Some more pic’s of the Bowler fleet.
pv83:
Have you been reading CF’s fantasy stories again Spardo?
Well this old git (he’s even older than me) seems to think they are a good idea. He has been told half a dozen reasons why they are not the be all and end all that he seems to think they are, but he has a brother in Oz who apparently can do no wrong in his eyes.
So it must be right. 
Spardo:
pv83:
Have you been reading CF’s fantasy stories again Spardo?Well this old git (he’s even older than me) seems to think they are a good idea. He has been told half a dozen reasons why they are not the be all and end all that he seems to think they are, but he has a brother in Oz who apparently can do no wrong in his eyes.
So it must be right.
Cant say Spardo i have heard of the use of the Hydrogen units I wouldn’t have thought Aus would be the best place to find a water supply to fill the tank on a hot day or any other day for that matter halfway across the Nullarbor plains but on the other hand where you operated plenty of creeks and rivers that could supply the required liquid. 
Dig
DIG:
Spardo:
pv83:
Have you been reading CF’s fantasy stories again Spardo?Well this old git (he’s even older than me) seems to think they are a good idea. He has been told half a dozen reasons why they are not the be all and end all that he seems to think they are, but he has a brother in Oz who apparently can do no wrong in his eyes.
So it must be right.
Cant say Spardo i have heard of the use of the Hydrogen units I wouldn’t have thought Aus would be the best place to find a water supply to fill the tank on a hot day or any other day for that matter halfway across the Nullarbor plains but on the other hand where you operated plenty of creeks and rivers that could supply the required liquid.
Dig
Not sure I fully understand the concept but, apparently, it is hydrogen that is needed as fuel which reacts with oxygen to produce electricity to power the engine. The advantages are said to be no or low emissions, but I have also read that the main emission is water vapour, which, again apparently is a worse greenhouse gas than CO2. The only reason I mention it is because this bloke reckons that it is being trialled in Australian trucks, but of course, by trucks he might mean light vans such as the ones Renault are experimenting with in France.
One other advantage is that heat is also a by-product, making an internal heater for the passengers/drivers unnecessary. No mention of what you do with that heat in the middle of the Nullabor though.
commercialmotor.com/news/bu … led-trucks
Sounds like a better alternative than the dreaded electrical cars or hybrids or whatever they call them, I just read an article about mining trucks that are being converted into hydrogen powered ones, now that sounds interesting!
DIG:
Spardo:
pv83:
Have you been reading CF’s fantasy stories again Spardo?Well this old git (he’s even older than me) seems to think they are a good idea. He has been told half a dozen reasons why they are not the be all and end all that he seems to think they are, but he has a brother in Oz who apparently can do no wrong in his eyes.
So it must be right.
Cant say Spardo i have heard of the use of the Hydrogen units I wouldn’t have thought Aus would be the best place to find a water supply to fill the tank on a hot day or any other day for that matter halfway across the Nullarbor plains but on the other hand where you operated plenty of creeks and rivers that could supply the required liquid.
Dig
You’re thinking of steam engines DIG, the rest of the world has moved up since then
Like many other modern so-called “innovations”, the hydrogen-powered vehicle was thought of years ago. In 1959, Chrysler Corporation unveiled their DeSoto Cella 1 concept car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Although a 3/8 scale model was displayed, no actual full-size car was built, but the technology had been developed to a point where Chrysler management were confident that it was a route worth pursuing. Quite why the project ended there is open to conjecture, although safety (the era of the hydrogen bomb, remember) and market resistance is thought to have been a major factor. With petrol almost as cheap as water, why change? The concept car featured the fuel cell, where a reaction combining hydrogen and oxygen produced electrical energy to power four wheel motors, eliminating the need for a conventional transmission and giving regenerative braking and current to supply all the necessary circuits as well as ‘luxury’ features such as a refrigerator, tv and entertainment systems. I’m no scientist, and don’t understand how combining hydrogen and oxygen in different proportions produces electrical energy rather than water when mixed at two parts to one, although I’m sure someone can tell me.
pv83:
A closer look at hydrogen fuelled trucks - Truck Buying Advice - Commercial MotorSounds like a better alternative than the dreaded electrical cars or hybrids or whatever they call them, I just read an article about mining trucks that are being converted into hydrogen powered ones, now that sounds interesting!
A very interesting article Patrick, but I see no mention of the downsides that my chemically minded friend spoke of. I’ll see if I can get a reaction from him. 
pv83:
newmercman:
I did do something different actually, not very interesting as it was a only reel of rubber conveyor belt, but it was a 36,000kg reel, so a bit out of the ordinary. I loaded it in the Port of Tacoma and delivered it via Vancouver to Edmonton for onward delivery to the Oil Sands in Fort McKay, Alberta. The chap in the crane put it exactly where I wanted it first time and when I ran it over the scale it was nicely balanced with just over a hundred kgs difference between my trailer axles and the drive axles plus jeep, that’s always a good start to the week.With such a weight, does that mean you’re back on the old national roads again instead of using the Interstate network?
Not this time, I came out of the port straight onto the Interstate, then took the most direct route to the delivery. No restrictions at all on this one and that makes a big change.
pv83:
Some more pic’s of the Bowler fleet.
That W reg is for sale on eBay in Devon .
newmercman:
pv83:
newmercman:
I did do something different actually, not very interesting as it was a only reel of rubber conveyor belt, but it was a 36,000kg reel, so a bit out of the ordinary. I loaded it in the Port of Tacoma and delivered it via Vancouver to Edmonton for onward delivery to the Oil Sands in Fort McKay, Alberta. The chap in the crane put it exactly where I wanted it first time and when I ran it over the scale it was nicely balanced with just over a hundred kgs difference between my trailer axles and the drive axles plus jeep, that’s always a good start to the week.With such a weight, does that mean you’re back on the old national roads again instead of using the Interstate network?
