Cracking read chaps (esp Dean B and DIG), keep going.
@DeanB That cover photo is interesting for the 141 mixing it among the usual heavy-duty US metal - I can imagine Scania’s big 14l V8 handling things (provided enough cooling) but I wonder about the drivetrain. Or would it have been retro-fitted with the typical Fuller/ Rockwell combination? Dig? Anyone?
Hi PR2100 My knowledge of the Scanias and Volvos is pretty limited but I am fairly sure they were pretty much stock standard,i think most of them did a good job and handled the climate ok as long as they did mainly highway work I do know that some of the Scanias had hub reduction drive axles maybe for triple rating here WA.
Cracking read chaps (esp Dean B and DIG), keep going.
@DeanB That cover photo is interesting for the 141 mixing it among the usual heavy-duty US metal - I can imagine Scania’s big 14l V8 handling things (provided enough cooling) but I wonder about the drivetrain. Or would it have been retro-fitted with the typical Fuller/ Rockwell combination? Dig? Anyone?
You raise a very intresting and valid point there ParkRoyal as often Scanias were fitted with fuller gearboxes and Rockwell rear ends. Intrestingly i found the attached article from September 1987 when Ralph Davies ordered a new 142 Scania with a fuller gearbox only for Scania in Sweden refusing the alteration. However like Ralph says they were supplying all the scanias sold in Australia at the time with them so there should have been no reason why they could not have offered it in Europe ? I remember this rumour going around years ago and i have to say i thought it was just that, a bit
of a myth but only found this article about a week ago in a old magazine.
It was not unusual for G88s/111s and 141s /F12s to be used in Australia Parkroyal as they were trying to break into a huge market at the time. From what i have seen /read over the years the G88s and 111s would have been mainly only pulled one trailer,sometimes two,but the 141s and F12s were certainly upto the job of pulling three trailers as per one of the earlier threads (Bell). The owner prefers the Volvo F12 for the comfort and pulling power compared to the American lorries. I can remember reading an article years ago (see if i can find it) about a large operator in Australia having a F16 on trial. From memory it did a regular roundtrip a fair bit quicker than the American lorries that were being used in the fleet at the time. Unless things have changed recently Kenworth were always the biggest seller and Volvo were second so they are obviously very well thought of in Australia.
DIG:
Hi PR2100 My knowledge of the Scanias and Volvos is pretty limited but I am fairly sure they were pretty much stock standard,i think most of them did a good job and handled the climate ok as long as they did mainly highway work I do know that some of the Scanias had hub reduction drive axles maybe for triple rating here WA.
Cheers Dig
Thanks mate, I was just wondering how they would have coped compared with the typical HD US stuff. I know the Scandinavians were pretty demanding about specs in their own market (esp. for the timber getters), but I was curious how their in-house running gear would have fared on typically [zb] Aussie dirt roads.
PS having seen your pics on this thread (especially those where one or more trailers are buried chassis-deep in the bulldust) I now understand why you got the name “DIG”. Cos dig you would have had to.
Cracking read chaps (esp Dean B and DIG), keep going.
@DeanB That cover photo is interesting for the 141 mixing it among the usual heavy-duty US metal - I can imagine Scania’s big 14l V8 handling things (provided enough cooling) but I wonder about the drivetrain. Or would it have been retro-fitted with the typical Fuller/ Rockwell combination? Dig? Anyone?
You raise a very intresting and valid point there ParkRoyal as often Scanias were fitted with fuller gearboxes
and Rockwell rear ends. Intrestingly i found the attached article from September 1987 when Ralph Davies
ordered a new 142 Scania with a fuller gearbox only for Scania in Sweden refusing the alteration. However
like Ralph says they were supplying all the scanias sold in Australia at the time with them so there should have
been no reason why they could not have offered it in Europe ? I remember this rumour going around years
ago and i have to say i thought it was just that, a bit of a myth but only found this article about a week ago in
a old magazine.
Click on the article to read !
