playing with an old linehaul banger

A lot of them didn't have power assisted steering. When I started driving for them, about 1986 or 7, they still had a lot of slim lines. As they were getting ride of them the workshop would pinch the power assist bit of one and put it on another, only problem being the steering box ratio is different, then they'd hang on to the one they were going to sell for a bit longer, that was a joy to back into a dock, almost standing on the floor. Got you good at backing with minimal turns on the wheel though.

Detective .... The earlier 8x4s had the same .... There were a few with that same ratio .... Although most of the earliest ones had 4.63s

On the real early Comet ones with no power steering, they where so hard to get back on the bitumen if you had to drop off because the road was too narrow, that they where fitted with "Sure Guides" which made a big difference from getting the steering wheel ripped out of your hands.

..what i'm trying to establish werk is whether Rockwell's had 4.88 ratio, or was that only an Eaton spec?..

Eaton's definitely had a 4.88 ratio option, but i'm not so sure about the Rockwell's having that ratio??

On the real early Comet ones with no power steering, they where so hard to get back on the bitumen if you had to drop off because the road was too narrow, that they where fitted with "Sure Guides" which made a big difference from getting the steering wheel ripped out of your hands.

...Cheers overnite .. Glen's truck has had the ''Sur guides'' in the past, and was still on tubed front wheels up to about a week ago...

...the manual steering was ''assisted'' by a piston style steering shock absorber from the axle beam to the relay cross tube to alleviate any shimmy that may have been experienced when boring down the road at a great rate (i s'pose?)...and which application is also noted on the build specs....

Just googled it Detective .... So it must be correct and you can buy quite a few SQHD @4.88 still

...cheers werk

on days off from work so did a bit of touring around Kalgoorlie and Boulder of some known hunting grounds where 8x4 slimlines have been seen hanging around, Layne drillings yard is now GBF underground mining so it was full of underground trucks and lots of crap, went to Ausdrill yards and workshops and all that could be seen from end to end was near new 8x8 MAN and Mercedes drill rigs and support trucks, went touring round the back to where all the old retired gear is kept or rigs and support trucks on standby still in working condition just used if things get busy or as backups, first was a 6x6 bonneted Toyota support truck, then from out on the street spotted a rig poking over the fence, right up the back away from any gates the top half of a Kenworth slim line cab, had no camera but now I know they still have it sitting around backed up to a fence in there yard so could slip back and get a piccy or two over the fence if any one is keen to have a geeza and a guess at its origins

Well I am led to believe at least 2 ex TNT 8x4s went west .... So it maybe the other one ... Only one way to tell for sure .....

All together now ......

.... BY THE CHASSIS NUMBER ......

G'day LYLE .. that's a nice gesture and a good idea to check out that old rig....it does help in dotting the I's and crossing the T's.....cheers mate