robthedog:
pv83:
Does this count Dean, as these lot went to some “unusual” destinations indeed!Looks nice and cold, last year in Russia -26 it did get down to -30 at one point
How did the DAF cope with those temperatures Rob? I went to the Ukraine once in wintertime, a mild -25 during the day, -35 at night, the Scania couldn’t cope with that at all! Worst piece of ■■■■■ I’ve ever driven!
pv83:
robthedog:
pv83:
Does this count Dean, as these lot went to some “unusual” destinations indeed!Looks nice and cold, last year in Russia -26 it did get down to -30 at one point
How did the DAF cope with those temperatures Rob? I went to the Ukraine once in wintertime, a mild -25 during the day, -35 at night, the Scania couldn’t cope with that at all! Worst piece of [zb] I’ve ever driven!
And when you think that you can see +35 in Moscow in the summer those Russian trucks were not so bad at operating there all year round, eh? I worked there for 3 years in the 90´s. We would add a dash of petrol (about 10%) to the diesel in winter and you may get away with it and start after overnight parking. If vehicles were left too long or if it got really cold you would see the Russian drivers burning old tyres under the fuel tanks to warm everything up! I wonder if they still have to do that?
pv83:
robthedog:
pv83:
Does this count Dean, as these lot went to some “unusual” destinations indeed!Looks nice and cold, last year in Russia -26 it did get down to -30 at one point
How did the DAF cope with those temperatures Rob? I went to the Ukraine once in wintertime, a mild -25 during the day, -35 at night, the Scania couldn’t cope with that at all! Worst piece of [zb] I’ve ever driven!
Hi
DAF in my opinion are good trucks they perform faultlessly in those conditions never had a problem of any sort, mines on full air and even though the roads can be a bit rough in places it irons it out nicely. And as for the Ukraine the roads are worse over there but again never given any problems.
I drove from cluj napoca RO to Odessa without transiting Moldova which is a bloody horrible dangerous route all hills bends and passes with lunatic Romanians chomping at the bit and it rode it well.
Scania unfortunately, are an inferior truck in respect of ride quality I’ve taken one to Russia and wouldn’t want to do it again it’s rough and uncomfortable in comparison
robthedog:
pv83:
robthedog:
pv83:
Does this count Dean, as these lot went to some “unusual” destinations indeed!Looks nice and cold, last year in Russia -26 it did get down to -30 at one point
How did the DAF cope with those temperatures Rob? I went to the Ukraine once in wintertime, a mild -25 during the day, -35 at night, the Scania couldn’t cope with that at all! Worst piece of [zb] I’ve ever driven!
Hi
DAF in my opinion are good trucks they perform faultlessly in those conditions never had a problem of any sort, mines on full air and even though the roads can be a bit rough in places it irons it out nicely. And as for the Ukraine the roads are worse over there but again never given any problems.
I drove from cluj napoca RO to Odessa without transiting Moldova which is a bloody horrible dangerous route all hills bends and passes with lunatic Romanians chomping at the bit and it rode it well.
Scania unfortunately, are an inferior truck in respect of ride quality I’ve taken one to Russia and wouldn’t want to do it again it’s rough and uncomfortable in comparison
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the Scania mate, although I suspect mine was a monday morning example… it had airsuspension too on the steering axle, but at first I thought it was on steel suspension on both axles! Never driven owt as uncomfortable as that before, was only glad to see the end of that thing.
On another note, I was week ended once in Cluj Napoca, was on my first trip to RO, quite a eyeopener in many ways that trip was. I was only too happy to get back to France after that 
Hope it’s OK to post a few of my old Pictures from my journeys to the Middle East back in 1977/78, having used Google maps to re-trace some of my routes it is nearly all duel carriageway or motorway now, doing the commie block route back then, after leaving the concrete motorways of East Germany the rest of the way I hardly ever saw a duel carriageway anywhere, they were A, B, and sand roads, there was a lot of road building going on though.
The F88 is FBT 219L that someone on another thread (Dieseldog66) used to own after it’s middle eastern adventures.
Steve
Birdie4x4:
Hope it’s OK to post a few of my old Pictures from my journeys to the Middle East back in 1977/78, having used Google maps to re-trace some of my routes it is nearly all duel carriageway or motorway now, doing the commie block route back then, after leaving the concrete motorways of East Germany the rest of the way I hardly ever saw a duel carriageway anywhere, they were A, B, and sand roads, there was a lot of road building going on though.