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It was not unusual for G88s/111s and 141s /F12s to be used in Australia Parkroyal as they were trying to break
into a huge market at the time. From what i have seen /read over the years the G88s and 111s would have been
mainly only pulled one trailer,sometimes two,but the 141s and F12s were certainly upto the job of pulling three
trailers as per one of the earlier threads (Bell). The owner prefers the Volvo F12 for the comfort and pulling power compared to the American lorries. I can remember reading an article years ago (see if i can find it) about
a large operator in Australia having a F16 on trial. From memory it did a regular roundtrip a fair bit quicker than the American lorries that were being used in the fleet at the time. Unless things have changed recently Kenworth were always the biggest seller and Volvo were second so they are obviously very well thought of in Australia.
Thanks for the detailed reply Dean. I’m no expert at all on the heavy end of haulage out here but I’m always interested in reading how (or if) the early heavy Swedish wagons were spec’d for use out here, and how (or if) they coped c/w the usual KW, Mack stuff. I’ve never been a fan of US iron - too much chrome, too little organisation in the cab (have you ever been in a KW/ Mack/ Western Star/ White? They all look like someone’s loaded all the interior dials and switches into a cannon and fired the lot at the dash - chaotic), too little room upstairs. But having been here a few years (27 to be exact) I now at least respect them for their ability to take the punishment that outback roads (not to mention numerous so-called major highways) still deliver.
The F16 - oh yes. Still a few running around down here, mostly as re-purposed wag-and-drag tippers. They make a wonderful purposeful noise, a bit like an F12 with the bass turned up. Regrettably, the new(er) 14l V8 Scanias here aren’t made from the same tough stuff the original 141s and 142s were - show ponies in other words.
Deanb and PR2100 I did a bit of research today re Australian spec Scanias and Volvos and it would appear that it was possible to get Fuller or Spicer gearbox fitted ex dealer ok but i have found no information re diffs but as both built a heavy rear axle with a hub reduction option they have had few problems that i have heard of.
My retirement truck was a Benz that had an 18speed RR dealer fitted here but the rest was M/B and it was a very good unit to drive on the job I had at the time on rail container work around the city far better than any cab over American unit for comfort visibility and turning circle and I know that the big swedes are now very popular trucks in road train.
My last long distance unit was a Mack Titan and unlike yourself PR I much prefer the yank dashboard layout of the KW and Mack ,I prefer the cab layout with minimum glass and the the smaller the better as much easier to keep cool on 50plus days and warm on a cold night without a heater going full bore, we all have our preferences and its always good to chat to others about there preferences it would be a dull old world if we all liked the same thing ,whats that old saying Horses for Courses, a true statement.
Your not quite rightPR21 re the nick name but it is true I had shovel that looked like it had been chromed lol.
DIG:
Deanb I have jumped cattle out of trailers a couple of times on inter station work usually from dry paddocks to ones with better conditions so not totally unusual but never seen it done out a rear door like the photo and it looks like they have backed the front up to the rear of another trailer possibly to make a barrier so the cattle head off in the direction they want them to go possibly to water.
The photos were taken during the 79 season ,that KW was brand new that year 400hp phase 2 ■■■■■■■ 13speed RR 4.11 Rockwells made it pretty slippery 117kph but I never used O/D when loaded and dropped a full gear at night tonk along about 80kpm and I still managed to hit over 20 head of cattle that season but arsey no damage.
This pic shows what can happen when your up it at night loaded and you hit a bullock doing a100 ,threw him off the road as he was coming toward me the night before,I spent a couple of hours releasing trapped cattle from the crate about 60% survived it,this was taken the next day when I had loaded and was on my way back.
Cheers Dig
Dig, missed these photos last night ,so sorry just explain what happened here ? You hit a cow then went off the road and one trailer went upside down ? That was a flat trailer i assume looking at the pic ? Did the trailer with the cattle in end up on its side then so you had to release them or am i reading this all wrong mate ? The bull bars certainly work as that must be a fair old bang when you hit cattle at speed,mind you there is only going to be one winner !
Thanks again for the great pics.
