iangam:
Gembo:
Ive always wondered, when i see a transporter with a load of damaged cars, why is half the numberplate of each car covered in black tape?So that the cars ID can’t be used whilst that one is off the road.
I got ya. Thanks for that.
Own Account Driver:
The modern ones where they’re effectively a wag and drag with a wag that’s just a standard unit. Are they ok with no vehicles loaded on the wag or are they very choppy, in tramlines, downhill etc.?
Can be very skittish, having little weight imposed on the drive axle, easy to get it wrong.
Tail can wag the dog when fully 11 car loaded if the driver doesn’t keep some weight forward on the trailer…surprisingly i have seen many older drivers get this seriously wrong, and they should in years alone know better, leading to really bad snaking developing on motorways, heavy cars piled up on the arese of the trailer and too little weight on the unit being an unhappy combination…i’ve actually seen one on the road with 4x Range Rovers @ around 11 tons on the trailer and nothing at all on the tractor, a recipe for disaster and the driver needed a good kick up the arse.
3 axle tractors being better than 2 for stability IMO, and Scanias with twin steer far better than Volvo FMs with buy one get one free small wheeled middle tag axles, never driven a CF on transporters so don’t know how good or bad they are.
The older design proper lorry and drag where prime mover was heavier were far more stable, as you would expect, and the three deck artics as per Bowserman’s/Gouls’s pics were rock solid on the road.
Lohr bodies have stabiliser bar 'tween truck and trailer, TE bodies (or whoever they are now) don’t.
Juddian:
Stanley Knife’s referring to the older full semi trailer with over-cab peak fixed to trailer (not a fixed over the cab peak like new designs), so when you turned the trailer was still going straight on, they were a work of art to thread through towns and traffic and really worrying when on twisty narrow roads when you met a double decker bus, your trailer peak might be in his lane even though your cab was 8 feet away in your lane…and the car reversed over the peak sticking out another 4ft…
Spot on Juddian. As an amateur at this I had to learn bloody quick and initially was so careful it must have been laughable. But I enjoyed it and learned so much about my own attitude to driving. My heart says I would go back to it tomorrow . . . my head says never again.
Juddian:
((…as in Bowsermans pic below…my favourite transporter body of all time that…van carrier too by the looks of it, very useful and the quickest of all to load/unload…my record for unloading one of those was 9 minutes from arriving at rental office to last (9th) car on deck, and every car strapped on.))
NINE MINUTES!! That’s impressive - three straps on each car of course - or just the rear ones? 
Stan
Saaamon:
I wouldnt want to drive the cars on, let alone drive the truck!
No way mate, that would be the best part, like the Italian job except the truck isn’t moving 
Gembo:
bowserman:
FarnboroughBoy11:
I like the old school transporters with the massive over hang over the front of the cab. Would love to drive one of them.0
Like this?
My old one.
You must be nuts, FarnboroughBoy
I like to try new things Gembo
FarnboroughBoy11:
Saaamon:
I wouldnt want to drive the cars on, let alone drive the truck!No way mate, that would be the best part, like the Italian job except the truck isn’t moving
Have a motor rigged up that could be loaded while moving and lob it in the ring at truckfest, make a change from recovery demonstrations.
Or get one transporter reversing and another following down the main drag at Bruntingthorpe while some brave soul runs up and over the two wagons…in a Smart car in reverse
Saaamon:
I wouldnt want to drive the cars on, let alone drive the truck!
try reversing a renault trafic with mirrors folded in and no one guiding u off i see a lot of car transporters at my work place dropping off and picking up cars and i have respect for the drivers with how they do it just getting in and out off our yard isnt easy and must be a nervous thought as well with the vosa place next door
Gouls:
FarnboroughBoy11:
Saaamon:
I wouldnt want to drive the cars on, let alone drive the truck!No way mate, that would be the best part, like the Italian job except the truck isn’t moving
Have a motor rigged up that could be loaded while moving and lob it in the ring at truckfest, make a change from recovery demonstrations.
