Memories for us old truckers

[Birken Vogt]

Quiz-where did the term Hammer Lane originate from?

Well everyone knows it came from Stockton, Ca.

 

[DMiller]

If you ever drove a Detroit you would understand what Truck Shop just asked!!!!

Just drop the 'Hammer'!

 

[Truck Shop]

Well everyone knows it came from Stockton, Ca.

View attachment 174955

Well not everyone-good job Birken Vogt! I expected you would have the answer.

Truck Shop

 

[Birken Vogt]

I didn't know if that was what you were looking for. I was just being a smarty pants. I never travel but I happened to drive past it yesterday, I have been waiting years for an opportunity to use it and you gave the perfect setup, amazing.

I did used to drive a Detroit 2 cycle, but it was a DDEC 2 so it behaved a lot like any other engine what with the torque they programmed into it. It would pull down to 1400 and it was happier there.

I always figured it was called the "hammer lane" because the accelerator bears some vague resemblance to a hammer and if you wanted to go faster you would "drop the hammer" and then you would be passing traffic so you had to drive in the "hammer lane". Maybe there is more to it than that? Like putting a hammer head on the pedal to hold it against the governor as fast as it would go? On the old trucks I drove that was usually set by gearing and engine governor to 56 mph so it would have been a relatively safe thing to do.

 

[Truck Shop]

I didn't know if that was what you were looking for. I was just being a smarty pants. I never travel but I happened to drive past it yesterday, I have been waiting years for an opportunity to use it and you gave the perfect setup, amazing.

I did used to drive a Detroit 2 cycle, but it was a DDEC 2 so it behaved a lot like any other engine what with the torque they programmed into it. It would pull down to 1400 and it was happier there.

I always figured it was called the "hammer lane" because the accelerator bears some vague resemblance to a hammer and if you wanted to go faster you would "drop the hammer" and then you would be passing traffic so you had to drive in the "hammer lane". Maybe there is more to it than that? Like putting a hammer head on the pedal to hold it against the governor as fast as it would go? On the old trucks I drove that was usually set by gearing and engine governor to 56 mph so it would have been a relatively safe thing to do.

That's actually quite funny to me.

Truck Shop

 

[Truck Shop]

Brooks Oregon Truck Show video. Some nice old rides.

.

 

[DMiller]

My Kinda lineup!

 

[old-iron-habit]

Generation Gap? Talked by phone to a friend in Iowa today. He recently sold his immaculate 14A D8 Cat to make room in his shop for a old Peterbuilt he had told me he was picking up. I am going to restore it to a show truck he explained to me. I asked, "What year is it" He replied 2003. I laughed. He said "well that pretty old to me"!

 

[RZucker]

If you ever drove a Detroit you would understand what Truck Shop just asked!!!!

Just drop the 'Hammer'!

My old GMC 9500 with the 8V71 would run 64 MPH with the pedal "pinching the carpet".

 

[Birken Vogt]

Also don't forget having to keep the headlights on low beam because they would start to slow down when a hill came into view.

 

[Truck Shop]

That was a great line of reply's.

The two hottest rides I ever drove was a 12V71 with twin turbos. The hottest was a N14 mechanical with ceramic pistons and a whole lot of other fine parts.
Stock out of the box for a hot runner C16 Cat massive torque.

Truck Shop

 

[Birken Vogt]

The hottest ride I ever drove was a 70-something smaller GMC with a 427 gasser for an engine.

You had to switch your left boot onto the accelerator from time to time so you could pick your right one up and feel the sole to make sure it was not melting. You were not sure whether the burning in the sole of your foot was from the heat coming up from the floorboard or just lack of circulation from pressing down on the pedal so hard for so long.

 

[DMiller]

Fastest wagon I rolled in was a 1979 Pete 359 set on a reported long legs 3.43 rears, a double overdrive Eaton 5x4 air marriage box and 24 inch rubber. Had a OEM 425 hp V8 Kittypilar that was set just a tad on the HOT side that would set you back in the seat like a 427 chevy in a Vette. That was in 1980, the owner let me ride out to my old K100C when my partner went down with pneumonia. Was hard to sleep due to nerves as he kept bumping 80mph LOADED. Was not much in the hills as to delivered torque and he had to keep an eye to the Pyrometer to keep it from cooking down but man it could almost fly!! He received too many tickets, truck went away in '81.

 

[Truck Shop]

A light day today for service work so I pulled the front structure apart and checked the gear train. Everything was in fine shape but when it's this far apart you always
want to check the bull gear and bearing-end play on a Series 60. Cleaned and resealed.

Truck Shop

 

[old-iron-habit]

My old GMC 9500 with the 8V71 would run 64 MPH with the pedal "pinching the carpet".

Our then dang near new 1969 9500 series GMC with a 6-71 and ten speed Road Ranger would top out at 57 MPH. Pulled a pole trailer grossing 100 to 105,000 in the winter. Probably lucky it would go no faster with them wedge brakes. Always felt fortunate that we had good trailer brakes.

 

[DMiller]

Wedge brakes, Bendix should have to recall ALL of them, nasty bastards.

 

[crane operator]

Wedge brakes, Bendix should have to recall ALL of them, nasty bastards

Don't do that, its all I've got to get around on. Three of my old groves are still on wedge. They are a pain to adjust.

Suprisingly, all the new big All Terrain cranes- think 150-200 & 300 ton cranes, run with wedge brakes. Some things just don't go away.

 

[DMiller]

AAACK!!

 

[DMiller]

As far as the DD60, looking good and better all the time TS!

 

[Tenwheeler]

Don't do that, its all I've got to get around on. Three of my old groves are still on wedge. They are a pain to adjust.

Suprisingly, all the new big All Terrain cranes- think 150-200 & 300 ton cranes, run with wedge brakes. Some things just don't go away.

Two chamber wedge brakes have two leading shoes and therefore a mechanical advantage when working properly.