Not looking forward to tomorrow’s first trip .
Running empty in a rigid curtain sider from Lockerbie to Blackburn
So if you pass anyone on the M6 who looks like pop eye in the cab going 45mph
It’s only me .
Don’t forget your spare pants [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Is it a red trailer or a yellow trailer today ?
On a serious note
A slower steady speed should makes things bearable .
Just get all the Irish lads tearing up behind me
Happy Trucker1:
On a serious note
A slower steady speed should makes things bearable .
Just get all the Irish lads tearing up behind me
I came over Shap tonight, not fully loaded it was ■■■■ evil. 
Years ago I had a job pulling foam Carriers, …40.ft single axle super cube step frame box Van’s, not for the faint hearted. 
…In fact I brought one over Thelwall the night of Michael Fish’s ‘‘There won’t be a storm tonight’’
An old hand who drove for the firm always told me ‘‘Just keep it going, never mind all this slowing down ■■■■■■■■’’
Rightly or wrongly his theory was it was harder to blow over at speed.
Anyhoo from that day in around 1985 I’ve pulled numerous different height high trailers,.and I’ve always remembered his advice,.and so far so good. 
He was either right, or I’ve just been lucky all these years.
I like to add to the ambience in a storm by playing rock music very loud…tonight it was rockin (literally ) with a bit of vintage Def Leppard. 
I spent last year on a 110cc scooter communting to work.
Thing barely weighed 100kg. When it was windy it was proper scary.
I’ve driven empty doubledeckers in high wind but on that bike bloody hell. It was pretty scary. I’d literally be blown into different lanes .
Oh and when a HGV passed me I was proper clenched…
Happy Trucker1:
Not looking forward to tomorrow’s first trip .
Running empty in a rigid curtain sider from Lockerbie to Blackburn
So if you pass anyone on the M6 who looks like pop eye in the cab going 45mph
It’s only me .
If you’re a bit ‘‘windy about the wind’’ and depending on how strong and how supported your curtainsider body is (ask your boss first ! ) pull the curtains to the back doors, and tie them round with straps,.stowing the internal straps also…But I stress ASK your GUVNOR first,
If it ain’t supported strongly with posts, and/or if its flimsy,.a high wind will destroy the ■■■■ thing !!
Otherwise can I recommend ZZ Top.
You’ll be fine btw. 
, but if it’s TOO bad, pull in.
There looked to be a roof off the body of a rigid on the side of the m40 this morning, if it had blown off it had landed quite neatly on the grass.
Not Wagons, but at sea not much moving round Lands End at the moment
Just a tanker heading South past the Seven Stones on the way to Rotterdam & only managing 3.1 knots
njl:
There looked to be a roof off the body of a rigid on the side of the m40 this morning, if it had blown off it had landed quite neatly on the grass.
Which is why I never run with the curtains tied back. Not done it for 26 years, never had an issue running empty in winds like this with the curtains closed even with double deckers. Dropping speed or taking alternative routes has worked fine for me. It’s like today, I’ve got two routes I can take to my first drop, the shortest and quickest one is over the top of the East Yorks Wolds where I’ll get battered to hell, the other longer one by about 10-15 minutes depending on trailer height is along the sea level A63. Depending on what it’s like driving over the wolds to work I’ll possibly choose the longer route.
Same when I’m doing scottish night trunks…if it’s too bad I’ll go A69 instead of A66 even if the 66 is open.
Ask the makers whether or not their bodies can be run with sheets tied back. Several years back we asked Southfield and they said no.
As is apparent they aren’t designed to have wind trying to blow the roof off from the inside!
Franglais:
Ask the makers whether or not their bodies can be run with sheets tied back. Several years back we asked Southfield and they said no.
As is apparent they aren’t designed to have wind trying to blow the roof off from the inside!
It’s like everything else compared to days gone by…cheap low quality tat.
robroy:
Years ago I had a job pulling foam Carriers, …40.ft single axle super cube step frame box Van’s, not for the faint hearted.
How was your trip on the Hearald?
I’ve just put a 23 year old Southfields trailer through the test; far better quality than the Montracons that came home in the last three years. This confirmed by totting up the maintenance costs even though it requires a PMI twice as frequently.
robroy:
Happy Trucker1:
Not looking forward to tomorrow’s first trip .
