Cabover Tractors?

[Steve Frazier]

Western Star and Freightliner are owned by Diamler/Benz.

 

[MKTEF]

You're completely right Steve!

And Freightliner/WS already has one Merc engine in their programe.

Bellboy;
We got a couple of 2007-TGA's and a number of SX modells.
SX2000 8x8 with crane and hooklift posted here.
Posted some pics

Here is more pics of the TGA's:
http://www.mktef.info/Diverse sider/Mantga.html

 

[95zIV]

And Freightliner/WS already has one Merc engine in their programe.

I've never driven anything with the Merc engines, but when I was in the quarry a local trucking outfit bought either 2 or four trucks with them. About 6 months later they pulled the engines and put in cats because the Mercs where powerless on the bottom which is where they really needed it.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Daimler also owns the Sterling truck line, which will be dropped in March. Any of these trucks can be spec'd with a Mercedes engine in it. In addition, Daimler owns Thomas Built Buses which used to be the most popular brand school bus in my area, plus American LaFrance fire equipment.

 

[Paystar]

Sterling being dropped? Never heard that one. No loss anyway, they're cheaply built junk since Ford sold out anyway. I think they are dropping the Mercedes name on the engines in North America though, as the new DD 15 is a joint venture and I was reading in a trade magazine that they will just use the more popular Detroit Diesel name over here. I'd like to try one of the new DD15's. I heard they pull pretty decent? I have tried a couple MB 450's. Didn't like them, way under powered for a 450. All the locals that bought them had lots or reliability issues with them, yet all the guys that had them down in Southern Ontario where I was working, all seem to love them. Maybe they last better running highway on flat ground compared to all the big hills around here?

Hey Steve, I thought Thomas was Internationals bus line? I know Freightliner has their own bus division, but isn't it someone else? My new International calendar shows a school bus with a T emblem on the grill instead of the diamond. Int's web site has the buses, I just didn't go over to look at the name before I wrote this, but I thought it was Thomas. I could be wrong though.

There was also an announcement that American Lafrance is going to partner with International to make a new line of low cabovers.
Man, you can't keep track of who owns who anymore:Banghead

 

[Paystar]

I should have checked first, you are right Steve. International owns ICC bus and now a joint venture with Neo Bus.
It also says the American Lafrance partnership is to develop cabover vocational trucks, not just fire trucks.

 

[Steve Frazier]

All the Thomas Built buses around here used to be on International chassis, even from way back when I used to ride them. Since Daimler took them over, I see them on Freightliner chassis, and I don't see them near as often as I used to.

International now has it's own in house bus division, the school district I live in uses a lot of them. From what I see locally, Thomas has lost a lot of sales to International.

 

[Paystar]

Yeah, my area is dominated with the International's too. I've seen a couple of the Freightliners but they were new and just passing through. The only other ones we have are a couple of new ones that just showed up. They are Fords (Bluebird's). They look like Superduty grills with a more radical slope and they have BIG, Cat power decals on the hoods.

 

[amscontr]

There are a few cabovers in california still running. Most were shipped overseas and to Mexico or scrapped.

 

[Turbo21835]

This is the only cab over rig in our area that is used consistently. The others would be farm trucks. This guy hauls stone, sand, and asphalt. Mostly asphalt, sometimes hes lucky to be hauling to an area that is close to the sand pit. He gets rid of his load of hot rock, grabs a load of sand, and heads back to the plant. Nothing like double dipping.

Nice rig

 

[Paystar]

Nice michigan dump train turbo. Where were those pics taken? The rates in Michigan must be better than here, cause I'd sure hate to have to buy rubber for that unit!

I saw two others running in MI. While loading in Fairview, MI. I saw a 9670 Transtar cabover pulling a live bottom agg. trailer and an old Cummins powered Freightliner with no power steering pulling a chip trailer. I'll have to see if I can get a pic. The old shaker looked pretty cool, had big straight pipes, was red and white and was pulling an aluminum Titan.

 

[AtlasRob]

plenty candles

I take it that guy has no problem seeing at night Wow, I thought I had some lighting power on my truck

I must admit it lights up like a Xmas tree at night, but is not that unusual, I spotted these coming down the Motorway the other morning. Not as extreme but still a few candles, on Scania's too
Didn't notice until afterwards that its a 4 axle unit, which is unusual :cool2



Heres a MAN with boat aboard, doesn't look like it will fit under the gantry but it did suspect a few motorists thought the same as nobody was anywhere near him

 

[MKTEF]

This is the only cab over rig in our area that is used consistently.

I wouldn't even try to back that train into that asphalt machine.
You need some training to get it straight.....

I bet the asphalt crew loves him too, if he got those beds filled with asphalt.
A long stretch without joints before he needs to change...

