Cab over-engine semi trucks - Page 3

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cab over-engine semi trucks (Page 3 of 3)

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:00:39 PM EDT

[#1]

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First class 8 truck I ever drove was a White Compact. Boss had cured the shift linkage with an Allison MT654. It was not a bad truck to drive - if you had never driven anything else.

He "ugraded" his trucks to a new pair of Astro 95's shortly before I moved on. Those were decent trucks for city traffic. Very short, and again MT654 transmissions - with a screaming detroit 6-71T under your ass.

COE is an acquired taste for some I guess.

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My mom dated a guy who had 3 Astro 95s. He drove those fucking trucks into the ground. One catastrophic failure after another that he kept resurrecting them from. If he'd actually maintained them instead of just fixing breakdowns they'd probably still be on the road today.

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:05:25 PM EDT

[#2]

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What about the old light duty cab over pickups?

I haven't seen one in the road in years, but I always wanted a Econoline.

http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/03/CC-61-043-800.jpg

Not a big fan of the Dodge A100

http://image.hotrod.com/f/26580266+w660+h495+cr1/mopp_0801_13%2Bclassic_mopar_project_cars%2Bdodge_a100_pickup.jpg

Or the Chevy Corvair

http://hooniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fullscreen-capture-2242011-65536-AM.bmp-720x436.jpg

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Saw one of the Fords last month, IIRC it was for sale but can't remember where I saw it. Decent body, who knows with the rest.

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:14:03 PM EDT

[#3]

Looked at an old Kenworth cabover a while back. Has a 1693 Cat, and it runs.

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:21:36 PM EDT

[#4]

I worked at a shop and had a tech break 4 windshields on cabovers and about the same amount on hinos cabovers.

He would always forget the trans jack in front and flipp the cab up.
He had to pay for each one and I started to order and keep them in stock so we didn't have to wait for parts

Once that earthquack hit, getting any parts from Japan was a pain and I had dealers from across the country calling me for parts as I stocked deep on as many as I could plus had the owner pick up wrecked ones since we had a huge contract doing work on them for a local company.

They had very low down time

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:30:04 PM EDT

[#5]

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I have worked on many of them . I had a picture of a 9760 with a 6-92 Detroit on my shop wall . I had to take it down it leaked oil on the floor.

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I chuckled, thanks.

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:41:33 PM EDT

[#6]

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They ride like shit. They shift like shit. Very little room, can't stand up, etc etc

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This. I don't miss our cab over one bit. Pete 379 for the win.

Posted: 9/2/2015 10:54:35 PM EDT

[#7]

Conventionals are much easier to work on, more areodynamic, safer for the driver, don't have the shifter linkage that can overs do, quieter, cooler. I like cab overs but I think they look stupid. Seems like a solution looking for a problem most people don't have.
As far as being easier to work on, you have to realize that a conventional hood will flip all the way forward and give you complete access to the engine and the transmission is easy to get to also. Where as a cab over is all crammed together and if the cab flips forward it's difficult in the way that now you can't get in the cab and anything not tyed down in the cab is now on the windshield.

Conventional > cab over

Posted: 9/2/2015 11:15:11 PM EDT

[#8]

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I chuckled, thanks.

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I have worked on many of them . I had a picture of a 9760 with a 6-92 Detroit on my shop wall . I had to take it down it leaked oil on the floor.

I chuckled, thanks.

Same here. I'm surprised no one else replied to that one.

Posted: 9/2/2015 11:20:26 PM EDT

[#9]

I didn't even know that they weren't a "thing" anymore. I see them literally every fucking day.

Posted: 9/2/2015 11:40:00 PM EDT

[#10]

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I agree on the "floating" shifting pattern. Sometimes it is here, sometimes it is there. The gear you want is never in the same place it seems.

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Nothing is direct since you're so far forward, so lots of links for your steering and shifting, which suck brand new and are subject to wear which makes them suck way worse

I agree on the "floating" shifting pattern. Sometimes it is here, sometimes it is there. The gear you want is never in the same place it seems.

I drove a split-rear version of one of these for a landscaping company when I was a teenager. I hated that fucking thing - to this day, I still don't know where the gate for 3rd gear is on one; "Over yonder" seems to be about the best description.

