cliffystephens:
So why not fit them to all mid axles I wonder…
because they are only 4 ton axles, so in order to achieve 44ton gross weight, you have to have the cargo on the trailer very evenly - easy on a bulker, impossible say on a curtainsider on multidrop
nyk473l:
cliffystephens:
So why not fit them to all mid axles I wonder…I prefer a mid lift with ‘normal’ size tyres so when the front tyres are worn I recut them then run them on the mid lift.
i prefer a small wheel base SCANIA with a tag axle! 
failing that horse and cart! 
Had a Scania highline with the small wheel midlift.
Now i have a Mercedes Mega space with no small wheel midlift.
About 600kgs heavier than the Scania.
The Mercedes Mega space unit Emersons have with the small midlift is the same weight as the Scania.
milodon:
cliffystephens:
So why not fit them to all mid axles I wonder…because they are only 4 ton axles, so in order to achieve 44ton gross weight, you have to have the cargo on the trailer very evenly - easy on a bulker, impossible say on a curtainsider on multidrop
Or even with two 12 ton coils of steel…
Dan Punchard:
0just been and weighed a wheel & tyre (10,225 ) (only one I’ve got at home ) I know the wheel & tyre size is not the only weight saving but what do you think this wheel weighs ?
wheel on a steering axle with tyre on an old F12 was 95kg, Super single on trailer was 137kg from memory.
An absolute ■■■■■ to change when cold and wet on the hard shoulder after a long day !
Nowadays it’s just a phone call away…
Also, we have some of these where the plated weight of the 5 main axles is 44 tonne, but you need 6 axles to run at this weight, so the small wheel is there just to make up the numbers.
A local firm with XF105s claims the one with the small wheels is half a ton lighter than his normal twin-steer. Eddie.
Not a fan of the small midlift myself, smaller tyres, wheels and brakes, much smaller bearings and not much in the way of ground clearance either, yes they save weight but how do they last?
it also means keeping another size of tyre on stock, which lets face it will wear out much faster due to the speed it’s turning at and as mentioned above the back axle will be easier to overload
I’ve never run one but l I know a firm that has a new one on the way for quarry bulk tipping, yes weight is king in that game so can anyone advise how they stand up to the general wear and tear in that line of work?
Half a ton extra payload each load is bound to be worth a fair figure at the years end. And for those that are worried about the look of them a nice sideskirt hides them neatly and the extra money earned will cover any slight extra servicing, repairs etc. Eddie.
Half a ton extra payload each load is bound to be worth a fair figure at the years end. And for those that are worried about the look of them a nice sideskirt hides them neatly and the extra money earned will cover any slight extra servicing, repairs etc. Eddie.
Oh Oh double post. Eddie.
Moose:
Not a fan of the small midlift myself, smaller tyres, wheels and brakes, much smaller bearings and not much in the way of ground clearance either, yes they save weight but how do they last?
it also means keeping another size of tyre on stock, which lets face it will wear out much faster due to the speed it’s turning at and as mentioned above the back axle will be easier to overload
I’ve never run one but l I know a firm that has a new one on the way for quarry bulk tipping, yes weight is king in that game so can anyone advise how they stand up to the general wear and tear in that line of work?
My MAN came new on Goodyears all round, the steers were replaced at about 200k, the drives at 220 ish after recut, (bear with me those are approximates, i didn’t write mileages down and should have) the small mid lifts have been turned to even out the wear but still have 5+mm at 274k not yet recut.
Not aware of any bushes being replaced, had new drive axle brake pads couple of weeks ago for second MOT, all the rest are original, the mid lift still showing 65% pad life left on the display, steers 35%.
Dry tanker, full weight, no off road use, but a good driver would lift the mid lift to minimise wear and tear whenever possible.
Bear in mind, i’ve covered about 60/70% of the kms this motor has done.
As for axle weights, i took a lot of care to get the fifth wheel in the right spot when i got the lorry, most run then too far back, we use an axle weigher at one regular customer so after a few visits in different positions that was sorted, in practice its the mid lift thats more likely overload than the drive, especially if you have the fifth wheel too far back, even 2 clicks on the slider makes quite a difference on the axle weigher.
The further back the slider, the higher the mid lift weight.
Juddian:
Moose:
Not a fan of the small midlift myself, smaller tyres, wheels and brakes, much smaller bearings and not much in the way of ground clearance either, yes they save weight but how do they last?
it also means keeping another size of tyre on stock, which lets face it will wear out much faster due to the speed it’s turning at and as mentioned above the back axle will be easier to overload
I’ve never run one but l I know a firm that has a new one on the way for quarry bulk tipping, yes weight is king in that game so can anyone advise how they stand up to the general wear and tear in that line of work?My MAN came new on Goodyears all round, the steers were replaced at about 200k, the drives at 220 ish after recut, (bear with me those are approximates, i didn’t write mileages down and should have) the small mid lifts have been turned to even out the wear but still have 5+mm at 274k not yet recut.
Not aware of any bushes being replaced, had new drive axle brake pads couple of weeks ago for second MOT, all the rest are original, the mid lift still showing 65% pad life left on the display, steers 35%.
Dry tanker, full weight, no off road use, but a good driver would lift the mid lift to minimise wear and tear whenever possible.
Bear in mind, i’ve covered about 60/70% of the kms this motor has done.
As for axle weights, i took a lot of care to get the fifth wheel in the right spot when i got the lorry, most run then too far back, we use an axle weigher at one regular customer so after a few visits in different positions that was sorted, in practice its the mid lift thats more likely overload than the drive, especially if you have the fifth wheel too far back, even 2 clicks on the slider makes quite a difference on the axle weigher.
The further back the slider, the higher the mid lift weight.
It looks like your one is doing well then, the one on order (a G cab Scania fitted with a retarder) soon to arrive has a fixed fifth wheel also to save weight, I just wondered about going in and out of quarries, over the many speed ramps and on and off many steep weighbridges, bearing in mind that this truck will be at max weight most of the time
Hiya i,ve just looked back at the second paragraph snowman wrote…it dose read aggressively, it could
have been worded better… when someone asked if snowman was a newer driver any old hand would know more about weight and bonus(miles and tonnage) the way we used to get paid. many new drivers don’t know what 10%ing was
because it was outlawed…i must say when i first saw the small wheels it come to me right away it was to save weight.
but i,am old hand. many new drivers who drive on supermarket lorries don’t weigh off the load is computer worked out.
i think many many newer drivers have never been on a weigh bridge. its a tipper thing weighing off…petrol tankers don’t weigh. its calculated by computer.(i worked at Shell but not as a tanker driver i was internal deliveries with an hiab).
going back to small wheels. years ago i was involved with a AEC Mammoth Minor (3 axle unit) it was rubbish it would spin on dry roads loaded. the only way out was to put 900x 20 tyres on the middle axle when there was 10.00x20 tires on the back and front axle. when we took the lorry for test we put 10.00x 20s on the middle axle or the lorry would have failed the MOT
John