What speed did they go at?

[gazzer]

Fed up with this truck revvings it’s head off with the double reduction diff. I did a straight swap with a single reduction “coach” diff. This gave me 1200 rpm at 90kph. I had a fuel meter fitted that also gave a speed readout (in order to compare before and after performance). I used to set my fuel pump to 2500rpm free revving and this gave 2300 on the road. A quick road test (solo) on the M27 I managed to get up to 94mph (as per fuel meter) before the next junction arrived and a possible jam sandwich lurking. It would have done more.

[jmc_jnr]

Whatever I drove, and sometimes I pushed a lorry - whether to catch a boat or beat a deadline I could never help but stay within my braking distance whatever happened. I would always invent in my head a scenario where a kid or an animal would suddenly appear. I just was not a speed merchant, but I was never so far behind that I would be regarded as a slow-coach. Fast but safe ? Or just another plodder. I know who I would rather employ. Jim

[jelliot]

I was heading east back from Northman in a Ford Louisville ( ■■■■■■■ big cam if I remember right ) 2 flats with steel up the front and fridge with 8 ton in it on as a 3rd. I got about 200 k’s from the SA border when the head wind started up, the closer I got the border the stronger the wind got. I struggled on as good as I could, but I can tell you that Australia is a big place when the speedo doesn’t get on the top side of 40 kph for half a day. I though I was never getting there.

Jeff…

[newmercman]

Nice to see you’re back Jelliot. I know what you’re saying there, I’ve been pulling two at 63ton into a mad headwind and couldn’t get my Volvo into 11th gear (it had 12) I ended up parking as I felt I was a hazard going so slow and the 2.8mpg I was getting didn’t fill me with much joy either.

[lczjs]

I have browsed this Topic and I am amazed that so called Professional Drivers
have posted doing speeds of up to 100 mph.

I was a Lorry/Truck Driver for 40 years from 1961 and have driven numerous
makes of trucks on National, European and Middle East Journeys but have
never ever driven one capable of the speeds quoted on here by some drivers.

If I did have one capable of these speeds I would have had more respect for the
safety of myself and other road users and respect for the vehicle I was responsible
for to drive at the speeds quoted here.

One driver even boasts doing 70 mph out of gear down the old Shap very sad.
Or is the Topic full of drivers parked up in a lay-by fast asleep dreaming.

Rant Over

[john_west]

Jelliot:
I was heading east back from Northman in a Ford Louisville ( ■■■■■■■ big cam if I remember right ) 2 flats with steel up the front and fridge with 8 ton in it on as a 3rd. I got about 200 k’s from the SA border when the head wind started up, the closer I got the border the stronger the wind got. I struggled on as good as I could, but I can tell you that Australia is a big place when the speedo doesn’t get on the top side of 40 kph for half a day. I though I was never getting there.

Jeff…

Hi Jeff,

Good to see you back on here,

John

[jelliot]

Thanks Mark ( moderator now !!! ) and John, I’ve been out and about, but I usually have a bit look in when I get back for the odd day off. I’ve just done 29 days out interstating and am trying to wangle a job on one of the new log jinkers so I can stay local.

I can’t put photos up at the moment cause I can’t remember how and as usual photobucket is playing up + I’ve got about 1800 to get through.

So fuel economy… Sorry to hi jack your thread…

Just remembered I sent some photos to Dirty Dan so if your reading this Dan can you stick some up Ta.