There is some videos on youtube of a austrailian road train backing three pups on a parking area, that was realy amazing.

Just a question to u US guys:
Does this guy get increased payload because of the cab over?
Is that the reason for the train setup?
I havent seen many trains on pics from u...

 

[Turbo21835]

MKTEF, the trains are almost exclusively a Michigan thing. Hence the name Michigan Train. Backing is not a major issue. The rear trailer has a 5th wheel just like the front trailer. The only difference is its connected to a dolly, that has a 5th wheel just like a regular tractor. The dolly connects to the lead trailer with a pintail type hitch. One would think it is difficult to back. This is not true as the dolly actually locks. You pull in straighten out, then lock the dolly. Instead of having three pivot points there is only 2, the 5th wheel on the tractor, and the pintail hitch. The key to backing them is not making hard turns.

As for weight, he does not get to haul extra because his truck is a cab over. In Michigan you can register the truck at different weights. I believe 164,000 lbs is the highest loading in the state before overweight begins. Saying his combination of truck, and trailers weighs somewhere around 50,000 lbs, he can load is truck with 114,000 lbs of material. It is common for our trucks to haul 50 tons of material. Most of the time the material weight is usually 60% in the lead, and 40% in the pup.

As far as trucks go, this is usually how asphalt is hauled to the paver in Michigan. Red River live bottom trailers generally rule the paving jobs.

The typical procedure for trains on a paving job goes as follows. Truck 1 shows up, lines up, starts dumping the pup. Truck two shows up in the meantime. Once truck 1 has emptied the pup, truck two takes its place while truck 1 is unhooking his pup. Truck 2 finishes his pup and truck 1 comes back to empty the lead.

 

[Greg]

With fuel costs a factor more than ever now too a conventional is much more aerodynamic than a cabover.

 

[Dualie]

You're completely right Steve!

And Freightliner/WS already has one Merc engine in their programe.

Bellboy;
We got a couple of 2007-TGA's and a number of SX modells.
SX2000 8x8 with crane and hooklift posted here.
Posted some pics

Here is more pics of the TGA's:
http://www.mktef.info/Diverse sider/Mantga.html

hey those trucks look like Cab FORWARD trucks to me :beatsme :


And actually one of the most if not THE most fuel efficient truck designs of all time was the peterbilt 372. They would regularly pull 10+ mpg grossing near 80K.

I will say they were HIDIEOUSLY UGLY. A face a mother would even shun

Peterbilts own tests coast to coast runs showed an 11+MPG average.

I even have references

http://www.peterbilt.com/eco/pdf/Aero WHITE PAPER-2.pdf

 

[Bellboy]

You're completely right Steve!

And Freightliner/WS already has one Merc engine in their programe.

Bellboy;
We got a couple of 2007-TGA's and a number of SX modells.
SX2000 8x8 with crane and hooklift posted here.
Posted some pics

Here is more pics of the TGA's:
http://www.mktef.info/Diverse sider/Mantga.html

Thanks for that sir. I think the best cabovers are DAF, MAN and Scania. Those are the most beautiful and efficient trucks I know of.

 

[MKTEF]

Dualie you are completely right, the SX modells are cab forwards.
The engine is behind the cab, and it suck cooling air down behind the seats.
They even got 3 seats and a flat floor.

The TGA is a cabover though.(its TGX/TGS nowadays)

Regarding drag i can tell u nothing in the front of a TGA/TGS/TGX is plased there without a huge windtest program.
There are many details today that are being used to improve drag.
Trailers with skirts, covererd under, single smal tires at the tractor, and i can go on. Its a huge focus on this now.

Authoroties are also running test riggs that are very long on public roads.
Sweden now has some trucks running that are 90 feet long in total.Volvo FH16.
That road train loads 63t(126'Lbs), total weight is 90t(180'Lbs)
Transportcosts redused with 20-25%.

 

[Bellboy]

I once saw a test truck from MAN, it was one of those offroad arrangements, and it had all these decals on it, flashing lights, MAN dealerships from SA to Ghana, and what not.

I think that the longest truck that I see quite regularly is a 24 meter length timber truck. Thats over 3 meters longer than the average truck, and by law, it needs an escort.

 

[Dirtmaster]

1970 Freightliner cabover to haul hobby toys

I use an old 1970 COE Freightliner a few times a year to haul toys to the area parades and shows. Yeah, the ride is a little rough, but I put up with it because it's cheap to own and drive very occasionally. It has a Detroit 8V71 so it's not the quietest ride, but a local trucker told me how to handle the noise. When you get into the cab, make sure you slam the door on your fingers and then with all the screaming, you don't even hear the engine.

By the way, the trailer is a 1951 Trailmobile 31' that I added a beavertail to, and the toy is a 1965 British Abbot (demilled, dangit....)