Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

we look hook as element that makes life easier while attaching trailer, faster, safer to drive not trough costs,

it needs to be fixed from time to time, lets say about 10years depending how it is used, weight of truck weight of trailer , how bad is driver, proportion of use retarder , and most of all road type....

if you use highway it will last very long and i would not bother about maintanance costs

but ride is safer that is main difference, no play means smoother ride no bumps....here with modern truck driving drawbar combination is not too much more difficult than riding semitrailer....ebs make brakes work together, electrocnis help you to control trailer so it will not try to go straight in corners......

 

there are many ways how to use one vehicle for more purposes , in 90s it was popular here to load dry load or passengers in tank trailers , in africa they use tank trailers with flatbed above so there is no empty ways, one company offered curtainsider and tank trailer in one....

one way how to avoid empty runs

 

Not many use a regular pintle anymore. Most now have an air pot behind the pintle to push a shoe into the trailer eye to take up the slack. Air pot is plumbed into trailer supply so it takes up slack anytime the trailer brakes are released.

 

Not all pintle hitches are like the one posted earlier. Belly dumps that I have pulled have an air operated piece that takes up all the slack. Pintle hitches also allow for more off road applications. Hitches like the Europeans use will quickly end up bent or broken. They do not allow enough vertical movement.

If you look closely at the photo you can see the piece that comes out to contact the pintle ring and remove any slack.

 

any videos or photos to understand that better, you know my english is not good enough,,,,

 

Also in my experience where I am we don't generally drop and hook pintle type trailers. Dump trucks usually stay connected and logging trailers are hooked up with the loader so its super easy.

 

@cnsper posted a picture of one right after I posted that.

 

One place I have seen those ringfeders is on the back of Mammoet's trucks and Goldhofers.

 

40mm yes, 50mm have apple on pin and allow far more articulation, if needed more, there are orlandi ( italian) hooks with 40 45 and 50mm that have join so they can move everywhere

all construction site and timber trucks are fitted with 50mm , and all central axle trailers of course

 

http://iepieleaks.nl/fuso-takes-ecanter-to-us/

not exactly european but under daiml.

have any of you ever driven electric truck?

i did, and must say it is strange feeling