Working on a section of motorway that is the main approach to the biggest docks on the south coast of England leads to some good sights. I dont know how many trucks the UK C@t plant produces a week but somebody ordered a few 740 adts judging by the numbers that went past me over a couple of months. The first fortnight there were over a dozen that went past, sometimes 4 or 5 a day especially Mondays and Tuesdays. Nothing special about the trailers, tri axle with outriggers The thing I was suprised at were very few with taigates.
Cat 730 ejecter Over a couple of months I can count on one hand how many ejector trucks I saw. They definetely seem to sit heavier on the front of the trailer and only 730's Comparing how they all sit on the same trailers give a good comparison of thier size. The 730 doesn,t need outriggers Just as rare seemed to be 725's though being on a standard flat could have been sneeking past when I wasn't paying attention.
Nice pics Rob, that is alot of $$$ rolling down the road.:cool2 It is my understanding that all Cat Artics are made in England, I may be wrong. I have had 2 725's over the years, sold the older ('01) a year ago and the 2007's lease is up in March and it is going back to Cat. With the current work outlook being nothing, I will be glad when March gets here. The '07 is currently working on a mass grade job and we are trying to get everything done that requires an artic. Overall I like the 725's, although the achilies heal is the main wiring harness in the cab. Replaced one on the '01 and 2 on the '07. Other than that, they are well perfoming dumps, they can take anything you throw at them.
It is quite amazing just how much plant was going past considering everybody keeps on about a global recession. I cant comment on ALL C@t ADT's being built here, but we sure seem to build a few for export Just to show other brands and colours are available, these Terex trucks are built even further north in Scotland, but seem to escape by the same route. Some with thier own loading device When I see one of these trucks ( Cadzow ) I know its a long way from home So when I saw this, one morning heading away from the docks I knew I had missed a BIG one :Banghead But if you wait long enough
I thought all my birthdays had come at once when I found this one in the services. Then one morning I was working at the services exit Plenty of room he said, I've moved the cones. I was working against that barrier but decided to move for a better photo opertunity There is a vid at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=S_aIEwreIAM if anybody is intrested. Proves I was right and the cones were not wide enough, but what would I know I'm only a duck driver If you watch the vid you will hear the result of that motorcycle cop putting his hand up to stop 50mph traffic the van stopped but I honestly didnt think the artic behind him was going to. Every time before when a wide load exited the services they put a rolling road block on the motorway, but that involves 2 police vehicles, 1 on m-way and one from service area normally 2 cars, this poor bugger had to do it on his jack jones. http://www.heanorhaulage.co.uk/frames.html http://www.cadzowhh.co.uk/ I just pulled this off thier web site :notworthy
Howdy Rob, Looks like the project you're on is needed with so much heavy haul traffic. Do you guys always have such heavy congestion through the workzone? Gotta watch your back when the cones are up... Cool video. Looked like guardrail going up.... Is the job wrapping up?
Hi RoadDoc, congestion :Banghead half the time its down to guys just not thinking before walking away from a vehicle. It seems to be the " I'm alright, stuff everybody else" syndrome. On a road job such as this your always going to be in somebodys way, especially with a duck, but its got wheels on so you can move. Just make sure you obstruct the road as little as possible. It annoys me when people dont think. Like parking a van while you camera some drains, move it up 6 feet and there is room to park on the widening, no not this donut, parked right next to the manhole by the bridge abutment so nobody could get past :Banghead then threw all his toys out of the pram when asked to move :beatsme but he isn't the only one. There is only a bit of cable pulling left and signs to power up so I am done on that job now. Got some phone calls to make over the next couple of days and quietly confident of something to keep me going. There are a couple of big ( long hire ) jobs in the offing but wont know about them until towards the end of the month. Catch 22, do I sit back and wait........... or chase some work, get tied up for a couple months and possibly miss a long hire :cussing Glad you liked the video, right place right time, got lucky, glad I moved though. :thumbsup
Rob: You know... if a man on a 40,000 lb. machine asked me to move my junk out of his way..... Glad to hear you were able to stay busy. I'm still looking. Things are really slow here at the moment. Lots of work on the books, the states need funding desparately. Hoping the new president's "stimulus program" rolls out fast. Looked into railroad work thinking they always have maintenance. That may work into something before the road/bridge business gets going again. We'll just have to ride it out.... I've noticed the temporary traffic barrier that you guys work behind in a lot of your pictures. Does it bolt down to the ground somehow? Looks like it is made of all steel. The systems we use here are concrete but there are vendors from overseas getting steel systems approved for use. Since I have spent a ton of time moving barrier here with ducks, I wonder how it gets moved on your jobs. Thought you might get to do it like I did. I know where you are coming from on the "catch 22." I'm sure you'll find the right combination. Sounds like you've got excellent relationships with your market and a good rep. If I remember correctly, I thought you mentioned driving lowboys (I think you call them low loaders?) in the past. Forgive me if I'm wrong. As you know we do it a little different here. Do you know what the weight limit is per axle there? Looks like length isn't as big an issue over there as the number of axles you have to carry the load. There are places here that you can haul about as much as you can pull if you have enough axles. Other places have bridge laws that govern gross weight by some sort of formulas that I confess I am completely ignorant about.
