Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

Don't feel so bad @Caesar, we've had some ugly trucks too

 

That model was one of the first to have an air ride cab. If his conventionals didn't, then that's why.
Comparing air ride to air ride, and spring to spring, longer is smoother.

 

I drive a single axle everyday . Last Monday I would have loved a extra drive axle. Area got 14 inches of snow. Made live pure heck for about 4 hours. Go back to those tractors . We did not bolt on duals to reduce traction . More rubber you have on the ground the more traction you will have . And really how much could you shorten that truck and still carry enough fuel. Other side has the emissions box . Fuel tank is just 6 inches from the drive tires. Battery's are between the frame rails now to shorten wheel base . In that case the extra is going to stick out the front , or out the back.

 

Actually this is a 1936 Henschel 36W3 truck with a 170HP 8-cylinder diesel engine, it was also avilable with a 12-cylinder 220HP diesel engine.

Building a truck like this with the front axle more to the rear, puts more weight on the front axle, that's better for steering.

 

No one here is suggesting that looks take precedence over function. If good looking is as functional as ugly, you choose good looking. If ugly works better than good looking, you choose ugly.

 

Not to mention life time cost.

 

Thank you, that is a sensible thing to say.

Now, if you have a good look at European cabovers, you can imagine that the front axle takes almost all of the weight of the engine and the transmission.

A typical DAF XF 4x2 tractor can have 8000 kg (17,600 lbs) on the front axle, and 11,500 kg (25,350 lbs) on the rear axle. So the weight is distributed quite evenly, and that is in sharp contrast with the way NA tractors are build. They have most of the weight on the rear axles, and a rather light front axle. On a slippery surface a US tractor will have the tendency to go straight ahead, because the front axle doesn't carry much weight, and the two rear axles don't like to go around corners. If a European tractor needs two (or three) rear axles, one of them is often a steering axle.

 

Oh, horse-puckey. The pressure per square inch of a US steer tire is right about the same as any other tire, including a Euro steer tire. They don't just magically lose traction because they are a little bit narrower.

A three axle Euro truck will have a relative weight distribution very similar to a North American truck. You can simply carry more weight on three axles than two, and that extra weight goes on the extra axle.

Of course facts don't matter....

 

There's a show on Netflix called "Roadkill". Actually not a bad tv series but anyways in one episode the 2 hosts got ahold of the Sailor Jerry rat rod and a Lambo. The Sailor Jerry car was wildly impractical, some may say it's ugly. The Lambo was basically perfection next to the Sailor Jerry rat rod. Everywhere they went or stopped, obviously a crowd would gather to check out the cars. Guess which car the girls naturally gravitated towards? Yup, the rat rod. The Lambo crowd was a sausage fest.

I'll stick with hoods, chrome and lights thank you very much!

 

Let me enlighten you.

With an unladen EU tractor you can have almost 12,000 lbs on the front axle, that is the maximum weight on the front axle for a loaded NA tractor. I assume nothing will be added when you load an EU tractor, even one with three axles? It also depends on where the fifth wheel is mounted in relation to the two rear axles. If it is exactly between the two rear axles, all the weight will be distributed over those two axles. If it is more to the front, the front axle will also carry more weight. And that is what is happening, fully loaded the front axle will be carrying the 17,600 lbs I mentioned before, the rear axles will be carrying something like 46,000 lbs

Furthermore, it has absolutely noting to do with pressure per square inch, it has to do with weight distribution.