Cracking read chaps (esp Dean B and DIG), keep going.
@DeanB That cover photo is interesting for the 141 mixing it among the usual heavy-duty US metal - I can imagine Scania’s big 14l V8 handling things (provided enough cooling) but I wonder about the drivetrain. Or would it have been retro-fitted with the typical Fuller/ Rockwell combination? Dig? Anyone?
You raise a very intresting and valid point there ParkRoyal as often Scanias were fitted with fuller gearboxes
and Rockwell rear ends. Intrestingly i found the attached article from September 1987 when Ralph Davies
ordered a new 142 Scania with a fuller gearbox only for Scania in Sweden refusing the alteration. However
like Ralph says they were supplying all the scanias sold in Australia at the time with them so there should have
been no reason why they could not have offered it in Europe ? I remember this rumour going around years
ago and i have to say i thought it was just that, a bit of a myth but only found this article about a week ago in
a old magazine.
Click on the article to read !
It was not unusual for G88s/111s and 141s /F12s to be used in Australia Parkroyal as they were trying to break
into a huge market at the time. From what i have seen /read over the years the G88s and 111s would have been
mainly only pulled one trailer,sometimes two,but the 141s and F12s were certainly upto the job of pulling three
trailers as per one of the earlier threads (Bell). The owner prefers the Volvo F12 for the comfort and pulling power compared to the American lorries. I can remember reading an article years ago (see if i can find it) about
a large operator in Australia having a F16 on trial. From memory it did a regular roundtrip a fair bit quicker than the American lorries that were being used in the fleet at the time. Unless things have changed recently Kenworth were always the biggest seller and Volvo were second so they are obviously very well thought of in Australia.
Heres a G88 volvo on the second page with one trailer ! (Click on pages to read)
DIG:
Deanb I have jumped cattle out of trailers a couple of times on inter station work usually from dry paddocks to ones with better conditions so not totally unusual but never seen it done out a rear door like the photo and it looks like they have backed the front up to the rear of another trailer possibly to make a barrier so the cattle head off in the direction they want them to go possibly to water.
The photos were taken during the 79 season ,that KW was brand new that year 400hp phase 2 ■■■■■■■ 13speed RR 4.11 Rockwells made it pretty slippery 117kph but I never used O/D when loaded and dropped a full gear at night tonk along about 80kpm and I still managed to hit over 20 head of cattle that season but arsey no damage.
This pic shows what can happen when your up it at night loaded and you hit a bullock doing a100 ,threw him off the road as he was coming toward me the night before,I spent a couple of hours releasing trapped cattle from the crate about 60% survived it,this was taken the next day when I had loaded and was on my way back.
Cheers Dig
Dig, missed these photos last night ,so sorry just explain what happened here ? You hit a cow then went off
the road and one trailer went upside down ? That was a flat trailer i assume looking at the pic ? Did the
trailer with the cattle in end up on its side then so you had to release them or am i reading this all wrong mate ?
The bull bars certainly work as that must be a fair old bang when you hit cattle at speed,mind you there is
only going to be one winner !
Thanks again for the great pics.
Deanb just to clarify,
I was heading out empty about something past midnight and on a long straight section of road called Blina flats when a set of headlight came toward me around the next bend about 5 km ahead I saw them appear to blink probably when the oncoming truck hit the beast then they went across the road did a bit of a wriggle and then went out, remember I.m probably 4kms away by the time they went out but anyhow when I got there the dog trailer was A over T and the truck and lead trailer were still hooked up right side up and on their side of the road as should be only the double decker crate had been thrown off the trailer and was on my side but in the table drain ,the top deck was still intact and the cattle in it trapped so we [me and the other driver] cut the side boards with axes and let those which had survived get out , i got into a fair bit of trouble from the stock inspectors at a later date as the cattle on this truck were red tail tagged which means must go for slaughter as they came from TB infected herd and as such not allowed on properties declared TB free and where this happened guess what aTB free area,apparently I/we were supposed to knock them all without letting them out.Just goes to prove being a truck driver means you have to be Rhodes scholar too on the rules and regs and carry a rifle anyway better than those men over your way trying to get through Calais without picking up some illegal hitchhikers though.
