Hi there people, just wanted to throw an idea around.
I’m luck to have driven and lived in most of the big, top spec trucks available, Globy XL, Scania Topline, MAN XXL etc however still think there is so much room for improvment.
I know people say look at what the americans have go, but we have length constraints that need to be considered. I have a few ideas and suggestions:
Do long haul tractors need 2 beds, i reckon 99% of top bunks never get slept on!
Would the top be a better place for the only bed freeing up living space downstairs (Scania 4 Topline style). I know Magnums have various options for living packs, and Volvo’s office pack (Right idea but crap!) I see the need to get out of the drivers seat at night a real must, a change of envronment is a must.
Would a bed mount front to back above the passenger seat?
Could the paseenger seat swivel like on my camper? That makes a lot of sense if its on full length runners (Do magnums do this?)
Should manufacturers offer more entertainment options? 15" flat screens are sooo cheap now, surely a factory option for a flat screen isnt far away? So much better than balancing on the dash!
I could go on but my mind isnt that creative, anyone else got any ideas?
Maybe i’m barking up the wrong tree but i think that manufacturers are stuck on the 2 seat, 2 bed layout, they need to listen to us drivers a bit, get us involved in the design process of cab layouts!
You sound like a man in need of a solo-cabbed Stralis like mine, complete with top bunk only, built in table AND telly table, swivelling passenger seat if you bother having one fitted, which I haven’t (although my previous truck did and very nice it was too), built in fridge freezer as standard and ALL controls - front blind, radio, lights, heater, roof, the lot - accessible at a 3 inch stretch when you’re in bed.
Didn’t Renault try the front-to-back bed thing in their solo-cabbed Premiums at one point? I know they did swivelling seats in the Magnum…
i had a renault premium with the full floor instead of a passenger seat and it were great only thing wrong was that renaualt should have fitted lockers to the back wall aswell.
your right neil the erf olympic and magnum if specced did have swivel passenger seats.
if anyones seen destination doha the leyland marathon had a swivel passenger seat and sink and cooker under the bunk
also volvo offered this in the first F12 globetrotters.
but times move on and instead of cookers you get micowaves and you get fridge and sometimes freezers.
i think volvo and renault got it right with the office pack and if scania offered a big front mounted bunk like the 4 series had and a table and 2 chairs setup in the new r series topline like volvo and renault offer then scania would have a real winner .adno in belgium have done a similar conversion but left the topbunk at the back. www.adno.be and click on gallery its one of the first ones in the list