Or get one transporter reversing and another following down the main drag at Bruntingthorpe while some brave soul runs up and over the two wagons…in a Smart car in reverse
brilliant idea, I think we should pitch it to William Stobart and use his new transporters!!
Stanley Knife:
Juddian:
/quote]Spot on Juddian. As an amateur at this I had to learn bloody quick and initially was so careful it must have been laughable. But I enjoyed it and learned so much about my own attitude to driving. My heart says I would go back to it tomorrow . . . my head says never again.
Juddian:
NINE MINUTES!! That’s impressive - three straps on each car of course - or just the rear ones?
Stan
Honest guv 
, 3 Straps on every car minimum, every time (known too many blokes lose cars and i luckily never did), mind you i spent an hour or two every week when waiting somewhere going round with the oil can keeping everything tip top, made the world of difference to the job, keep them ratchets free running with good straps and the job was a good un, especially with a 3 deck artic.
Remember my first few days with an artic with peak being terrifying too, but like everything you got used to it.
Let you into a little secret, me and another lad went for a ride in a car driven onto the peak of an artic transporter…driven by a bloke we had the utmost faith in i should add, it was great, better than any of the theme park rides, it seemed like you approached a wall or tree at breakneck speed and suddenly the car we were in would stop and shift to the right in one movement, great fun…and cruising down the A1 zooming under bridges at 60 mph was a hoot when the bridge was 6" away at most.
I’m out of it now, in a good job with several other ex car jockey lads, nope, not one of us would go back to it unless desperate, but we did enjoy the fun times of the job, and there were some really great characters in the game too, hard work mind.
Must admit to turning left at traffic lights knowing the peak was going to swing over a van waiting at the lights, then wetting myself laughing as the driver/passengers ducked at the last second.
Harking back to my auction motor days before going to car and comic, I stopped for a 45 at Clackett Lane one day, parked between two unloaded transporters and went to the loo, came back to find johnny foreigner had hit the car on the peak (a Punto of all things, all of 6" overhang) and one car wheel was sitting on fresh air, MCD next to me parked right in front of me and lifted the decks, managed to run the Punto onto him and then back onto my peak again.
Also had a new lad at Peterboro’ auctions drop one of the side one night going from trailer to truck on a drawbar, I arrived to find him trying to tow it back on with the car that should have been on the peak, stopped him pdq I can tell you, he never twigged what might happen if the strap snapped, (probably would have broke his neck flying backwards off the peak), slung a ■■■■■■■■ the trailer deck and onto the towing eye, lifted the deck and hey presto, one car right on the centre line of the deck, shame he smashed the sill trying to drag it backwards but there you go, think he quit by the end of the week.
Best laugh I had was at Co-op funeral directors in Worksop, one private ambulance, two family cars and two hearses, last one on was a hearse and the doors sat right between the pillars, long doors so I couldn’t open them far enough to get out, I had to slide over the polished wood and out the back door, this was around 9.30 in the morning right opposite the Post Office on pension day, walked into the funeral directors and nearly claimed commission for the three old duffers who keeled over when they saw me emerge from the back of the hearse.
Range Rover transporter lorry crash on A34 shuts road
Part of the A34 in Hampshire has been closed after a vehicle transporter under tow struck the central barrier, shedding its load of cars.
The crash happened on the northbound carriageway near Whitchurch on Monday night. No-one was injured.
The road is likely to stay shut in both directions until Tuesday afternoon.
A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving with an insecure load and causing danger to other road users.
Hampshire police said the fully-loaded transporter was being towed by a heavy recovery vehicle when it broke free and hit the barrier, crossing on to the opposite carriageway.
No other vehicles were involved but there was “extensive damage to the road surface and barrier”.
An earlier police message on Twitter described the scene as having “lots of expensive Range Rovers all over the road”.
oooh, going to be expensive…thats some motor to lose from a tow, 7 x RR’s, gross around 43t ,and about £350k+'s worth of load alone, all cars going to be seriously damaged if not totalled.
half a £million all in?