You must have more information on Australian R/Ts than we have over here you should pop over and visit the Hall of Fame in Alice Springs ,its got it all there on how it started it would be right up your ally.
DEANB:
Thanks for explaining that Dig appreciate it,and again thanks for the great photos !
This should bring back some meories a mercedes !!
Click on pages to read for better focus.
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Thanks for that Deanb you have certainly got a huge library of road transport history, well done.
The M/B certainly played a huge part in opening up the Australian transport scene following on behind the British marque of the Leyland Foden era,they did a stirling job here in WA on triple freezer chiller general freight runs to communities in the outback that had been serviced mainly by a coastal shipping service and then local based carriers into the early 1980s, sometimes these trucks were held up in the wet season when the roads north of the 26th parallel were still mainly dirt for weeks at a time,speed or for that matter arrival times were not as important as safe arrival possibly similar to the transport system to the Middle East in its earlier years.
The like of TNT changed a lot of that regrettably at the expense of their drivers and subcontractors well being with delivery times more important than the health of the people they employed but they payed quick and that was the attraction to work for them as a subcontractor ,personally I only worked for them twice ,one trip the first and last lol.
Dean, I’m seconding DIG’s comment, that last LDD you posted was a good 'un.
Thanks Dig for the info, it seems M-B stepped in when Leyland dropped the ball (again) with respect to its foreign markets. There is a direct parallel with bus/ coach chassis here: back in the mid-70s the Urban Transit Authority (UTA - NSW government owned bus network) in Sydney wanted Leyland to help it replace its ageing fleet of Leyland Leopards, but as was Leyland’s wont it offered either the Leyland National (with the fixed-head 0.510) or nothing. To cut a long story short, UTA went to (you guessed it) Mercedes-Benz, and became M-B’s biggest export customer for bus chassis. To rub salt into the wound, the M-B O305 suited STA perfectly and it was about as reliable and bomb-proof as they come - the last of the O305s was retired from the Sydney Buses fleet only a couple of years ago, and there are still scores of ex-STA buses running around making a living.
DEANB:
Thanks for explaining that Dig appreciate it,and again thanks for the great photos !
This should bring back some meories a mercedes !!
Click on pages to read for better focus.
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Thanks for that Deanb you have certainly got a huge library of road transport history, well done.
The M/B certainly played a huge part in opening up the Australian transport scene following on behind the British marque of the Leyland Foden era,they did a stirling job here in WA on triple freezer chiller general freight runs to communities in the outback that had been serviced mainly by a coastal shipping service and then local based carriers into the early 1980s, sometimes these trucks were held up in the wet season when the roads north of the 26th parallel were still mainly dirt for weeks at a time,speed or for that matter arrival times were not as important as safe arrival possibly similar to the transport system to the Middle East in its earlier years.
The like of TNT changed a lot of that regrettably at the expense of their drivers and subcontractors well being with delivery times more important than the health of the people they employed but they payed quick and that was the attraction to work for them as a subcontractor ,personally I only worked for them twice ,one trip the first and last lol.
Cheers Dig
Dig, Unfortunately thats trucking all over the world these days push,push no time for a cuppa always on the f—ing phone or checking where you are on sat tracking !!
ParkRoyal2100:
Dean, I’m seconding DIG’s comment, that last LDD you posted was a good 'un.
Thanks Dig for the info, it seems M-B stepped in when Leyland dropped the ball (again) with respect to its foreign markets. There is a direct parallel with bus/ coach chassis here: back in the mid-70s the Urban Transit Authority (UTA - NSW government owned bus network) in Sydney wanted Leyland to help it replace its ageing fleet of Leyland Leopards, but as was Leyland’s wont it offered either the Leyland National (with the fixed-head 0.510) or nothing. To cut a long story short, UTA went to (you guessed it) Mercedes-Benz, and became M-B’s biggest export customer for bus chassis. To rub salt into the wound, the M-B O305 suited STA perfectly and it was about as reliable and bomb-proof as they come - the last of the O305s was retired from the Sydney Buses fleet only a couple of years ago, and there are still scores of ex-STA buses running around making a living.
