Alfashark

Needs more T-liners

Well it's a different story when it's something you can relate to - Like that tanker road train you linked to in Spam... Despite being hauled by the filth known as a T600

Lush! That website delivers the goods if you're into old/obscure gear.

Also, just found these... Same outfit that tooled up and made the 1/64 Fonterra tankers for us.

http://www.awesomediecast.com/dcp-1-64-kw-k100-w-frame-trailer-20-shipping-containers-nzl-group/

http://www.awesomediecast.com/dcp-1-64-kenworth-k100-aerodyne-w-tri-axle-simulated-curtain-sided-trailer-nzl-group/

And also, while rummaging around in the garage today I found a rather ham-spec K100 Aerodyne die-cast that I had when I was a kid - Not common in the UK, as all my friends had Volvo/Merc/Foden toy trucks.

Aaand as of today, the Supplier/Staff cards clicked over to 20c/L discount...

This means the SuperCard should be jumping up to 18c/L Pete.

Given how many of the new-gen Ranger/BT50 are out there, the ones with gremlins are a small minority - I've just covered a half million clicks in two of them.

As far as "crap" gearboxes, there was a known weak spot in the manual box used for the first 6-12 months of production - Hence the 3350kg towing limit on those early ones.

After that, they switched to a different box with the same ratios and it's back up to the full fruit 3500kg rating.

I tow all day every day, and rate them highly - Far far far superior to the smaller 4-cylinder models they replaced, tons of torque, steering that gives feedback and a cab that's quiet and comfortable.

Unsure if tanged or not, but there's been a red RWD 626 on what looks like red anodised modgies, parked at the local tire shop for the last couple of days.

I suspect it belongs to the young guy there, that based on pics that appear on here, looks like a younger Seedy Al.

Dunno, I'd say so.  I just saw that pop up on my FB feed today.

The old man got seconded into a recovery unit in North Africa for a while as he was about the only person aside from the tank drivers themselves, that had any experience on big gear.

 

A New Zealand Scammel transporter carrying a Sherman tank, rumbles through the town of Sora, Italy, on its way forward during the Italian Campaign. June 3 1944

Not any more... That pin has been pulled.

You don't need to get that close to reap the benefits - A decent length line-haul rig gets along at a fair pace these days, so slotting in behind one of them at even 4 seconds difference will drop a chunk off your consumption.

 

BMW M6 being repowered by a dry sumped 6 Rotor in South Africa.

Correct, and the 4wd ones aren't in 4wd while being driven on the road - when in 4wd High and Low, it locks the rear diff and center diff... I'm sure through a combination of button stabbing it can be disabled.

On the odd occasion I've borrowed one of the rep's ones for the day, I can drop the consumption down to 2wd flat-deck levels by simply not driving it like I stole it - By default our reps seem to use all of the revs and frequently forget that there is also a 5th and 6th gear...

Simply knowing and understanding the characteristics of the engine you're behind will go a long way to improving your mileage.

I know my BT-50 at work makes it's peak torque at 2k, and peak power at 3k - It spends most of the day with a ton on the deck and 1 or 2 ton on the trailer...

Despite this, I can only think of one spot on my travels where I exceed 2800rpm.  Average consumption on this ute in particular is 9.0/100 - Not bad, but it's only 3 weeks old and still toight like a toiger.

The ute it replaced, an identical BT-50 3.2 5-pot with 299,000km on the clock was turning in low 8/high 7's per 100 under the same conditions.

Our in-store reps run these too, albeit in 4x4 wellside w/canopy and can't seem to better 9.5/100 despite never having any load at all in them.