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What's new and red hot.
77louie400 wrote: I am at the moment having a tidy up in the roof console, in the louie, a nice full width number with a 40 channel CB, a 80 channel UHF, CD player with 6 speakers, with a port to plug in a ipod with a full 6 days of my type of music and a clock with a alarm and I had a bit of a flash back to the first louie that drove interstate in the early 80's that had a console about 8 inches square with a push button ford radio and one speaker.
It got me thinking, when the louie runs the same brake drums, the same brake valves, pretty much the same motor less all the unreliable electrics and pretty much the same gear box, the rear suspension is pretty basic but you don't need cross lock to drive across your front lawn like you do with air bags, which always seem to have one wheel in the air, it will rock into the out skirts of Brisbane 1400ks away on 740 liters of fuel, where I ask is this great leap forward in the big flash trucks, and it's not in the ride, I am not that long out of a run in late model KW and Western stars and the louie with air bags under the cab is up there with them as far as ride goes, helped some what by a long wheel base. Am I missing something.
I have asked this same question plenty of times, oh and Im not what most would class as a truck driver, I drive some long distance work from time to time and carry up to around 90 tons but only for myself or a mate or two
So it's not my profession by any stretch of the imagination
I wake at the same as a lot of other jokers and we pass by each other all day, I roll on into or around the same rest area that night
This doesn't always happen but it happens often enough
The old Mack gets 6.5 MPG on single work and 4 - 4.5 on doubles or more
These new jiggers get up and down the big mountain ranges pretty quick compared to me but at a guess only 1/2 hour quicker each day
Their trucks are much cooler and quieter than a R model Mack
So to answer your question, the big leaps are probably in comfort and ease of driving
Paul
Your better to die trying than live on your knees begging
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Personally I love seeing an old jigger thats well maintained and still working.
I guess maybe it means I'm a sentimental fool, but one thing that stands out to me when looking at old truck pics, (from say the 60's 70's and 80's) is that
A) there seemed to be a lot more owner operators, and
There seemed to be a high degree of personalisation, and pride in the gear? Which is not to say that a lot of gear wasn't bloody rough- but it seemd a case of "this is me, this is my truck"...
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that this has now turned in to a flock of compliant, white, company owned same-same vehicles that are only customised by the amount of shiny chinese crap they can buy from anywehere.
Harsh perhaps, I know.. But I love seeing an old truck working away, doing what it was designed to do. Glen Reedman and his B model come to mind- still doing interstate and loving it (well, mostly..) I guess it's because we are from the era of "make work and make do".
A bit of good old aussie pride and ingenuity I say!
So keep it up you blokes. Credit to you.
Cheers
Rich
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Comfort and safety.
Sarge
ACCO Owner, Atkinson dreamer.
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Over in yanky land there is a group of fellas with Mack Anthems that get up 11.5 MPG
I think the normal was around 9.5
Mind you, their weights are extremely lite compared to Australia and the frontal area is a lot smaller to
Still impressive figures, I think they rev at something like 1600 at 70 MPH
Paul
Your better to die trying than live on your knees begging
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Mrsmackpaul wrote: I think you are right and they dont exist
Over in yanky land there is a group of fellas with Mack Anthems that get up 11.5 MPG
I think the normal was around 9.5
Paul
Paul is that US gallons or Aussie...
US gal is .833 Aussie gal
Time to get up andd get going.......todays bad decisions aren't going to make themselves!!!
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