Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

there is no wonder at all.

 

really I purchased century class with big sleeper becouse I had no choise from used trucks. Trucks with small sleepers were more xpencive from Europe ore Columbia. I do not like columbia for poor headlamps and too short hood with bad engine acces

 

Yeah, those mor#ns from Freightliner (with BIG so called Mercedes heritage!) still can't make head light. It does not give good light, it trembles, it blinds oncoming drivers. Even newest LED (or Xenon/HID) light is bad.

As for hood you are right: most modern (and not so modern) conventional have bad engine access. Literally half of engine including turbo is hidden under the cab. From relatively modern trucks only Pete 384/386 has more or less enough room to dance around the engine. All others - have not. Thats the price for victory in battle for shorter hood and/or maneuverability.

 

twony years ago local truck maker KRAZ discontinued 25X series with long hood and it was the first conventional truck with bad engine access. They used V6 and V8 engines hidden under cab. only radiators were under hood. So to change turbo we had to remove hatch from inside cabin.

Scania T-series appeared a bit later, but engine access was so bad like in Columbia. Late Scania T was short like a cabover and to work on engine was like acrobatics

 

you forget trucks like rundhauber mercedes

 

I was a kid when old mercedes was on road

 

Pablo did u manage to find a way of exchanging parts between american and eu trucks.

a long the road i might find my self looking to put a used mercedes engine on columbia , or installing hydrolic clutch etc. ,!

i know some they changed the brake system, some said to install turkish injectors and mech. Fuel pump and disable the lines runing to the ecu.

 

Happy New year to all members and friends

 

We still have 1 (1924 with 355engine) that we use for a shunter (yard dog) in the yard.
You don't know if you want to stand on the bumper or climb in to the engine compartment to work.
There is still a guy in our area that runs a fleet of them on quarry work.
Probably the hardest work you can find and they are 40 years old.

Still see many in the jungles of Central Africa on terrible roads , double overloaded and 40 years old still going.

 

I put the projection lights in mine before I sold it and it made a huge difference. I was happy with the swap, but, prior to that, I couldn't see anything. I was running out on 212 one night and it was raining. I was on the phone with my wife and mentioned it. By the time I got back to the house, the new lights were there. My next trip across 212 was a whole lot better.