this one a bit…
pv83:
Very low gearing or crawler gears indeed! Remember those mighty Scammels of old? They could shift just about everything, but were only fitted with a engine that produced 335hp at best, the secret is to be found in the gearbox, only downside to having such low gearing is that the top speed isn’t all that brilliant, for some of those wagons 30mph was top speed…
This is true but wasn’t that 1st hundred tonner only fitted with a 150hp engine, I seem to remember? As regards top speeds, I wasn’t even on heavy haulage at Ilkeston Haulage but the top speed of my Highwayman was only 38 mph. No idea what the crawler produced, never got round the gate that far. 
I’m with NMM and Danne on this one, seems the driver is making a mess of it, I’ve used underpowered units for a long time, running at 80t or more and that never happened to me, just left in gear and didn’t touch it when I was making my way up the hill.
Me too Patrick, but no problem for really ‘old’ drivers. A 150 Gardner with a 6 speed David Brown box in a mk 1 Atki made it totally impossible to change up on a hill. Even when a steep one, causing a really low gear to be used, evened out, it wasn’t possible to change up till you got to the top. 
Spardo:
pv83:
Very low gearing or crawler gears indeed! Remember those mighty Scammels of old? They could shift just about everything, but were only fitted with a engine that produced 335hp at best, the secret is to be found in the gearbox, only downside to having such low gearing is that the top speed isn’t all that brilliant, for some of those wagons 30mph was top speed…This is true but wasn’t that 1st hundred tonner only fitted with a 150hp engine, I seem to remember? As regards top speeds, I wasn’t even on heavy haulage at Ilkeston Haulage but the top speed of my Highwayman was only 38 mph. No idea what the crawler produced, never got round the gate that far.
I’m with NMM and Danne on this one, seems the driver is making a mess of it, I’ve used underpowered units for a long time, running at 80t or more and that never happened to me, just left in gear and didn’t touch it when I was making my way up the hill.
Me too Patrick, but no problem for really ‘old’ drivers.
It first started life with a petrol engine, “tweaked” to a whopping 86hp! Later on it was swapped for a Gardner indeed David, developing 105bh…
More about that 100t in the attached link:
historicroadways.co.uk/scamm … onner.html
Our correspondant from the Midlands was eye to eye with such a 100t this weekend, I’m hoping he’ll be sharing some of the footage on here.
Bet that was fun, driving that Atki with a “proper” load on ahum… I’ll get me coat…
Some interesting clips from youtube that’s about the 100 tonner.
youtube.com/watch?v=Cb_pKvqO5K0
pv83:
Some interesting clips from youtube that’s about the 100 tonner.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb_pKvqO5K0
In the 2nd one I feel the law should have been called, that is not an indivisible load (remember our previous discussion on this point?), there is a motor bike on the trailer too. 
If ever there was a need for a BRS greatcoat and flat cap that rear steersman had it. I love the way it was so low geared that he used it like a ship’s wheel spinning it back and forth for the corners. And do you think there is a little seat in the little cabin on the left of the platform for a bit of a rest on the strait bits? 
An Interesting week for me, my truck needed a safety (MOT) so I took it to Peterbilt on Monday evening to give them an early start Tuesday. I also asked them to give it a service, get an oil sample tested and tune up the injectors, Jake Brake and valves. Glad to say it passed the safety inspection with only a number plate bulb needing replacing and the rear mudguard stays tightening, those are constantly coming loose and have driven me up the wall ever since I’ve had the truck. As I do all the maintenance myself, I was pretty pleased about that.
So it was ready to roll Thursday lunchtime, I called work and was told I was loading a quad track on Friday for Illinois, so I asked Peterbilt to look at the A/C on my APU, basically a donkey engine that saves me from idling the big engine while parked, it provides A/C, runs off the engine coolant, so keeps the big engine warm in winter and keeps the batteries charged. Long story short, I got it back Saturday afternoon and it still doesn’t work!
I still managed to get my quad track though, but had to be creative as they shut for the weekend at 3pm on Friday. I drove my pick up to our Winnipeg yard, walked a mile or so down the road to the plant, got my quad track and drove it back to the yard, just another day in Manitoba, driving down the road in a 12’6" wide 600hp 30ton quad track!
I then picked up my unit Saturday, went back to my yard, hooked up my trailer, went to the Winnipeg yard, loaded the quad track, chained it down and went back home as there was no point leaving due to the daylight only restrictions in North Dakota, I would have crossed the border and had to park up.
Oh well, an early start Sunday would still allow me to get it off in Illinois on Monday, except that Minnesota has a summertime ban on oversize movements from 1400 to 2000 Friday and Sunday, so it’s going to be a late start today so I can run in one shift to the Iowa state line, where I’ll have to park as it will be dark and I can’t run there at night, so it will be a Tuesday delivery now, if everything goes to plan.
Spardo:
pv83:
Some interesting clips from youtube that’s about the 100 tonner.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb_pKvqO5K0
In the 2nd one I feel the law should have been called, that is not an indivisible load (remember our previous discussion on this point?), there is a motor bike on the trailer too.