6
7The F88 is FBT 219L that someone on another thread (Dieseldog66) used to own after it’s middle eastern adventures.
Steve
Great pics Steve ! 
The pic of Tarsus is intresting as it shows us just how tall a mountain climb that was.
DEANB:
Birdie4x4:
Hope it’s OK to post a few of my old Pictures from my journeys to the Middle East back in 1977/78, having used Google maps to re-trace some of my routes it is nearly all duel carriageway or motorway now, doing the commie block route back then, after leaving the concrete motorways of East Germany the rest of the way I hardly ever saw a duel carriageway anywhere, they were A, B, and sand roads, there was a lot of road building going on though.The F88 is FBT 219L that someone on another thread (Dieseldog66) used to own after it’s middle eastern adventures.
SteveGreat pics Steve !
That road to Tarsus, over the Toros mountain range was eventually replaced by a modern dual carriageway. But even that is a challenge because after Pozanti, the road plunges down the other side of the mountains and descends relentlessly and unremittingly for about 30 or 40 kms to Adana. Hard work if you’re coming home heavy but worse if you’re going down heavy because you have reign her in lest she run away with you. I used to gear right down and creep down on the exhauster.
Here’s a pic I took through the windscreen approaching Pozanti from Ankara going south. Ro
ERF-NGC-European:
DEANB:
Birdie4x4:
Hope it’s OK to post a few of my old Pictures from my journeys to the Middle East back in 1977/78, having used Google maps to re-trace some of my routes it is nearly all duel carriageway or motorway now, doing the commie block route back then, after leaving the concrete motorways of East Germany the rest of the way I hardly ever saw a duel carriageway anywhere, they were A, B, and sand roads, there was a lot of road building going on though.
7
8The F88 is FBT 219L that someone on another thread (Dieseldog66) used to own after it’s middle eastern adventures.
SteveGreat pics Steve !
That road to Tarsus, over the Toros mountain range was eventually replaced by a modern dual carriageway. But even that is a challenge because after Pozanti, the road plunges down the other side of the mountains and descends relentlessly and unremittingly for about 30 or 40 kms to Adana. Hard work if you’re coming home heavy but worse if you’re going down heavy because you have reign her in lest she run away with you. I used to gear right down and creep down on the exhauster.
Here’s a pic I took through the windscreen approaching Pozanti from Ankara going south. Ro
0
Good pic Ro, must have been a nasty drive in the winter with the ice and snow.
ERF-NGC-European:
DEANB:
Birdie4x4:
Hope it’s OK to post a few of my old Pictures from my journeys to the Middle East back in 1977/78, having used Google maps to re-trace some of my routes it is nearly all duel carriageway or motorway now, doing the commie block route back then, after leaving the concrete motorways of East Germany the rest of the way I hardly ever saw a duel carriageway anywhere, they were A, B, and sand roads, there was a lot of road building going on though.
7
8The F88 is FBT 219L that someone on another thread (Dieseldog66) used to own after it’s middle eastern adventures.
SteveGreat pics Steve !
That road to Tarsus, over the Toros mountain range was eventually replaced by a modern dual carriageway. But even that is a challenge because after Pozanti, the road plunges down the other side of the mountains and descends relentlessly and unremittingly for about 30 or 40 kms to Adana. Hard work if you’re coming home heavy but worse if you’re going down heavy because you have reign her in lest she run away with you. I used to gear right down and creep down on the exhauster.
Here’s a pic I took through the windscreen approaching Pozanti from Ankara going south. Ro
0
The heavy machinery, dozers and graders, were just starting to build the new road over Tarsus in 78. I have seen a bit of it on Google maps, there was a lot of road building beyond Adana and particularly nearer Iskenderun, I could see it above the old road that we used. Happy but very long days.
Steve
This is the picture I showed earlier of the start of the climb over Tarsus.
[attachment=1]26.jpg
The second picture is from the same place but on a busier day. It was always busy.
[attachment=1]26.j
This is superb- for the scenery alone. If you click the “CC” icon below the video, you get subtitles. Then click the Settings “cog”. It gives an Auto Translate option, which gives serviceable English.
youtube.com/watch?v=8jF37IHyggw
ERF-NGC-European:
You couldn’t make this one up! In China this morning:
The article went into good detail about the method of recovery. I thought it must have been some specialist technical journal, but no- The Daily Mail. 
Here’s a well made and interesting video of trucking in China. It was posted by ETS on the Prof. Drivers’s Forum today.
