I write this having just cringed watching a driver at the side of the road with his head under a cab tilted just half way. 
This is far from the first time I have seen this.
Do I have reason to be constantly alarmed by this? Surely given the inevitable consequence of a cab falling on your head, it makes sense to tilt it all the way over? An extra 20 seconds pumping the lever to eradicate any possibility of death…worth it surely?
and an extra 20 secs pumping to watch the laptop,mobile,telly,come flying through the windscreen…id only be concerned if it was my head having to peek in…otherwise,cameras at the ready for u tube… 
I jacked a 4 series scania cab up in 2010, just enough to reach in and cut and join an airline. It came down and pinned me just above my right elbow. Was on my own and had to phone the office for help. Took about 5 minutes total to get me out. Lost feeling in 3 fingers on my hand for about 8 months.
Cabs go all the way over now and ■■■■ the windscreen
not wanting to state the obvious, but if telly and lappy etc come through the 'screen when tilting…what will they do in an emergency stop.
In the early days of tilt cabs there were several instances of drivers being crushed when the cab came down unexpectedly.
You wouldn’t stick your head under a car without axle stands, likewise with the cab.
Put your head under a half tilted cab or go under the body of a tipper = be prepared to be hurt or worse. Not a chance id ever do it.
Ive seen apprentice trying to lift a cab on a 7.5t one that you lift over by hand rather than pump, It ended up coming down on him 
Ive also seen a big cab get pumped over and it didnt stop going WHOOPS 
del949:
not wanting to state the obvious, but if telly and lappy etc come through the 'screen when tilting…what will they do in an emergency stop.
In the early days of tilt cabs there were several instances of drivers being crushed when the cab came down unexpectedly.
I had a BMC cab come down on me back in the 60’s, I was tilting it by hand when the hinge sheared and down it came…quickly! I was thinner then so dropped across the axle, it would crush me nowadays! Tilting the cab fully could be a nuisance at times when you had to empty the cab out (shovels, cans of oil/diesel, tool boxes, chains etc) just to do an adjustment but it was safest in the long run even though it sometimes took longer to tilt it than do the actual job, did have an occasional cracked screen though when you missed something.
Cabs tilt easier as well nowadays, on BMC’s you had to uncouple the steering shaft uj, remove the gearlever, undo two mounting bolts from the rear cab mounting and then tilt it up while trying at the same time to locate the safety pin in the hinge bracket which you did with your foot as the spring on it was often missing or broken. No wonder I still have aches and pains nearly 50 years on! 
Pete.
I’ve had a breakdown at night with a loaded transporter (car over cab) and the mechanic forced his whole body under the cab which was tilted about a foot…bloody terrifying it was, he was under there probably near on an hour (during which time i aged about 10 years)…i pleaded with him to not do so unless i at least nipped up top and dropped a couple of ratchet straps down to provide some support, but he wouldn’t have it.
Christ knows what i’d have said to his widow at the inquest had it dropped.
No wonder i’m grey.
And what about the ceva rigids (Dafs I think) where you have to tilt the cab to check the oil!!
You check it on the dash.
Once had a lad come into the garage one night with a Scania with a cracked injector pipe.Old 2 series thing so gets an old injector pipe and starts to tilt the cab.Pumps it up till it reaches the tipping point and watches it go over and lock on the check strap.
Looks round and my mate is ■■■■■■■ himself laughing I though what the hells up with him.He waves me over then points to the front of the truck.
The driver is stood there with his hands on the front corner of the cab straining like he is going to bloody burst
He thought that the cab was falling as it went over the apex and he was holding the cab up!
Never seen so much relief on a blokes face when I went over and told him to let go poor bugger.
Always makes me laugh when I see a driver apparently holding the cab …If the cab is going to go over ,it will go and no one will stop it
Driver tilting a cab . . . is it allowed nowadays?
best ask the Tesco fanny that wouldn’t come out of the trailer in the flat battery post…no dound he will know…
dieseldog999:
best ask the Tesco fanny that wouldn’t come out of the trailer in the flat battery post…no dound he will know…
No = he’ll just call the fire brigade !!
Theshrew:
Ive seen apprentice trying to lift a cab on a 7.5t one that you lift over by hand rather than pump
Took a Merc Atego 7.5 into the garage and watched the mechanic lift the cab over. The locking mechanism was a bar that self-locked on the hinge and he looked a bit unhappy with it. If a mechanic is unhappy, I’m staying away from it as much as poss.
Although I do jump off the back of a wagon and climb up all sorts of stuff.
Cab over, reminds me of Convoy (the song) where he mentions “Cab-over Pete, with a reefer on…” 
Most boys would be aware of the potential hazard & pull their head out upon movement, sounds a bit rude…
There was a reconstruction on 999 (remember that?) involving something similar.
I once used a jack (instructed by the driver in Germany) in the 80’s to lift a cab (military wagon) I cant remember the make but he chocked the cab…I went to sleep under the wagon
I have not lifted a cab since and wouldn’t know how to, same old story, if they want me too and show me how to, I will learn and crack on 
Dont get me wrong I will do my utmost to get a job done, I will botch and limp home/dealership legally but you just need the okay or instruction (instruction over the phone would be good enough)
I think flexibility both ways works and any good employer respects that.
I had a breakdown out on the road once in my old EC, Fitter came out, started to tilt the cab, but we only got it up a couple of feet as the pump was low on oil,
Fitter decided to crawl under & have a look, but I made sure I wedged the jack handle between the cab & the catwalk before I let him under,
Whenever I tilt a cab, or lift a body - Always stick a pole or a scaffold board under - just an extra measure, could avoid a horrible mess