Posted: 9/2/2015 11:43:33 PM EDT

[#11]

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I didn't even know that they weren't a "thing" anymore. I see them literally every fucking day.

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They're going extinct I think.

We've had two on the farm, and I don't miss them. Bitch to get in/out of, poor visibility. The old Kenworth wasn't hard to shift, but the 95 Freightliner was plain ass tight. You better move that shifter in the exact right place or she'll let you know about it.

Running conventional cabs and autoshift, never going back.

Posted: 9/3/2015 12:12:37 AM EDT

[#12]

I drove the shit out of them. All of the ones I drove were setback axles, which were too short on the wheelbase for Canadien runs, Canada just sorta looked the other way on those.

Cabovers were good for putting new drivers in, less chance of ripping a hood off and the resulting downtime.

Drove flat floors for JB, they were much nicer thanks to the lack of the doghouse,but they also came with the Cummins M11s, which tended to overheat quickly. Those which didn't get shipped overseas,Freightliner,as part of a sweet deal for Centurys,bought back many COEs and converted them to daycabs.

Posted: 9/3/2015 12:17:57 AM EDT

[#13]

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Same here. I'm surprised no one else replied to that one.

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Quoted:
I have worked on many of them . I had a picture of a 9760 with a 6-92 Detroit on my shop wall . I had to take it down it leaked oil on the floor.

I chuckled, thanks.

Same here. I'm surprised no one else replied to that one.

I saw it and got a chuckle. We had a 6V-92T but it didn't leak oil any worse than our Cats or Cummins. It was really pretty good on that.

The 12V-71s, though, we had to put at least a gallon a day in them. The 53 and 71 series tended to leak more in our usage.

Posted: 9/3/2015 6:56:58 AM EDT

[#14]

My Dad is a truck driver, and he always hated them.

It's been years since I've seen one on a highway.

Posted: 9/3/2015 7:21:03 AM EDT

[#15]

I'd love to have a Kenworth K100 Aerodyne, and then stretch the frame on it so it will ride worth a shit. No real advantage other than looks, but I'd love to drive a stylin' truck just once.

I drove JB's flat-floor Internationals for a year or so, and an Argosy for a week, and the Argosys were crap! The fold-out steps were great.... Until they popped open on their own going down the road and hit a motorcyclist. The ride and shifter were so spongy it was impossible to get any feel of the road.

Posted: 9/3/2015 7:40:12 AM EDT

[#16]

There's a couple COE detroit diesels running around my area. OMG I gasm every time I hear them.

Posted: 9/3/2015 7:45:35 AM EDT

[#17]

I drove a brand new Pete cab over in 1973 with a "1693" and air-ride. I drove it to and from Alaska on the gravel Alcan. It was powerful, rode and handled great. Comfortable and quiet; you could hear that big "CAT" turbo while sleeping in the bunk.

Posted: 9/3/2015 7:58:28 AM EDT

[#18]

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Another fan of the cabover style here. Always liked them.

They may not be the best solution but they are nice to look at.

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Fuck that. Ever drive one?

I was in one for 3 fucking years, no room for your stuff, can't stand to dress in the morning and loud as hell going down the road, have to crank the CB and the sterio up so loud just to hear the words.......

I hope they all burn to the ground with no driver in them.

Posted: 9/3/2015 12:55:27 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I drove the shit out of them. All of the ones I drove were setback axles, which were too short on the wheelbase for Canadien runs, Canada just sorta looked the other way on those.

Cabovers were good for putting new drivers in, less chance of ripping a hood off and the resulting downtime.

Drove flat floors for JB, they were much nicer thanks to the lack of the doghouse,but they also came with the Cummins M11s, which tended to overheat quickly. Those which didn't get shipped overseas,Freightliner,as part of a sweet deal for Centurys,bought back many COEs and converted them to daycabs.

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I'm actually a fan of the M-11. I got great fuel mileage, even at higher speeds, I had over 2 million miles on mine with one out of frame and one in frame, The only gripe I had was that even on the smallest hills it didn't have the power to get out of its own way. Nothing more embarrassing then washing the bug strikes off the back of your truck when all the other drivers are cleaning them off the windshield

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cab over-engine semi trucks (Page 3 of 3)

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