Australian road trains
12-01-2005, 08:07 AM
#1
It's my pot and I'll stir it if I want to. If you're not careful, I'll stir your's as well!
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Australian road trains
Yesterday while driving to Mexico City my passenger got to talking about all the trucks on the road pulling two trailers. Lots of them in this part of the world. He commented on their length and that in turn led me to mention even longer loads. Just in case it interests some of you and those who have never heard of these things I looked up one link and have posted it. There is a lot more stories and pictures on the internet if you do a search. How would you like to do this for a living?:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...tt=47&ei=UTF-8
http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...tt=47&ei=UTF-8
12-01-2005, 08:11 AM
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"198 tons of trailers", "It can take a driver more than half a mile to bring his train to a stop from cruising speed"
oh, thats why their trucks have grill guards
oh, thats why their trucks have grill guards
12-01-2005, 11:55 AM
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A few years ago at the North American Truck Show in Louisville, Kentucky the Shell Rotella T luncheon had a video that utilized those trucks as a demonstration. They are insane to say the very least.
And as long as they get out of the way and don't get hurt that isn't a bad thing!
Originally Posted by durasmack
Your average urban american honda civic driver wouldnt know what to do when they saw one of those on the road...... might drive into a ditch or something 
12-01-2005, 05:37 PM
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I read somewhere once that there is an emergency switch or button in the cab so that if the trailers get squirrely and the driver can't recover it, then he hits the switch or button which fires explosive bolts in the hitch and detaches the truck from the trailers. After the switch is hit the driver then stands on the accelerator and gets away from the trailers. I beieve that became mandantory since if they don't have the emergency switch and the trailers got squirrely, all the driver could do was hang on for the ride. Those wrecks are usually fatal for the driver.
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12-01-2005, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by jrs_dodge_diesel
I read somewhere once that there is an emergency switch or button in the cab so that if the trailers get squirrely and the driver can't recover it, then he hits the switch or button which fires explosive bolts in the hitch and detaches the truck from the trailers. After the switch is hit the driver then stands on the accelerator and gets away from the trailers. I beieve that became mandantory since if they don't have the emergency switch and the trailers got squirrely, all the driver could do was hang on for the ride. Those wrecks are usually fatal for the driver.
12-01-2005, 05:53 PM
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We don’t really use maps, although we carry them. It’s too hard to keep looking down and finding where you were and where you’re going. We write down directions. Something like ‘… drive another six miles and turn left at the gate, go another three miles and turn right around the billabong**.’ If you write big it’s easy to follow while you’re driving.”
“If it were going to get real cold at night, the drivers would drain the oil and water out of the engine and then heat it in a pot over a campfire in the morning before they put it back. Otherwise they’d never get the engine to run. The drivers also raked their campfires before they went to sleep and then drove the truck over the spread-out coals so that the heat would help keep the block from freezing.
12-01-2005, 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by derek840378
no trailer brakes?
12-01-2005, 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by jrs_dodge_diesel
Of course they have brakes. However keeping all the trailers in line is another thing. If one trailer blows a tire or loses an axle, or something else bad happens, and one trailer starts going squirrely, the rest of the trailers will probably do the same. Now also remember that these beast weigh a heck of a lot more than the standard 18 wheeler. Takes a lot longer to stop too. If a trailer starts wobblin and going all over the road, and the driver can't get control of it, things can go ugly real quick.
12-01-2005, 07:54 PM
#12
Originally Posted by durasmack
Your average urban american honda civic driver wouldnt know what to do when they saw one of those on the road...... might drive into a ditch or something
The "average urban american honda civic driver" has never seen a ditch...
I can imagine that the wind off of one of those road trains would probably blow the Civic off the road. That was a very real danger last time I heard, anyways...
12-01-2005, 08:46 PM
#15
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