Just wondered if Volvo ever made a 6x2 twin steer tractor unit?
Wanting to stretch one to make a Chinese 6 prime mover but the last few I’ve looked at have been straight push axles. I’m sure that a few years ago I drove loads of twin steer Volvos but beginning to question myself. Do they exist?
I’m sure I’ve driven one but it’d be a F or FL series from the early 90s.
Wanting to stretch one to make a Chinese 6
It’ll be a rare beast then, I’ve only ever seen two or three all of them ERF.
I’m curious to know what you’ll use it for, are you planning to put a big crane on the front? One of the ones I saw was just a flat, seemed like extra agro having a twin steer rather than a conventional 6 wheeler.
Mercs used to do one. & I drove it to Italy & back…( Gutless!1 )
marlow, volvo made a a sterring axle but it used to lock in straight position at around 25mph ish, wasnt like scanias steering axle tho, it steered its self at low speeds then as i say auto locked into straight head position, think it was mainly fitted on early fl7/10 but not 100% def , daz
i have driven an old FL10 with twin steer it would be an R or P reg.
we got it from BRS
hope this helps
jon
Looking at 6x2 units whilst out and about today, it seems like there is a greater space between the steering axles than that on my 8 Wheeler. Surely this would make a stretched one turn like an ocean liner.
Just a thought, would an 8 wheeler with 8x2 config. with rear lift axle not be easier to convert by removing the rear axle. When it is raised it is essentially just a Chinese 6 itself.
Currently I drive a conventional 6x2, the front axle has been uprated to 8 ton. The crane (bonfigioli 30 ton) weighs 4½ ton. Even though it sits 500mm behind the cab the tare weight on the front axle is 8 ton so the wagon must be loaded with the centre of the load behind the rear bogie.
He bought the wagon (1994 Foden 3325 day cab) basically for the arm. As I do up to 3 nights out some weeks the wagon it’s far from being right for the job, and needs replacing particularly as it only returns 6½ mpg with the trailer.
I’ve thought about an 8 wheeler but as you noticed the second axle is much closer to the front so that would cause a problem for the legs of the crane. Also the chassis would need extending to give a bed length of 27’. (to carry 32’s within the 2m overhang.)
The advantage over stretching a twin steer (been quoted £1500), seem to outweigh other options. The most weight I carry is about 6 ton so I don’t need the forth axle other than to save tax. With a twin steer lifting axle the only adjustment I need is to the increase the rake of the second axle. This should have no effect on the turning circle. The other option would be to fit an extra axle to a 4 wheeler.
Marlow, mate. First you ended up putting a hammock in a day cab so you could do nights out. Now you want to stretch an old unit to make a new rigid. If I were you I’d be pointing out a few home truths to your gaffer and making sure that he just coughs up for the right kit to do the job for once, instead of expecting you to botch him into profit. Again.
It seems like a reasonable price to do the stretch, but I think it would be horrendous to drive. I drive a Volvo FM 8 wheeler with 30’ beaver tail body it is max length 12m dead. It needs a lot of space, I watch artics with full length trailers nip round the corner, while I have to take it wide and breathe in past the traffic light. If you were to have that second axle further back it could only be worse, this would involve a shunt to get round sometimes. The manufacturers would use the same setup for rigids and units if they could get away with it as it would save them money.
I have found a picture of a twin steer Merc with a 26t ? crane, the legs seem to fit this one.
wagonpics.com/easterpage22.htm
Also there is a timber merchants called Lawsons who use eight wheelers with huge cranes for lifting up and over roofs for their loft lifter service. These are front mounted and have upward swivel legs.
Why not try and get an 8 wheeler with rear lift, leave it as is and get it replated to drop a tax band.
Another thought, if the legs of your crane are mounted behind the main assembly of the crane, would it not be possible to rotate it 180 degrees so that they were in front. This might fit better with the closer axles.
8wheels:
I have found a picture of a twin steer Merc with a 26t ? crane, the legs seem to fit this one.
wagonpics.com/easterpage22.htm.
That’s just the sort of thing I have in mind, the question is how did that merc start life, my guess would be as a 4 wheeler, and my thinking is it must be cheaper to strech a unit than bugger about fitting an extra axle.
Btw that’s a 26 ton bonfigiolli mine just that bit bigger
Give them a ring and ask about about it, you can read the phone number on the door panel.
marlow:
Just wondered if Volvo ever made a 6x2 twin steer tractor unit?Wanting to stretch one to make a Chinese 6 prime mover but the last few I’ve looked at have been straight push axles. I’m sure that a few years ago I drove loads of twin steer Volvos but beginning to question myself. Do they exist?
The early 6x2 F10s and F12s that came out for the 38 tonne regs in 1983 were self-steering second steers.
The company that I worked for had the first 4 built (actually LWB Italian market F12s with the second steer dropped in - they didn’t even have badges ready so they were still badged as F1217 instead of F1224), and one was subsequently sent back to Volvo to be converted into locked format for trials. The production standard was soon converted to a locked pusher axle, and that’s how the FL7 and FL10 6x2 came out.
Volvo DID make a special Chinese 6 F7 tractor for Shell, about 1979/80, but I don’t think that they ever became generally available to other customers.
globby 480:
marlow, volvo made a a sterring axle but it used to lock in straight position at around 25mph ish, wasnt like scanias steering axle tho, it steered its self at low speeds then as i say auto locked into straight head position, think it was mainly fitted on early fl7/10 but not 100% def , daz
It was supposed to be 18mph/30 kmh
marlow:
Just wondered if Volvo ever made a 6x2 twin steer tractor unit?Wanting to stretch one to make a Chinese 6 prime mover but the last few I’ve looked at have been straight push axles. I’m sure that a few years ago I drove loads of twin steer Volvos but beginning to question myself. Do they exist?
try daf axles 
Maybe the longer spacing between steering axles wouldn’t be such a problem. On the M25 roadworks by the A10 junction there are a fleet of recovery vehicles operated by BDV they have got some 8 wheelers with steering axles much further apart than a conventional set up.