Running empty in a rigid curtain sider from Lockerbie to Blackburn
So if you pass anyone on the M6 who looks like pop eye in the cab going 45mph
It’s only me .If you’re a bit ‘‘windy about the wind’’
If it ain’t supported strongly with posts, and/or if its flimsy,.a high wind will destroy the [zb] thing !!Otherwise can I recommend ZZ Top.
You’ll be fine btw.
If you was pulling an empty tilt, would you strip it down to a flat ? 
Now sat at home with a nice cuppa watching the football.
To be fair it wasn’t to bad going over shap / lakes on M6 M65 Blackburn
Burnley kept me on my toes .
Severn bridge tomorrow
Suedehead:
robroy:
Happy Trucker1:
Not looking forward to tomorrow’s first trip .
Running empty in a rigid curtain sider from Lockerbie to Blackburn
So if you pass anyone on the M6 who looks like pop eye in the cab going 45mph
It’s only me .If you’re a bit ‘‘windy about the wind’’
If it ain’t supported strongly with posts, and/or if its flimsy,.a high wind will destroy the [zb] thing !!Otherwise can I recommend ZZ Top.
You’ll be fine btw.
If you was pulling an empty tilt, would you strip it down to a flat ?
No.
Pulled numerous tilts mate, old heavy ones… and they were a ■■■■ sight more stable in the wind than a modern taut liner, (and like chalk and cheese to a Euroliner,.those ■■■■ things used to bend like bananas on a good day.)
I got caught out once strong winds big gusts expected yup ok I hauling an aggregate btrain at full weight . Left yrd at six not bad at all coming back two hrs later ffs the wind had my back trailer on the gravel and I was full loaded with stone , I was running the unit over the centre line , just to keep moving I was three gears down with 80km -90 gusts but constant 60 .Seemed like the whole world was moving dirt storms from the fields .the last 100kms were straight into the wind (actually it’s 100km straight as a die west/east)I was down to 30km at times thought the screen was coming in The climb up from the flatlands up the escarpment I was hardly moving , watching my temp gauges, I used as much fuel in the one run as I usually did in three . That load stayed on till the next day as I was not tipping that day. I parked next one o the tankers to get my door open and ok not bad but the hundred yards to the offices/garage I was lucky to have taken four steps as the wind blew me up against the walls and had to get round to a sheltered door . We all sat until the wind dropped a bit then we all made a break for home. Lesson well learned that day for me
JIMBO47:
I got caught out once strong winds big gusts expected yup ok I hauling an aggregate btrain at full weight . Left yrd at six not bad at all coming back two hrs later ffs the wind had my back trailer on the gravel and I was full loaded with stone , I was running the unit over the centre line , just to keep moving I was three gears down with 80km -90 gusts but constant 60 .Seemed like the whole world was moving dirt storms from the fields .the last 100kms were straight into the wind (actually it’s 100km straight as a die west/east)I was down to 30km at times thought the screen was coming in The climb up from the flatlands up the escarpment I was hardly moving , watching my temp gauges, I used as much fuel in the one run as I usually did in three . That load stayed on till the next day as I was not tipping that day. I parked next one o the tankers to get my door open and ok not bad but the hundred yards to the offices/garage I was lucky to have taken four steps as the wind blew me up against the walls and had to get round to a sheltered door . We all sat until the wind dropped a bit then we all made a break for home. Lesson well learned that day for me
but have you ever ran over Shap ?
robroy:
An old hand who drove for the firm always told me ‘‘Just keep it going, never mind all this slowing down ■■■■■■■■’’
Rightly or wrongly his theory was it was harder to blow over at speed.
I think that slowing down theory might be more to do with what happens if you do go over.
switchlogic:
robroy:
An old hand who drove for the firm always told me ‘‘Just keep it going, never mind all this slowing down ■■■■■■■■’’
Rightly or wrongly his theory was it was harder to blow over at speed.I think that slowing down theory might be more to do with what happens if you do go over.
I get that and I understand the logic, I do wonder though if falling over at 45mph feels much different to falling over at 55mph? You could argue that the faster a gyroscope is spinning the harder it is to turn it on its side.