Glad for the lorry driver that it wasn’t his mistake, anyone know which transporter company yet?
bowserman:
FarnboroughBoy11:
I like the old school transporters with the massive over hang over the front of the cab. Would love to drive one of them.0
Like this?
My old one.
■■■■ that for a game of soldiers
Juddian:
oooh, going to be expensive…thats some motor to lose from a tow, 7 x RR’s, gross around 43t ,and about £350k+'s worth of load alone, all cars going to be seriously damaged if not totalled.half a £million all in?
Glad for the lorry driver that it wasn’t his mistake, anyone know which transporter company yet?
Automove/STVA
Anybody remember the one that spilt a load of Jags quite close to the factory -'80s was it?
iangam:
[quote=“Juddian”
Automove/STVA
[/quote]
Ah thanks, wasn’t sure who was doing the Southampton trunks these days, i’m presuming export night trunk being recovered so late.
swift anecdote…i had a phone call from a my day man one afternoon some years ago…
‘’ hey juddian good news, we’re getting a new lorry’',
‘‘oh thats nice mate how come?’’
‘‘well ours is on its side and 11 cars are spread up the dual carriagway’’
as usual nothing perturbed him… 
Juddian:
iangam:
[quote=“Juddian”Automove/STVA
Ah thanks, wasn’t sure who was doing the Southampton trunks these days, i’m presuming export night trunk being recovered so late.
swift anecdote…i had a phone call from a my day man one afternoon some years ago…
‘’ hey juddian good news, we’re getting a new lorry’',
‘‘oh thats nice mate how come?’’
‘‘well ours is on its side and 11 cars are spread up the dual carriagway’’
as usual nothing perturbed him…
[/quote]
■■■■■■■ brilliant, did you get a new motor then?..
philgor:
[zb] brilliant, did you get a new motor then?..
Yep sure enough about 6 weeks later we got a new one, he always was hooligan but a crackin fella, loaded it for me one afternoon and when i looked at it thought it looked a bit high. Sure enough the last car top deck measured off at 16’6"…didn’t take long to sort out, he only ever put 2 straps on every car at the very most… which explains the load being spread over a hundred yards of dual carriageway…oh and he never got nicked either… 
Juddian:
philgor:
[zb] brilliant, did you get a new motor then?..Yep sure enough about 6 weeks later we got a new one, he always was hooligan but a crackin fella, loaded it for me one afternoon and when i looked at it thought it looked a bit high. Sure enough the last car top deck measured off at 16’6"…didn’t take long to sort out, he only ever put 2 straps on every car at the very most…
so with 2 strap’s on it would of been done diagonally one on the nsf and the other on the osr etc or is it just the 2 easyest wheel’s to do.
come to think about it, one on the peak tipped up 2 strap’s would be a bit iffy, wouldn’t it?
philgor:
Juddian:
philgor:
[zb] brilliant, did you get a new motor then?..so with 2 strap’s on it would of been done diagonally one on the nsf and the other on the osr etc or is it just the 2 easyest wheel’s to do.
come to think about it, one on the peak tipped up 2 strap’s would be a bit iffy, wouldn’t it?
If you use 2 bodystraps (not recommended) only you should attach both on the same side, if you use them diagonally then the vehicle can turn over bumps and loosen…of course i’m referring to the old correct safer more secure (can i add a few more 
) way of strapping cars on, underbody…before QC bods got involved and made us all use soddin chocks and wheelstraps instead, a poor insecure method IMO compared to the underbody we used with rare failures for bloody years…still nothing new there, if it aint broke they’ll bloody fix it.
If you use 2 wheelstraps with chocks then yes, diagonally is the usual way.
Peaked flipped up vehicles i always used 4 straps, 3 pulling uphill and only one pulling down to keep the other three taut…it aint going uphill if things go wrong.