Anyway… I was rattling about in my K1 Aerodyne pulling a B set of fridges for Toll. The job was meant to be Melbourne Sydney sometimes Newcastle, up one evening/night , and back the next, 3 runs a week. For those on the north side of the planet that’s about 895 K’s Mel to Syd and another 180 k’s for Newcastle, anything from 57 ton ( once in 9 months ) to 65 ton each way…

I was off at home for my week off ( 4 days as it turned out ) and they were flat out at work so gave my K1 to one of the local kids to play with. Detroit Series 60 so you have to keep it reving. Young kid knew everything, done everything , been every where, I told him if he smoked in the truck I’d take him up to the forest and tie him to a tree for a while.
The mechanic got it back on Friday night to service before I was due to go back out on Saturday ( that ■■■■■ ) The turbo was white and the manifold was purple with a big crack through it. He bunged another one on it, did other stuff cleaned it out. I got there on Saturday lunch time, no one in the yard, bunged all my gear ( Tunnocks Tea cakes, Irn Bru etc ) in the cab, round the corner to the Toll yard and of to the ferry for the night sailing.
Well there’s something not right, can’t put my finger on it, but I’m running a bit late so I just get into it. Both trailers are sealed so you don’t know what’s in it and the documents are in the trailer as well but it’s not unknown for there to be a few extra pallets on board from time to time especially if I’m, going to the Melbourne depot first.
Sunday morning of the boat and round to the depot ( about 2 K’s ) back the whole lot onto the dock and open the back door of the rear trailer, trailers about half empty, and there going to bung another 12 ton on it.
Up the road and the K1’s behaving like a Pork chop ( Not Good ) I don’t care if it’s 6 am on Sunday morning so I phoned the mechanic, who tells me about the Turbo etc. I’m Not Happy but I just get on with it.
Long story short going as hard as I could I’m an hour and a half late getting to Sydney the oil pressure is down under 100 kps and no one at the market is happy about it as the prices have fallen. 4 am Monday morning I’m just getting into bed… 7am Toll’s on the phone telling me to get it sorted out, none of the traders are happy about their stock turning up late, so I phoned the boss.
Get the truck back the Melbourne and he’ll send another truck over for me. So all the way back down the road I’m wondering what other delightful pile of crap he’s going to send.
Tuesday morning 5 am at the ferry The Daf 105 rolls of the ramp pulling my next 2 trailers ( You’ve got to be joking ) Not only that but it’s a automatic. Being a professional I bunged all my gear into it and left the K1 with the warfies who would make sure it would get back to Tasmania some time that week.
There’s a note in the Daf “phone the mechanic before I set out” but being a decent type of person I thought I’d give him a bit more time and get the Toll stuff sorted out first.
7 o’clock the mechanic phoned and wondered if I got the truck. " I set it up with a manual override working again for you and we got the air con working as well, there’s a new fridge under the bunk, and I’ve remapped the engine computer for you. And the boss got a permit for hauling B doubles. It’s all we could do at such short notice. I’m not a happy camper but I’m not going to be late the market again, and I’ve got 5 pallets on the front for Newcastle as well.
I’m up over West Gate bridge which is as steep as a good climb on the M 62 and the Daf’s going like a train. 66 ton according to the weigh bridge at Toll but I’ll burn of the best part of a ton of fuel before I get to the government weigh bridge at Marulan. I’m getting used to the manual /auto thing and the speed limiter doesn’t seem to be working.
You can’t go over 103k’s with Toll trailers cause they have satellite trackers. You can go to 106 for a few seconds, like over running at the top of a hill, but you have to get it back under 103 inside 6 seconds. If you get to 113 your out the door never to return. That’s the company policy but if you ask any driver they’ll tell you that you can’t go over 103 k’s with a Toll trailer cause it’ll just fall to bits.

So I’m driving west on the Cobb heading to Broken Hill and this guy shouts me on the UHF " Copy in the Toll Road Train " the first thing I thought of before I even answered him was " What the hell’s fallen of it now? "

