• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Cab over

Legdoc

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
464
Location
south texas
Used to see many International CO9670's Transtar II with sleeper cabs. My parents had a small motel in the late 60's that had parking for 3 semi's and I can remember a few truckers would let the tractor idle all night long. My employer in the mid 70's had a fleet Ford CL9000's and a few GM Astro 90's all day cabs. All in a much simpler time.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
Well that depends, there are still DC's that were built for 40' trailers and less. It's interesting to watch a 270 WB tractor with a 53' trailer bump the dock in some places. The power steering
pumps are getting over worked and hot as hell. Ruins the steering gears too. I replace at least 9 pumps a year on rigs with only 200,000 on them and at least four steering gears. Mostly it's
caused by poor backing skills, what am I talking about {most have trouble driving forward}. And that's running Freightliner Cascadia's-set back steer axle, but when backing up the tag has to be lifted
so all that weight goes on the steer axle {cooking the pump}.

My dad taught me to drive on tractors that had no power steering, and when we did have power steering he would be displeased if I turned the wheel if it was not moving. Never left me, I tell drivers I try to train not to do it either.

I wonder how much that has to do with failing pumps, pull forward, stop, crank the wheels all the way over, back up, stop, repeat.
 

DB2

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2015
Messages
1,008
Location
Winnipeg MB Canada
Even holding it cranked against the relief because they just don’t know any better.

Or pushing the clutch all the way in while the unit is still in motion.

Or even just leaving the cab door open whilst they run back to their car to regain their travel mug.

I’m giving myself a headache.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
Used to see many International CO9670's Transtar II with sleeper cabs. My parents had a small motel in the late 60's that had parking for 3 semi's and I can remember a few truckers would let the tractor idle all night long. My employer in the mid 70's had a fleet Ford CL9000's and a few GM Astro 90's all day cabs. All in a much simpler time.

Astro? Did somebody say Astro? :D Drove one with an 8V-92 for a bit, not bad for a fairly new truck in the day. Same outfit had a couple CL 9000's, I was not impressed by them.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,544
Location
WWW.
Better yet few of you probably have ever driven a truck with Center Point steering. That's a one to back up and wear your A$$ out by the time you bump the dock.
 

cuttin edge

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
2,691
Location
NB Canada
Occupation
Finish grader operator
Even holding it cranked against the relief because they just don’t know any better.

Or pushing the clutch all the way in while the unit is still in motion.

Or even just leaving the cab door open whilst they run back to their car to regain their travel mug.

I’m giving myself a headache.
Nothing I hate worse than a truck with no clutch brake...... they bought a new little M series Freightliner the other year. Guy went to the dealer and picked it up, drove it for a month. I asked him how he liked it. He said fine, but the clutch brake didn't work. I said you should have told someone. Took it too the shop, the mechanic said it wasn't anything you did, there is no brake on it. Came from the factory like that. Great PDI at the dealer.
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
Thank you for the clarification. Not at all what I envisioned.

When center point steering came out it was all the rage because it placed that short fat kingpin in the center of the tire instead of to the inside of he tire. The one big advantage to it was when you blew a front tire with no power steering it did not jerk you toward the side of the flat tire. It rolled straight and was fairly easy to control. They were popular in Northern Minnesota with the loggers where the rock tears the hell out of everything and front blowouts happened more often than you wanted. Once tires got better and DOT scales started appearing a lot of them flats went away.
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,257
Location
Canada
Years ago the city here tried new buses with power steering but didn't keep them because the drivers would turn away from the curb too sharp and the back of the bus could hit something or someone on the sidewalk. Manual steering they had to be moving and couldn't turn as sharp pulling away from the curb.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,430
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
My K100 had CP steer, with the obnoxious jutted out Hubs could use for cab steps, WORTHLESS SOB in soft parking lots where had to jockey into tight spots even with tight WB. 90% of the 4070 Transtars at Feld were Armstrong no power steer, Midwestern's Freight Shakers were ALL manual gear steering. Then I worked at MACK and learned ALL about Dual P/S on heavy chassis.
 

Legdoc

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
464
Location
south texas
Went to a continuing education medical conference several years ago and one of the lecturers was a Neurosurgeon. He discussed some studies of the long term effect of a specific frequency of vibration on the spine of long haul truckers. My guess even sitting on an air seat would be much rougher on the body as you are almost sitting above the front tire.
 
Top