Not this time, I came out of the port straight onto the Interstate, then took the most direct route to the delivery. No restrictions at all on this one and that makes a big change.
Belting rolls of that weight really test the trailers calibre NMM I see the outer bases are quite short on that roll frame we used to put timbers under the belt roll to spread the load as much as possible down the main frame rails,some of our country roads have a lot of camber and that would have you taking a firm grip on the seat as well as the steering wheel.
Dig
pv83:
DIG:
Spardo:
pv83:
Have you been reading CF’s fantasy stories again Spardo?Well this old git (he’s even older than me) seems to think they are a good idea. He has been told half a dozen reasons why they are not the be all and end all that he seems to think they are, but he has a brother in Oz who apparently can do no wrong in his eyes.
So it must be right.
Cant say Spardo i have heard of the use of the Hydrogen units I wouldn’t have thought Aus would be the best place to find a water supply to fill the tank on a hot day or any other day for that matter halfway across the Nullarbor plains but on the other hand where you operated plenty of creeks and rivers that could supply the required liquid.
DigYou’re thinking of steam engines DIG, the rest of the world has moved up since then
I only got it a bit wrong it makes water not uses it,the good news is I found an article that says Hydrogen powered trucks will be tested later this year hear in Oz,I attempted to show the article but the HH system won’t allow it probably a copywrite issue but I will keep trying.
Dig
DIG:
I only got it a bit wrong it makes water not uses it,the good news is I found an article that says Hydrogen powered trucks will be tested later this year hear in Oz,I attempted to show the article but the HH system won’t allow it probably a copywrite issue but I will keep trying.Dig
The bloke here is prone to exaggeration, he reckons they are in full use on a lot of trucks in Oz, I think I trust you more than him
The man who thinks they are not as good as made out says there is a long way to go before the hydrogen can be made in quantity wthout producing CO2 and also, again if widely, used the heated water vapour would add more to global warming.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Are those tests on heavy trucks Dig, or just on the light vans as Renault are doing here?
BTW, I do agree with you on the point loading of that reel of NMM’s, a very good test of a trailer’s metal, in more ways than one.
@NMM, before I semi-retired from the long distance stuff I really lusted after that ally exterior visor of yours. Although I always drive with the internal visors down, the heat and glare coming through raked screens is really bad. My idea was to have twin spots set in it too, headlights set correctly for dip, simply do not cut it on high beam on country roads. 
Punchy Dan:
pv83:
Some more pic’s of the Bowler fleet.That W reg is for sale on eBay in Devon .
Wouldn’t that fit in nicely with the current Punchard fleet?
Spardo:
DIG:
I only got it a bit wrong it makes water not uses it,the good news is I found an article that says Hydrogen powered trucks will be tested later this year hear in Oz,I attempted to show the article but the HH system won’t allow it probably a copywrite issue but I will keep trying.Dig
The bloke here is prone to exaggeration, he reckons they are in full use on a lot of trucks in Oz, I think I trust you more than him
The man who thinks they are not as good as made out says there is a long way to go before the hydrogen can be made in quantity wthout producing CO2 and also, again if widely, used the heated water vapour would add more to global warming.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.Are those tests on heavy trucks Dig, or just on the light vans as Renault are doing here?
BTW, I do agree with you on the point loading of that reel of NMM’s, a very good test of a trailer’s metal, in more ways than one.
@NMM, before I semi-retired from the long distance stuff I really lusted after that ally exterior visor of yours. Although I always drive with the internal visors down, the heat and glare coming through raked screens is really bad. My idea was to have twin spots set in it too, headlights set correctly for dip, simply do not cut it on high beam on country roads.
There’s a bit about it on this website.
I was stranded in Beaune last weekend and there was a dutchman there that worked for Tesla, they’re setting up a whole network where it’s only staff employed by Tesla that does the deliveries of new cars from the docks to the dealerships. He said that either next year or in 2022 they’ll be driving the truck that Tesla is developing, and they can charge it at every dealership. I can’t really see it myself, but is this the way forward? To me it seems that there’s still no fitting substitute for the ancient combustion engine, not if it comes to shifting heavy loads over longer distances anyway?
They look the business those big Mercs. Do they still run a big V8 or have they gone inline 6 like the rest of the range?
Dig, my trailer is rated for 55ton in 12’ of deck, so it can handle the reels easily, it had a fair amount of bend in it though, I drop all the air when loading and unloading of course and it drops or raises a good few inches with that weight, but no more than it would with something on tracks at similar weight .
pv83:
Punchy Dan:
pv83:
Some more pic’s of the Bowler fleet.That W reg is for sale on eBay in Devon .
Wouldn’t that fit in nicely with the current Punchard fleet?
Would need a rear end transplant ,2 yrs we’d have it like new
newmercman:
They look the business those big Mercs. Do they still run a big V8 or have they gone inline 6 like the rest of the range?Dig, my trailer is rated for 55ton in 12’ of deck, so it can handle the reels easily, it had a fair amount of bend in it though, I drop all the air when loading and unloading of course and it drops or raises a good few inches with that weight, but no more than it would with something on tracks at similar weight .
NMM our trailers here were quite different to yours I can’t recall seeing any with similar ground clearance to yours and the type Patrick pulls around,obviously a different ball game as all the heavy lift units I towed were spring suspensions thats not to say its still the same as I have been out of it for 15 years now I shall take more note of what I see on our highways although I reckon you would have trouble climbing over some of our cattle grids.
Dig