Back to the story… I’m getting on ok,it’s mainly flat running 15 to 20k’s between corners, Glenrowan just under 3 hours, about 10 mins better than the K,1 and it’s quiet, I can see things in the mirror, not just a vibrating blur, nearly a flat floor, but the engine brake’s crap.
Up into the hills north of Holbrook, and the DAf’s into it big style. Wagga hill and I’m round Collins of Adelaide who’s hauling fresh out of the west. I’m holding my own with single trailers on the hills. Then I look at the fuel gauge, the tanks aren’t as big as at the K1 but they’re not small either and the gauge is down to about 2/3rds and K1’s usually just getting of the full mark. I got to Tarcutta for lunch, and was having a bit fiddle with things and found I could get all sorts of info on the dash including fuel consumption. Groovy…
20 mins and I’ve had my Tunnocks tea cake and a can if Irn Bru and I’m of up the road again… ( do these guys never grow up… No… No chance if they did then there wouldn’t be anyone to drive trucks )
Fiddling about with the dash info I dial up the fuel consumption display 2.1 k’s the litre it tells me but I’m on the flat. Not bad with 66 tons. Over run down hill 99k’s per litre, then Indef. All right fair enough, bit of a drag. 1.8, 1.5, I should probably be watching the road.
So I’m getting into the serious hills like the Cobbler, usually low box in the K1. 40 to 50 k’s an hour with a single trailer. The Daf-o-matic’s into it and the clutch is starting to vibrate but I’m getting along at 46 kph. Fuel display 0.18 k’s to the litre or if you like 180 meters.
I was first truck into the market every night that week.
I had a word with the mechanic when I got from that trip and he said it was wound up to about 640 ish bhp, but didn’t know how good the torque would be, I didn’t think it was to bad for a 13 litre Daf engine. It did get a bit hot on hills and the boss wasn’t to happy about the fuel consumption so they dropped it back to 520 when it went back on local work.

Jeff…

[rgt1973]

I remember in the mid 90’s running for a subbie on Europa out of Birmingham and everybody’s limiter seemed to break when we got off the shuttle. Great sport trying to make the caravans wobble as we passed them at 80-85. Fastest I drove was a Seddon Strato 410 ex Murfitts. That would go off the clock and the limiter never did get defected for some reason.

Sent from my SM-T365 using Tapatalk

[grumpy_old_man]

What speed did they go at ■■ well in my young and foolish days…QUICK…■■■■ QUICK And when the fuel saving ‘silent gear’ was selected…WARP SPEED

But I still couldn’t keep up with Peter Slaters men. Some of those fellas definitely needed ‘professional help’ because there was something very wrong with them.

[fergie47]

Driving in the late '60’s to the ‘80’, most wagons that were around during that period, the usual British stuff, plus the 88’s 89’s 110’s Transcons, etc…never in all that time did I ever have a lorry that drove over 65…so where some of these speeds mentioned are coming from, must have been with changes to engines, gearbox or rear axle ratios…

[whisperingsmith]

> Fergie47:
> Driving in the late '60’s to the ‘80’, most wagons that were around during that period, the usual British stuff, plus the 88’s 89’s 110’s Transcons, etc…never in all that time did I ever have a lorry that drove over 65…so where some of these speeds mentioned are coming from, must have been with changes to engines, gearbox or rear axle ratios…

I guess you must have been overtaken a lot unless you spent most of your time on the A12 at Essex Constabulary’s 40mph max

[grumpy_old_man]

Fergie47:
Driving in the late '60’s to the ‘80’, most wagons that were around during that period, the usual British stuff, plus the 88’s 89’s 110’s Transcons, etc…never in all that time did I ever have a lorry that drove over 65…so where some of these speeds mentioned are coming from, must have been with changes to engines, gearbox or rear axle ratios…

I think a lot of it is to do with when the speed limit for HGV’s was 40mph, get one wafting along at 65 ish and you were flying. Although one I remember was an 8 wheel Thornycroft, (a tanker we had at Hargreaves), it had Thornys own engine and box in it, single drive, plain hubs, and the b loody thing was scary fast. It’s a lot of years ago and IIRC top gear was an overdrive ratio, hell it certainly could go.

