Cabovers

98989... I can understand you, becouse your business is logging on narrow windy roads in mountanes.

Oil field trucking for wxample is the different thing.

Guys here usually work on highway, that's why they vote for air bags, ecas.

Whta is better for construction truck - air bags with ECAS ore leaf springs and boogie axle... seems to me suum cuique.

Volvo construction trucks are offered with both leafsprings and air bags, mercedes usually put leaf springs, KW offers a bit exotic air suspention for off road, MACK trucks used here (yep, short hood yellow dumpers) are with springs.

So quations like what is better air bags ore springs ore what is better hub reduction ore hypoid..... are really silly....

Suum cuique!

 

Down under trucker
on the video off you going down to the entrance off the tunnel,i only hear your brakes.
I don't hear any enginebrake working.
Is this correct?

 

yes they have but when terrain is so bad than only 25cm of axle walk is not enough , when truck sit on front driving axle and rear driving axle is maximum extended and as much you are going forward hole become deeper and deeper rear driving axle get lower and lower ....than too large extension and too large pressure take its....


about that suspension on picture, scania use this on their air suspension , for single axle too uncomfortable , for 6x4 or 8x4 .... problem is what you describe , only 2bag per axle means lot more extension for same axle walk and axle is more rigid to frame so this is also not good for terrain if side angle is needed , of course there is less parts to replace and slightly better ground clearance but still i think it is pretty bad

 

not logging but construction but this is same

for truly construction leaf spring is irreplaceable, for 6x4 tractor pulling semitrailer on distances of 15+km it is ok to have air but for real terrain not...

reasons for springs: you cant damage something sensitive on air suspension , better ground clearance since springs are above of axles while brackets on air are below ,air is unstable when unloading , limited axle walk

i think parabolic springs are now enough comfortable

take a look at this from new arcos , or progresive springs on scania





about hubreduction vs hypid , here i think only about 1% of all tandem drive trucks have hypoid axles

when i see loging trucks from germany , air suspension front drop axle, hypoid axles and other things funny to us , i am really shocked

here is how forests look here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDhcda1v26k

 

Yeah just using the brakes, becuase that truck had an Allison automatic, the engine brake doesn't come on until the gearbox starts to spin at about 5-10km/h which is way to fast for that terrain. That is one of the bad things about using an Allison, on steep hills you are in angle gear.

 

A real Cabover ......

74(I think) F700 Mack 318 Detroit ,13speed.......

 

I drove one of those for 8 years.
It had a Mack 280hp 6cyl that we boosted with free flow exhaust and large double ram force air filters to a whopping 310hp.
It had a 10 sp Mack gearbox.
I can tell you with the camel back rear suspension when you bob tailed you would bounce out your seat .
It was however a suspension that could articulate more then any other suspension I have ever seen , even compared to any new ones.

 

any tips about MPG?

 

This was a 70's model truck 6x4 with a 0,73 overdrive and 4,16 diff ratios.
I hauled a 3 axle lowbed and would gross at up to about 56 ton (126 000lbs) but mainly about 44t (97 0000lbs).
We would mainly run at about 60mph (96kmph).
MPG depending on load and type of terrain would mainly vary between 40l & 50l per 100km.
That is 4,7 to 5,9 mpg (US gallon).
This was way better then the Cat,Cummins and Mercedes engines in the other trucks operating with us.

 

does anybody have information about this truck ?as i understood it had mid engine configuration and flat floor in the driver area