pete 359:
adr:
Hi Andrew,
As with this one you mean, you can clearly see the gap between cab & sleeper, with the exhaust side pipes running along the fuel-tanks!
Regards Chris
hi chris,
spot on as usual mate.with regard to the gap between the tractor and trailer,i think? that’s purely because they like it to look that way 
i know it seems weird to us europeans,though remember fuel isn’t anywhere near the price we pay.to me,that black kw must 
have a tilt cab.i would be astonished if it didn’t 
newmercman would be the one to advise us all far better than i can
regards andrew.
Recon the gap is to do wi the silly axle weights and the bridge formula well only 80000lbs gross and 12000 steer axle,34000lbs for tandemn groupings.
not forgeting the pin -------centre axle grouping , and the california 41ft setting…ohhh my head hurts…lol
jimmy.
newmercman:
How clever is that Chris, you got a Searcy truck in there with the one at the Kwip Trip in Mauston too, it’s almost like you could see into the future when you took that, any chance of picking some lotto numbers for me 
WTF He’s got a crystal ball has Chris 
fly sheet:
newmercman:
How clever is that Chris, you got a Searcy truck in there with the one at the Kwip Trip in Mauston too, it’s almost like you could see into the future when you took that, any chance of picking some lotto numbers for me
WTF He’s got a crystal ball has Chris
You OTR yet driver
I’m poncing around with my showbiz pals in BC, AB, SK & MB for the next week, we’re up on the Alaska Hwy in BC now, leaving tonight for Lethbridge, if you’re out that way in the next week gimme a shout 
OTR, I`m over the hill…lol…
Got assigned My motor today, got to head out with a city guy tomorrow morning then Im expecting theyll push Me off somewhere if its west i`ll message ya.
R&Ring again eh get in there Drive!!!
pete 359:
hi all,
i know that alot of euro truck anoraks vomit when they see some yank iron,though you have to admit they do have a presence 
.this mack was loading beams in costains for the section of m4 at the bottom of sarn bank.
Hi Andrew, nice shot of Tony’s Mack.
With reference to that black cabover with the home made sleeper/living quarters, it is an older motor probably 96’’ wide with a tilt cab. The sleeper is probably 102’’ wide as widths have increased over the years. It is difficult to see from the side view, but the lower section shows signs of a slight taper outwards.
As it happens there used to be overall length limits, and cabovers were in fashion when trailer lengths went from 45’ to 48’. but overall length stayed the same.
It was a long time ago, back in 1985 when I did my chauffers license, the forerunner to the CDL, commercial drivers license, but the old grey matter doesn’t remember the fine details.
Nowaday’s 53’ is the standard trailer length, 57’ being allowed in Florida with permits. In fact saw a 57’ footer I used to pull today with another contractor at Orlando’s main Postal distribution center.
I can not imagine what it would be like to drive that cabover around though!
Jimbo, California’s king pin to center of tandem axle is 40’.
Paul
lol always wondered why i got extra attention at scales in california. 
Here’s another shot of the black KW from the other side. It shows that the cab splits in two and the original front section tips fprward from the rest.
Somehow, it doesn’t look as daft, now we can see how it works. Maybe form does follow function, after all. How did/do operators of those massive-cabbed tractors cope with the extra weight, within the US maximum gross of- what is it- 80,000lbs? Do they only take lighter loads?
Here’s another question- when is Mr. Fantasy Island going to make an appearance on this thread, protesting that the US Transportation Industry would have been much better off if they had all used Gardner 180s?
[zb]
anorak:
Somehow, it doesn’t look as daft, now we can see how it works. Maybe form does follow function, after all. How did/do operators of those massive-cabbed tractors cope with the extra weight, within the US maximum gross of- what is it- 80,000lbs? Do they only take lighter loads?