Ah, there is nothing better than seeing a few ADTs running around the country, especially when one is near or on the major routes. But I must say that your heavy haulage trucks really know how to pimp their trucks. All you get down here is a big white volvo, maybe with a few green stripes on it if your lucky. Now what is a real sight is being sandwiched between a couple of Bell B20D's as they pull on to the highway, just by themselves and watching them overtaking the big over-the-road trucks. Sorry I don't have any pics guys.:Banghead You know what is really strange is that I only know of Bell as having made an ADT in the 20 tonne range...all the others are between 25 and 40 tonnes, but Bell makes the smallest and Biggest ADT's, the B18 and B20D's, and the big one, the B50D. Atlasrob: About your trucks, I've noticed that Europeans seem to like their 6x2 horses. We have very few here, and then you see very few of those few hauling lowbeds. Why are 6x2's so popular?
The steel barrier is Varioguard http://www.asset-vrs.co.uk/varioguard.php the beauty of it compared to concrete is how many more linear metres ( feet)they can get on each trailer. I think its in 12m lengths and clips together, add 1 bolt and its done. The taper at each end is the only bit normally bolted down ( actually 4 long bars drilled into carriageway) The artic units usually have a Hiab crane to load / unload then they put them together with a side load forklift, very fast and quite impressive when they go to town I split a joint and removed sections several times on nights to gain access. I did run a lowloader for about a year, STGO 2 which meant it could gross 80t, although I only got anywhere near that a couple of times. Usually hauling 45t exc only put you in mid 70's with buckets. I am sorry to say am too ignorant of present axle weights to be sure, and it is governed by manufacturers limits as much as anything else. I might get shouted at but 15t max axle weight seems to ring a bell but its over 9yrs since I drove anything big enough to worry. I know the trailer was restricted to below 40mph when on its limit. Its only the guys that do real heavy haul or go off road that really need 6X4 eg bulk tippers on landfill sites due to traction issues and heavy haul lowloaders plated to run at 80t and above. Our top is STGO 3 which plates a tractor unit to 150t ( might be 200t) now. Running to 44t on tarmac generally doesnt warrant the expense of a double drive and having a lift axle saves a lot on tyre wear.
Thanks for that info, Rob. Tyre wear is expensive because new tyres are expensive, but I have noticed that the only hauling contractors who really use 6x2 horses are usually hauling low density materials, some containers, and rigid long distance distribution trucks with refrigerators, but the most that I see that are 6x2 are usually hauling liquid fuel, like petrol or diesel or LPG, and then most have three axle tankers, with the two outer axles being lifted when they run to Durban Harbour, empty. And, while our main highways aren't really that bad, even still, delivery contractors for the major earthmoving brands still use 6x4s, and very often they are empty on the way down again. Our village roads could be in a much better state though.
Thanks again, Rob: Good info on the barrier site. The products offered here say they can get 600linear feet per load. Thats a lot better than the 80 or 90 we can get with concrete (hauling legal, anyway). Haven't seen a forklift like you mentioned. Maybe you could send a picture if you have the chance someday. :notworthy Thanks also for the hauling info. The gross per axle here runs around 20,000 lbs. per each. Gross weight for semi trucks is 80,000 lbs. on five axles. You have to get permits for more weight and for larger loads you have to get a permit for the route you take to a destination. (i.e. that monster Terex truck you show)
RoadDoc You got me to wondering, not difficult, but then I took it a step further Rule of thumb when I started driving was: 4 wheeler ( 2 axles twins on rear) GVW 16t 6 wheeler (3 axles twins on rear 2 drives ) GVW 24t 8 wheeler (4 axles twins on rear 2 drives ) GVW 32t Then with the introduction of air suspension and then alignment with Europe etc, etc, etc 8 wheelers can Gross 34t Artics on 6 axles Gross up to 44t I found this which will help explain in broad terms how we do it, it is cut and pasted and not conclusive, it is for guidance only. Note, C&U = Construction and Use ( the legal stuff that manufacturers have to work to ) An abnormal load can be described as a vehicle that: carries more than 44 tonnes; has an axle load of more than 11.5 tonnes; is more than 3 metres wide; is more than 18.75 metres long. Period of Notice Required for the various Weight Limits Summary of the period of notice required is as follows: Gross weight exceeding C&U limits up to 80,000kgs and axle weight up to 12,500kgs 2 clear working days notice Gross weight exceeding 80,000kgs up to 150,000kgs and axle weight up to 15,000kgs 2 clear working days notice Gross weight exceeding 150,000kgs and axle weight exceeding 15,000kgs 5 clear working days notice to the highway authority following issue of VR1 or BE16 notice by the Highways Agency. 8 weeks notice should be allowed to obtain this approval from the Highways Agency. END QUOTE My initial thought was probably right that I had up to 15t on each of 3 trailer axles the same on 2 unit drive axles and I believe the steer axle was uprated to 10t so 5x15+10 = 85t feasable but restricted to 80t by the STGO 2 plate (Special Types General Order ) and of course load had to be in the correct position so as not to overload any of the axles individually. see why I stick with the duck Found this, its what I used to play with. Note the trailer axles did not steer, the last axle was self tracking which was helpful going forward but locked straight when reversing :Banghead The guy who was brave enough to let me loose with it said .......... Just remember at corners, junctions etc take EVERY bit of available space EVERY time, if you dont need it, it wont matter. IF you get halfway around and find you DID need it............ your stuffed :notworthy
