Driving a Hood

Someone did a thread on here about the amount of blind space in front of you. He listed the calculations based on seat height and average height of a driver looking out over the 6' hood of a W900L. If I recall, there was like 26' of space between the front bumper and the first place you see pavement when sitting at the drivers seat. I wonder if thats accurate....?
I have been meaning to try this with my wife. Have her walk from the hood backwards out and see the moment I see her feet and where she is.

Getting used to my W900L didnt take too long but it was suggested that if I was still worried I could either get those goofy "Mickey Mouse" mirrors (which totally degrade the entire look of this rig) or at the very least those "Helen Kellar" sticks that sit on the edge of the bumpers. Can take them off once a driver is more comfortable knowing where the ends are. I think they go for $100 for the set.

..just a suggestion.

 

I started my local gig with a purple Pete 379 with a HUGE tweeked Cat engine. Well, sure I liked the power! 30k lbs was LIKE BUTTER!

I also had limited experience driving a hood. Oopsy! Tight driveways with culverts on both sides were particularly frightening. I had those little sticks on the corners of the bumper and they did help.

My only issue with it now (after I ran it for about 1500 miles) is the stacks right behind the door! What's up with that? Now I've seen enough of you experienced large car hands to know what to do on the driver's side backing.....open up the door!!!! If I don't do that, I can't see around the stack.

Now I'm in a lil Mack Vision daycab. But it still has those stacks behind the doors!

 

Man I went from a Century FL with the extra short 112 BBC and a little sleeper to a short hood 379 with a much longer wheelbase and the only thing that threw me off was them smoke stacks. I pull a tanker and when I back up at an angle, the only thing I see is the very ###-end of the trailer because I got to see around the stacks and the sleeper and look at a narrow tanker from a narrow cab. Its a lot harder to judge the angle with the Pete than it was from the FL because the wide, unobstructed cab of the Century allowed me to see the whole trailer just by looking out the window. It took me a good two months before I was comfortable backing this thing.

 

bad thing about opening doors is your foot can slip off the clutch and you fall out ( most guys take off there seat belt to get a better position ) , seen it , never done it . won't happento me , this is where you use your spot mirrors to your advantage ,and learn to use your Californias .

all my trucks where equiped with what some drivers call idiot sticks on the bumpers . well them sticks didn't make any idiots out of my drivers had no peeled back bumpers or damage claims from going 4 wheeling thru a customers lawn , but funny all the Coffee counter cowboys who made fun of them had them crease marks in there bumpers where the frame mounts where .. and price a texas bumper sometime .. they are expensive ..

and if you want to drive a hood try a old hendrickson with a construction setback and a v-12 , loooong hood and the wheels are almost under you , you got to watch the front end overhang when making corners so you don't wack someone with that long nose

 

The first truck I drove OTR was a KW W900. There is more to turning radius than wheelbase, although that is a factor. Steering stops are another important factor. It's what determines how far you can turn those front wheels. Driving that KW wasn't much more of a challenge than the Volvo 670. You only have to learn where your tires hit the ground in relation to your seat position and get a really good handle on distance judgment...so you know when to stop while maneuvering in tight areas.

My biggest complaints about that W9: Not much room in the back, crappy ride (although that may have been because my trainer kept the trailer tandems at California legal all the time) and the hood always seemed to be doing something other than what the rest of the tractor was doing. Truck would bounce one way, hood the other. I was always afraid it would come loose.

It was nice being able to put my atlas and log book on the passenger seat and be able to reach it, though.

W9 has been my only experience driving "largecars." I have neither driven nor ridden in a 379.






(Hehehehe....almost said I'd never been ridden in a 379....but that's an entirely different topic....

 

I've gone the "setback axle" to Pete 389 route, and it does take some adjustment, LOL! But I love my hood, and it's a feeling of accomplishment to get it into a tight hole. But I WILL take every advantage I can find: drive through a truckstop lot at least once to find that one hole that allows me to back straight in, etc. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, but no reason not to look for an easier alternative, IMHO.

One thing for sure, it IS harder to get one of these hoods into a tight hole, no doubt.

 

Well I should b n 4 a big change. I never have driven a hood or long wbase. Just bought a 05 starcar. 4900EX,DET 14L 515HP,265 wbase,with a 76inch starlight sleeper,3.55 or 3.58 rears,besides getting used to the big truck anybody have an idea what kind of fuel mileage pulling 53 van. All responses greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I always have my seatbelt off as soon as I enter private property. I'm a pretty tall girl 5'8", and I've not had any issues opening the door to see around the stack.

I had just that Purple Petercar, and a Freightshaker Classic XL, same smell. Not my fave truck, but I can run with it!

What's a Henderickson? Is that an Old Timey truck? I thought I knew them all (Autocar, Marmon) do you have a photo?