That isn’t going to be much heavier than a normal truck of similar wheelbase (I reckon that’s a 265" or thereabouts) but the drivers are likely to be a husband and wife team, both of whom weigh over 350lbs and they probably have a couple of 200lb Pitbulls too
This “Jimmy” was imported into the UK for evaluation in the 50/60s? It was supposed to be scrapped at the end of the evaluation but as you can see it survived.
There can’t be many of them around now. regards Kevmac47
kevmac47:
This “Jimmy” was imported into the UK for evaluation in the 50/60s? It was supposed to be scrapped at the end of the evaluation but as you can see it survived.
There can’t be many of them around now. regards Kevmac470
hi kevmac47,
my old mate willy flomer (in yellow t shirt) and his awesome sounding gmc i once asked willy where the air reservoirs were? the chassis is hollow and that hollow is used to store compressed air.clever idea .that looks like a north of england run photo to me.i see willy at gaydon every june,a real character he has had an all american bow front stainless steel box van behind the gmc last 5 years.
regards andrew
Hello Andrew, used to see Willie regularly at Ted Hannon’s N of England run a few years ago. I think the front axle
was hollow and used as an air reservour also. Your right about the sound of that Detroit it was magic! The size of
the cab was a joke though. I don’t know how Willie got in it!! he’s quite a big lad. regards Kev. Ps. that shot was
taken on the A6 after Shap,in the layby alongside the M6.
Hi Kev,
The north of England was a great weekend out .with regard to American cab overs then this bubbs picture ticks the box for me .i cannot think of any other uk haulier past or present who ran such a varied USA fleet as John Golding (rip)
Here’s an old KW AeroDyne that I saw at the border last week; still out in all weathers. Also some Big Sleepers on Conventionals, including my company’s Show Truck :The Fish Tank.
Here are some more Cabovers, some scanned photos, some recent stuff. The Ex thought she had all my truck photos from the 70’s and 80’s safely stored away in a Cambridgeshire landfill; but here are a few that escaped her grubby mitts.
They looked ace them old ones Chris I know they are a pig to drive but them cabovers are ace, I’m apalled at these new style aerodistgustingnamic things that seem to have taken over this time over, whats with the trailers & them flaps hanging out the back of them I nearly pulled a guy over cos I thought He’d left His doors open & bits of ■■■■ hanging under the trailers ffs, don’t get Me started over the dropped seats & extended gearsticks either…
Ah yes, the trailer tail. I don’t know how long it will be before they all get crushed with back to back parking in the truckstops. MVT seem to to be obbsevive about fuel consumption with all their little bits and pieces.
I assume those extra long cabover did tilt?
ChrisArbon:
Ah yes, the trailer tail. I don’t know how long it will be before they all get crushed with back to back parking in the truckstops. MVT seem to to be obbsevive about fuel consumption with all their little bits and pieces.0
They look like a right old Heath Robinson affair. I had a look at their website, but lost interest before I could see how the erection procedure works. Presumably, the side panels are thin enough to allow the trailer doors to fold flat against the sides of the trailer, or are special, offset door hinges required? The top panel looks a bit “saggy”- I wonder how it would fair with a load of snow on it? I can’t see much point in the lower, predominantly horizontal panel, other than to gather dirt- there can’t be much air flowing from beneath the trailer. Does anyone have any experience of using them?
ChrisArbon:
Ah yes, the trailer tail. I don’t know how long it will be before they all get crushed with back to back parking in the truckstops. MVT seem to to be obbsevive about fuel consumption with all their little bits and pieces.0
Hi Chris, Mesilla Valley seem to be the biggest user of the trailer tail. Is it marketed as the boat or fish tail ? I have not sen any credible evidence of in service fuel savings. A lot have damage now, and with out repair defeat the whole object of the concept. Lately I have seem quite a few with the tails closed against the door.
The side-skirts are the same, there are all shapes and size’s, running at all angles. None of which can be producing equal results.
What we need done is have the steer axle weights adjusted upwards, and close the tractor to trailer gap. Front axle 14000lb is a joke really, especially with long wheelbase sleeper tractors!
Paul