If ever there was a need for a BRS greatcoat and flat cap that rear steersman had it. I love the way it was so low geared that he used it like a ship’s wheel spinning it back and forth for the corners. And do you think there is a little seat in the little cabin on the left of the platform for a bit of a rest on the strait bits?
Good luck with calling the law on those lads 
Well, at least the steersman had some shed to protect him from the elements, at VDV the lads had a seat (ISRI from a 3 series Scanny…) but were out in the open… never fancied being a steersman for some reason…
newmercman:
An Interesting week for me, my truck needed a safety (MOT) so I took it to Peterbilt on Monday evening to give them an early start Tuesday. I also asked them to give it a service, get an oil sample tested and tune up the injectors, Jake Brake and valves. Glad to say it passed the safety inspection with only a number plate bulb needing replacing and the rear mudguard stays tightening, those are constantly coming loose and have driven me up the wall ever since I’ve had the truck. As I do all the maintenance myself, I was pretty pleased about that.So it was ready to roll Thursday lunchtime, I called work and was told I was loading a quad track on Friday for Illinois, so I asked Peterbilt to look at the A/C on my APU, basically a donkey engine that saves me from idling the big engine while parked, it provides A/C, runs off the engine coolant, so keeps the big engine warm in winter and keeps the batteries charged. Long story short, I got it back Saturday afternoon and it still doesn’t work!
I still managed to get my quad track though, but had to be creative as they shut for the weekend at 3pm on Friday. I drove my pick up to our Winnipeg yard, walked a mile or so down the road to the plant, got my quad track and drove it back to the yard, just another day in Manitoba, driving down the road in a 12’6" wide 600hp 30ton quad track!
I then picked up my unit Saturday, went back to my yard, hooked up my trailer, went to the Winnipeg yard, loaded the quad track, chained it down and went back home as there was no point leaving due to the daylight only restrictions in North Dakota, I would have crossed the border and had to park up.
Oh well, an early start Sunday would still allow me to get it off in Illinois on Monday, except that Minnesota has a summertime ban on oversize movements from 1400 to 2000 Friday and Sunday, so it’s going to be a late start today so I can run in one shift to the Iowa state line, where I’ll have to park as it will be dark and I can’t run there at night, so it will be a Tuesday delivery now, if everything goes to plan.
Never realised there were such driving bans too in the US NMM, must be a real bugger sometimes. It is here in the “old world”, but all part of the job…
Hope you get that APU fixed soon, as I can imagine you’ll be needing it in some States
I’m keen to get it fixed too mate, I hate idling the big engine. This job here is full of rules and regulations, what’s good in one state or province will get you a big fine in another, we have the daylight hours rules in most states once you’re over a certain height, width or weight, they can make a trip a few days longer in winter, spring thaw weight restrictions which are a total PITA. Then there’s the holiday weekend bans, curfews at weekends and during rush hour in some cities, if it’s not one thing, it’s another, it keeps you on your toes though which adds to the satisfaction at the end of a trip.
Aye, know what you mean mate, sometimes it really does your head in, but in the end it’s good to bring the job to a satisfactory end.
I just realised how little I know about heavy haulage regulations in the US or Canada for that matter, my mate who lives up in Saskatchewan tried to explain it to me at one time, but I already lost the plot after the first two States
It’s not that hard TBH, you get most of your do’s and don’ts on your permit, I just read through them a couple of times and make sure I know what to do in each state.
A week full of drama for me. Had an airline come apart at 70mph and lock all my trailer wheels, pulled over to the shoulder nice and easy and it all went fine until that point, then the camber of the road and physics took over and the trailer went into the ditch and started to drag me in with it. I managed to stop a few feet away from slicing through a section of armco barrier, got it back up on the road with the aid of diff locks and large portions of size 12.
Luckily I was empty and on a clear stretch of interstate, not so lucky were the trailer tyres, eight of the twelve, I had the middle axle lifted as I was empty, were worn down to the cords. It could have been a catastrophe, loaded I would’ve been upside down, in traffic it would’ve been a demolition derby.
I replaced the fitting at the next spares place I found and went to load my next job, then got the tyres sorted and made my way home, but the forces of evil followed me, my truck started filling only one tank with return fuel and sucking fuel from the other, so I had to keep stopping to level them out and play musical chairs with two pairs of vice grips, shutting off different fuel lines at different times to try and get home. Then spent last night underneath it blowing out crossover valves and fuel lines, back up there in a bit to carry on trying to get it fixed.
Anyway, here’s the tractor I picked up and a shot of the trailer in the ditch for your viewing pleasure.
Wow. Spring brakes are supposed to be a safety feature. Would the wheels have locked with a load on?
[zb]
anorak:
Wow. Spring brakes are supposed to be a safety feature. Would the wheels have locked with a load on?
Yes. I had it happen about 33 years ago when the red line came adrift and melted when it fell in contact with the exhaust IIRC. In reality, once the airline has failed the air takes time to expel so the lock-on is a gradual (if pretty rapid) process and the momemntum of full gross weight slows that process down even further. In my case the whole thing was even more sedate because I was climbing a fairly steep hill (Jubilee Way out of Dover) with a caissmobile tilt full of plywood. Amazingly, I still have a picture of the incident! Robert
Anyone heard from Dig recently ■■? No doubt he is in the Middle of Australia somewhere.