Yes the mercs were a strong old motor and i suppose Volvo,Scania and merc were probably the three biggest European motors to break into the Australian market.
Out of intrest Dig what was your favourite motor you drove out there, merc for comfort ? What about pulling power if the motors were all of a similar power ? Obviously the mack you mentioned earlier was under 300bhp where the Kenworth was 400 bhp so its not fare to compare them two due to the power difference,but did you drive a few motors all around the same sort of power ■■ I suppose the American motors were better to live in due to the size of their sleepers .
DEANB:
Out of intrest Dig what was your favourite motor you drove out there, merc for comfort ? What about pulling
power if the motors were all of a similar power ? Obviously the mack you mentioned earlier was under 300bhp
where the Kenworth was 400 bhp so its not fare to compare them two due to the power difference,but did you
drive a few motors all around the same sort of power ■■ I suppose the American motors were better to live in
due to the size of their sleepers .
Heres my big 3 Deanb, The KW when purchased was powered by a K19 ■■■■■■■ set at 450hp in 1988, with the passage of time and managing to survive a couple of recessions and after ordering a new KW T900 series I got cold feet cancelled and put a heap of dollars into the old girl ,stretched the chassis fitted a 60inch bunk and did an out of chassis engine rebuild and reset the motor at 525hp ,4 years later we purchased the Mack Titan streets ahead of anything else for comfort[Volvo influence] with a V8 575hp electronic engine ,a beautiful smooth engine to drive but an absolute money pit with oil leaks and cracked heads and when it split the block at 600thousand Km I repowered with a C15 ~ 550hp Cat.
Order of preference K19…Cat…Mack but if I was doing it all again heaven forbid Cat would be the preference in todays world as it was a clean honest engine of the electronic age with a second to none back up system from the Caterpillar company.
Thanks for the reply and pics Dig,the motors all look tidy. I imagine the Kenworth was alot better
after the cab extension. With regard to the 575bhp engine that you replaced at 600,000 kms what
would you expect to get out of an engine on roadtrain work as obviously they are working hard all
of their lifes pulling that weight !
DEANB:
Thanks for the reply and pics Dig,the motors all look tidy. I imagine the Kenworth was alot better
after the cab extension. With regard to the 575bhp engine that you replaced at 600,000 kms what
would you expect to get out of an engine on roadtrain work as obviously they are working hard all
of their lifes pulling that weight !
Heres a big old mack from 2008.
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I used to see the Blisset trucks when in Darwin possibly had a beer at the Berrinah with them but can’t recall for sure.
Deanb the K19 and the Cat both did kms of a million or so without too many problems, with the K series [same unit that Gulf transport used but with different hp settings] I did 2 out of chassis and one in chassis rebuild in the 14 years we were together, the in chassis was due to an assembly problem at 180000 after the first out of chassis and she dropped a valve so I couldn’t blame the engine ,I believe the Cat had a head fitted around 700thou km [after I sold the truck] and it pulled triples Perth Darwin for a number of years with the new owner, the K19 is still going retired to local work.
My work was mainly doubles probably 20% triples but i think its the old story work them hard but with care and they will do the kms,its always difficult to put figures on engine life though some were better than others but I was told when I bought the Mack V8 to get my head tested as the electronic engine was renowned for its problems,I thought geared right and driven right I could get a return but alas not.
Cheers DIG
PS now you know what I have been up to during my Aus transport life time for some of your history lol we seem to agree that timeslot transport of today is a pitter.
Watched Out Back Truckers on Saturday morning looks very hard work especially on the mine haulage,seem to blow tyres off for fun!Really impressed by the female driver rolling about trying to get the wheel off imagine sharing a sleeper cab with her you would have to send for Les Pullen to give you a hand!!
