Cabovers

My guess is that the Magnum concept was intended more for the North American market as a COE truck under MACK brand name, but it never made it. If I remember right, in it's debute, it was equipped with the MACK V8 engine, which was a copy of the Scania V8 but not quiet as good.
Anyway, N American truck builders association didn't want then and don't really want now any advancement in technology. So, they really do a good job at lobbying congres to create legislation which promotes protectionism rather then competition....cronyism!

 

InTranzit i like your thoughts you seems to be very smart person your post is too long to quote it all but i agree on all

this made me laugh, sad but true

i wonder how they manage to do this who would like to have truck based on 40years old technology .....i was driving yesterday small 5ton truck produced in 1991 based on italian om lupetto 25 from 1959 i wonder how they manage to sell it even in early 80s .....i understand that old trucks are simpler to repair and many things will never be broken on them , but who wants to drive something that old anymore

 

problem is man offered f8 until 1988 for tippers and special trucks and until 1986 for general trucks , maybe heavy haulers were even longer those 48700 8x8 with 700hp v12 engine

it was one of worst cabs in 1980s , and many rust problems 25-30year old truck look much worst today than competitions my father had 3 of those

but at least it dont have rivets on metal sheets and door hinges are actually inside

 

if you really would like to have eu coe truck probably best choice is volvo , many parts are shared with us models , you can get 550hp and 2600nm(1920lb-ft) from d13 which make d16 almost unnecessary , ishift , maybe even front axles are same but this is not problem

also i believe that there is no way to get daf without engine and since mx engine is available in the US why not to chose it ?

510hp with 2500nm/1850lbft is very good powerhouse our engines still dont have egr only scr which is not so big problem for maintenance , those engines shown problems in my environment (we drive trucks without maintenance or service just oil and filter change , on bad roads , often overloaded , with bad fuel , with bad oil( here you can never know which oil you will get inside of original package ), off highway on country roads , climbing mountains all day but this is still nice engine

as for gearbox zf is no longer as good as it was now even mercedes build better gearboxes ,we have 25year old zf gearbox on old mercedes tipper which was never opened dont shift anymore easy you need double clutch but still dont show that it need to be serviced , you need to add all kind of abuse on it over years and still , truck operates in city so hunderts of shifts start and stop traffic , operating in mud on construction sites , often full throttle and 2500rpm(because of mud and soft terrain to prevent stucking) in low gears(1st or 2nd) while getting out of excavation holes with slopes that you cant open door, always overloaded before it was used almost everyday to pull low loader trailer total weight of 180000lbs but not in last 5years

for mx engine and normal loads there is no need for 16gears , but for heavy haulage astronic is quite limited by aproved weight and it is quite agressive on clutch ......btw daf offers eaton fuller and meritor rear axles i think suspension also american , but i would rather have zf with intarder than this .....

if i am right zf dont build hub reduction axles for daf they have their own

as for cab.....there is no need for extending , even daf space cab is good enough no need for super space cab

 

mack did offer magnum as its product for australia but truck had 12V el system and cab was 24v , magnum is very heavy truck our 4x2 tractors are heavier than US 6x4 tractors , when you look at renault premium it is one of lightest trucks in europe so all that weight go on cab

 

here we mainly dont service trucks but only repair something as cheaper as possible ,keep truck for short time , get rid of them and buy another


working hour in MAN cost 48$ most manufactures are about same

volvo is 41$

non authorised shops are about 25-26$

volvo is probably most reliable option here but it is nice to sell it before it starts to brake down this can cost a lot , similar is about scania , in my place man and mercedes are all round best choice , you can find parts everywhere everyone can work with them and easy to sale later, mercedes have very good fuel economy and relatively good quality , high resale value , even original parts are not that expensive, man have best dealership network their services are very good they are very nice people and professional, there is only one service for daf here and they are not best they just established this daf as truck is quite nice but it is not for us, iveco is cheap and crap but makes money, i dont count renault as truck

all round in europe it is normal to buy truck on leasing and have "collision insurance", get extended warranty , after you pay for leasing put truck to short haulage or distribution and get another for longer routes it is cheaper to pay for new truck than risk breakdowns

 

Well, the F8 cab design work was started in late 50's and finally in production in mid 60's by, ofcouse MAN, and Saviem in France, and I think that OAF shared it too. Later, starting in 70 or 71 it was produced under license in eastern Europe in Hungary under the brand name Raba and in Romania under the brand name Roman.
Actually the statistics say that the MAN F8 cab was the biggest mass production of truck cab in the world after MAN decided to license it out.
It was a revolutionary design in the truck cab ergonomics at the time. Well before the idea of the raised roof came about, the F8 gave some extra room with the higher ceiling, a lowered engine tunnel which dropped off into an almost flat foor towards the front of the cab, a very good cab ventilation system that ensured well defrosted/defogg windshield and good heating in winter. A reduced in cab noise level compared with any other cab design at that time, large windows that ensured good visibility and a descent entry access made possible by the two large steps ergonomically placed right under the door opening.
Let's be honest, before the 1960's, before the F8 cabs, there was no such a thing as a truck cab design that took in consideration driver comfort, ...only functionalyty. The conventional trucks which was a common sight before the 60's, about 95% didn't offer sleeping accommodation at all. The drivers rested for a few hours cramped up on the bench seat in that narrow cab when they were so tired that any shut eye would do. In Europe they stretched the cab on some models some 500 mm and installed a "bed". That was the first sleeper berth integration in the truck cab. Later on, after the F8 the rest of them followed suite with similar ideas. Well, there were many variants of COE cabs before the F8, but they all had high protruding engine tunnels (dog house), a low ceiling that made access to the sleeper very difficult.
So, let's give the " kraut's" some respect, they had one of the greatest idea when they came up with the F8 cab design.

In America they installed a box-sleeper berth behind the conventional cab about 27" wide inside with virtually no insulation where you froze stiff in the winter and boiled in the summer, and for access you had to crawel trough the rear cab window. The drivers preferred to sleep in a hammock under the tailer. The first integrated sleeper berth with a large bed and a wideer and easier access was in the COE (cab over engine) design. The first conventional truck that offered an integrated sleeper was White-GMC later Volvo (nort America). The integrated sleeper cabs started seriously only in the 90's to be offered on te American market.

It's a delicate thing to balance between functionality, looks, ergonomic design, weight, quality and cost when it comes to trucks.

 

WOW! Are you serious?
Man, $41, $48 per hour at a dealership shop? That's cheaper then dirt!
Over here $80-$90/hour it's considered chap second heand shop. Dealer shops are from $100/hour up.
$48/hour at a dealer shop was some 25-30 years ago.

The other ting is that over here we have to fight tooth and nail with the dealers and OEM's to honor any warranty starting from day one. Before you sign on the dotted line the sales guy is talking your year off with promises of great "bumper to bumper" warranty, and after you sign on that line, even if the truck brakes ib two going out the dealer's gates, you've got a real fight comming down trying to make them honor any of that promised warranty.

 

yeah

since people try to avoid services as much as possible and crisis here still last from 2008/9 there is no demand on shops so volvo had some action for less than 27$

they accept warranty in large scale but there is no so much problems here most trucks are trouble free until 4 years of service