Cabovers

The quad steer is English and the 6*4 Irish, we drive on the same side as NZ and quad steers are pretty popular here for heavy haulage and straight trucks, we drive on the "wrong" side when we go to europe (sorry about the little dig there hehe) I've owned a few trucks with left-hand-drive, takes a little while to get used to at first and also takes a while when you switch back to the right hooker!

 

Even a 1970 Tatra 813 8x8 kolos looks allot better then American COE trucks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGK-4hfSRYA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WypSXQu10Y4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Gb1hg3WS8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Merc used build a very tough well built truck but the cabs were Spartan so didn't appeal to drivers so much then as they improved the cabs the quality went away a bit, just like their cars, once the last word in quality but cost savings meant quality suffered but they have improved again, quality was something they promised to address in this new model which I'm very interested to see. How the new Detroit diesel will go, they've tested it to 12 mpg's @ 88,000lbs, which aint half shabby! they were never a bad truck just in later years not as tough as they once were!

 

And some vid with the view from the cab of the Tatra 813.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCx5cE-ZBu4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-1Zv-OVdZQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HsMSdbMGAQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXdSlDEdEu0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Oh yea, the cabs on the previous Actros model were spartan? I thought that thay were pretty nice. Well, i wonder what you'd think about the argosy cab?

 

Well, it's not that small. Depends on what you're referring to. The sleeper? yes it's terribly small, but the front is very spacious....8'6" across and lots of leg room.

 

It like the FH16 XXL cab with that slightly bigger sleeper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBLpw8g-HZk&feature=youtube_gdata_player


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ3zNqQBpu0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN1S-G7Eq6w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0nCVZLDIEc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Not the last ones but the ones before that up til about 2004 I think, older mercs had legendary durability but I never liked the cabs interior with mountains of plastic and rock hard bunks, newer trucks had a lovely cab, very quiet and smooth but quality went down and I could never take to that EPS gearchange - they would rot your nuts! I do like the new one though, Im hoping it's as good as they say, sure it will have teething problems for a while cos it's a completely new model. My order of preference is 1- Scania 2- Volvo 3- mercedes, after that I dont see anything else worthwhile over here.

 

"aint half shabby"....... I like that! 12 mpg @ 88k #??? That's unheard of! I'll buy that truck (sleeper or no sleeper, i'll be sleeping in a hammock under the trailer if I have to) even if it costs a quarter of a million bucks! You kidding me? Going from 6.5 mpg to 12 mpg......man, I'd be making tones of $$$$$ just in fuel savings. It would pay for itself in half time then I can pay for one of this diesel guzzlers.

 

Yup euro cabs are bigger than you'd think, the room available is laid out very well, cabs In front are high and wide, bunks generally are only 800mm wide some 900mms

This pic taken in a Longline shows the dimensions of a normal topline, front parts of the cabs are identical


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4738810994_c516e302b9.jpg