[rigsby]

You are correct as far as my foden was concerned Fergy . the direct drive 9 speed fuller suffered a catastrophic failure and the only available spare was an overdrive 9 speed fuller . crawler became 1st gear and so on , and the 8th to 9th gear change was achieved at 68 mph . never really knew the true top speed , but the gaffer tailed me in the jag and reckoned it topped 90 mph . I never did those speeds loaded as it cruised at 70mph in overdrive . Dave

[coomsey]

First 9 mths of my driving days 49mph, I could have nigh on counted the lorries I overtook on my hands n toes, usually London Brick at the chimneys. Given ERF 59mph ,warp speed ! never had to bother about overtaking before that, got used to it after a couple of days. That might sound odd but if you,re on the motoroad tomorrow try setting limiter,if you know how, to 66mph you,ll get it then

[deanb]

Picture says it all ! Brings back some happy memories.Used to spend my school holidays in one of
these,and they only knew one way to go and that was fast !

[pat_hasler]

In 1989 I started on Federal Express doing a night trunk between Crick and Exeter on the Spectra contract, I started with a MAN with a larges engine. I often ran with guys from other companies. One early morning on return I was chatting on the CB to a driver behind me and he said “Pat, check out the car coming by you”
I looked down to see an almost naked and very hot girl wearing suspenders and doing ■■■■ stuff. I put my foot down to stay with it, I had an empty trailer and was flat out as I went from the M6 to M1, the speedo was off the clock and I pulled of at the Crick exit, a guy in a car stopped by me and asked how fast my truck could go ? I told him I had no idea ? He said he had touched 110 MPH to stay with me
I knew a fellow night driver ‘Black Diamond’ most of us knew him as ‘Sony’ he was stopped by police on the M1 near Nottingham for doing 106 MPH.

[fergie47]

Pat Hasler:
In 1989 I started on Federal Express doing a night trunk between Crick and Exeter on the Spectra contract, I started with a MAN with a larges engine. I often ran with guys from other companies. One early morning on return I was chatting on the CB to a driver behind me and he said “Pat, check out the car coming by you”
I looked down to see an almost naked and very hot girl wearing suspenders and doing ■■■■ stuff. I put my foot down to stay with it, I had an empty trailer and was flat out as I went from the M6 to M1, the speedo was off the clock and I pulled of at the Crick exit, a guy in a car stopped by me and asked how fast my truck could go ? I told him I had no idea ? He said he had touched 110 MPH to stay with me
I knew a fellow night driver ‘Black Diamond’ most of us knew him as ‘Sony’ he was stopped by police on the M1 near Nottingham for doing 106 MPH.

Just to confirm, in 1989 you drove an M.A.N unit and trailer with a large-ish engine at 110 MPH …while looking at a half naked women in a car. ?

[carryfast]

Pat Hasler:
I knew a fellow night driver ‘Black Diamond’ most of us knew him as ‘Sony’ he was stopped by police on the M1 near Nottingham for doing 106 MPH.

Let me guess he also said on the CB that it was the fastest 2500 ever made.

If you’d have said it was Ron ( Trail Boss ) and his proven wrongly fitted 3300 engined 2800 ATI stopped at 96 mph I might have believed it.

[cartageman]

In the 50s A Leyland octopus would only do 32mph. But we had a couple op 4wheel Seddons on fish and fruit out of Tufnell Park and the two drivers used to beer up until closing time and the then be in Bishop Auckland or Stockton by 6 am.

[coomsey]

Carryfast:

Pat Hasler:
I knew a fellow night driver ‘Black Diamond’ most of us knew him as ‘Sony’ he was stopped by police on the M1 near Nottingham for doing 106 MPH.

Let me guess he also said on the CB that it was the fastest 2500 ever made.

If you’d have said it was Ron ( Trail Boss ) and his proven wrongly fitted 3300 engined 2800 ATI stopped at 96 mph I might have believed it.

59 mph with copy of ■■■■■■■ on steering wheel would have been marginally safer.