Cabover More Dangerous??

I'm running a truck now that the company calls "The Terminator". My cheap plastic
century class condo bought the farm. So i needed another rig to pull the 53' curtain side with an extreamly deep kingpin. There wasn't any other rigs in the lot, so rather than go home for a week, i asked about the old '99 freightliner FLB out back. The dispatcher looked at me like i was nuts. He said he figured i would just quite rather than drive a cabover, so he didn't bother to ask me. They usually use that truck as a backup or assign it to drivers they want to run out of the company. Its not too bad though. It's twice the truck that new century class is. Its got 450HP detroit with 3.36's and a 13spd. 235" wheelbase,full lockers, and just had an out frame done. I like it. It's not very roomy inside, but i find that the bigger and more comfortable sleeper i have....the more time i want to spend in it. Besides....it don't look like a girls truck...LOL.

 

I don't know, I like those frite liner cabovers......something about they way they look. I think I could actually drive one of those...if only for the novelty of it.

 

I always liked the ones from the 70s with the narrow windshields.
It looked almost like a locomotive.

 

Re the "cab flips over" thing. Have you ever purposely tried to accomplish this? A friend and I did once. He had a blown engine (318DD) and was replacing it with one of his "spares" (yes, back then you could actually afford to have a spare drivetrain in your shop). The hydraulic pump was flukey so we decided to flip the cab manually (I know, but we was young and nuts). After much huffing and puffing we said fuggit and replaced the pump.

The cab locks (there's two of them) are spring loaded in the closed position plus hydraulically "locked down".

 

I don't know how much more dangerous they are. My very first truck was that same freightliner cabover that the poster above was talking about. I think it was a 94' or 95' though. I personally love driving the cabovers. They are fun to drive! The truck I drove had a little joystick for a shifter like a video game! The sleeper in it was huge! Double bunk. Cabovers have some downfalls. They "dog box" was annoying sometimes to climb over. It was great when you were driving down the road though because you could put your map and all your stuff right there on top of it. Would be perfect nowadays for your laptop! Another downfall for the cabover was that when you needed to get to the motor you pull a pin and entire body (sleeper) of the truck flips forward. Everything in your truck would end up in the windshield if it wasn't tied down or put away! I would love to drive one again for the fun of it! Over in Europe they actually have a lot of cabovers. I think maybe because they are easier to maneuver on all the tight roads and towns over there. There are some really killer looking rigs over there! There's a website called "Hanks Truck Pictures" and they have a bunch of different photos of cabovers and European trucks. Really cool website!

 

"Another downfall for the cabover was that when you needed to get to the motor you pull a pin and entire body (sleeper) of the truck flips forward."

Not even remotely true Chomp. A class 8 COE is raised by a hydraulic pump and 2 two-way hydraulic cylinders. Once you pump em up to vertical you ease em over center using the hydrauics again. With the cab over center you have complete access to the entire driveline including the rad. Once you're done set the cab back down with the hydraulics and lock it. The hydraulic cylinders even have a maual lock so you can't accidentally drop the cab on yourself.

By contrast, most of today's "Aero" trucks have the back 1/3 of the engine "inside" the cab with no access without disassembling half your dash and a good gust of wind can snap the hood closed on you.

But I know you know all this. So... please stop saying "flipped cab". You're scaring the kids.

 

I'd drive an Argosy. Those are nifty. Some of the stores I deliver too have such a short tarmac it would be worth having the rig.

 

First off cabovers rock and the only reason why there's none sold is because we, as a society, are deteriorating and the truck companies are run by idiots.

1) Pins? What kind of truck is "your friend" talking about?
a) By the way it's bury, not berry.

Brand and model?

 

I once drove for a company with some fancy Cornbinder COEs with the EAGLE option.
These trucks had an air operated pump to raise the cab. Just press a button and up she went.
I don't remember if there was the option of pumping it up manually if air tanks were low.

 

usually on the air assist jack you can jack them manually as well--
i really doubt that both hooks broke and the cab flipped over so that he could see the wheels
probabely the cab wasnt locked down to begin with and you should notice it way before it would ever flip over--by the time you could see the wheels the cab would have to be into the ground
and yes cab overs are dangerous--especially when you go from a normal one to a set back axle --then fall out cause the steps arnt where they are supposed to be