Rob: Thanks for the info. Looks like your system is set up to be a little more uniform and if my mental conversions of weights serves, more tolerant on weight. Permitting might be more difficult than here. Usually, you can get an overweight permit the same day (with exception to routed permits). The rig you drove looks like a lot of the ones we run here. The ones in your pictures with the ADTs looked really different to me and made me want to know a little about the system there. Thanks for the help. I spent several years with a company where I moved equipment in between operating assignments. Really helped to get more hours of work in a week. Lot of frayed nerves, too.:Banghead Ducks are more fun for sure.
Sorry RoadDoc my stupidity. Those are still refered to as low loaders but are in fact a step frame. Much easier for loading. General plant companies have them with hyd ramps, blacktop gangs ( or low loaders that service them ) and cherry picker movers would go for " flip toe " ramps to give extra length therefore shallower slope to load. Some even have shallow necks so you can drive right onto the neck with a tracair ( JCB 2cx with compressor ) or skidsteer without needing hop up ramps. The long distance boys like those hauling regularly from factory to docks with those ADT's go for ali detachable ramps which along with an extending trailer allows for return loads of containers, cabins etc and also does away with the drag factor when empty. Here are 3 different trailers for sale with full specs. 1000kg = 1 metric ton. I read Nooteboom serial numbers as O (ordinary) SD (stepdeck) ** (GVW in tons) - ** (number of axles) http://www.hse-nooteboom.com/vehicle/?id=39&name=Nooteboom+OSDS48-03L http://www.hse-nooteboom.com/vehicle/?id=44&name=King+GTS44-03 http://www.hse-nooteboom.com/vehicle/?id=37&name=Nooteboom+OSD73-04 The different variations allows the best solution for your main use. Although like an excavator half the time the one you got will be too small or too big On the barrier front I forgot to mention that yes I have moved quite a few of the concrete variety, even moved the QMB with the ditching bucket one night after a breakdown in the single lane along side us prevented the trucks getting past. Couldnt move the vehicle from where I was so I moved the barrier instead. Poor foreman ( young lad ) thought I'd taken leave of my senses and was trying to escape but it got the traffic flowing again and he saw the sense in the madness Heres a few pics hijacked from web to show side loader forklifts. I am sure you will have another name for them. If you imagine, the artic pulls 50' clear and starts unloading with his Hiab ( other cranes are available ) then the forklift zips along side picks one up and goes to place it, then back for another, next one simply clips on, takes seconds. It needs a hiab to load / unload as they turn every other layer of the load over to sit between the previous layer. :drinkup The trailers have a steel frame on 1 side that the banksman is clipped to for safety while slinging. In a narrow restricted area the truck drops the barrier on the verge, moves and the the forklift can grab it, or the truck can unload and join them up as he goes but that is obviously a slower operation. I have then seen units swap trailers and carry on. That way you only need i tractor unit with a crane :notworthy These guys use a forklift for installation on the motorway as its quick and works for them. You and I would use a duck as its there and we can operate it, I expect you could use a TLB if it was all you had. Hope this helps. :drinkup
Thanks Rob: I appreciate your answers and info. You covered what I was looking for quite satisfactorily. I really like those trailers. They look very sturdy and useful. Plus you get a better turning radius. We have stepdecks here (called dropdecks) as well, but, they are much longer due to those bridge laws I mentioned. :Banghead I've seen trailers on Goldhofer's website ( www.goldhofer.de )like the ones you show but, they can be hitched to a dump truck. We have tag-a-long trailers for dump trucks that can handle the weight but they aren't nearly as flexible as what I see in pictures from Europe (i.e. wheel pockets, boom troughs, following/steering axles, etc.) Some of these look like you can pull a large load with a lower horsepower truck. Awesome stuff over there! Never saw a forklift like that before! That could be handy for a bunch of different work. I can see how those barrier guys could make good time with one. Bet those are a lot of fun to run, too. Wouldn't trade a duck for one though....