How long should a machine last

[Renaultman]

As said, I can only speak for our local training school, but not once did anyone mention engine braking, retarder, exhaust brake etc. I asked how I could drop it down manually once and was told you can't. The only control you had over the box was footbrake, accelerator, and direction.
Our Scania man said 90% of new trucks are locked like this now.

I've never driven a locked auto truck and don't think I'd want to.

 

[Fendtbro]

Many will be run year-round but far from all, it's not unusual to park them up over summer to wait for the frost to return, for example we have an 18 y/o forwarder that only recently reached 19k hours.

At 20.000 hours you'd expect to change the hydraulic pump and both the hydrostat pump and motor but that's about it... No wait, I forgot bushings and pins will have been replaced in most of the crane and quite possibly the centre pivot. It's still a very small list all things considered.

Different kind of machine from a high speed tractor.. more like an excavator in it’s operation. Largely self protecting hydraulic systems.. And we’ve had several with 20k hours and still work ok. Also far more expensive new so plenty budget when designing helps. you know all this of course! Still seen the bogeys and diffs explode on steep work tho, I’m told by the forestry guys the Scottish highlands has some of the most extreme forestry harvesting conditions in the world..

 

[Andrew]

I've never driven a locked auto truck and don't think I'd want to.

I agree, but we're used to narrow roads and mud. If you were just towing a box van between Primark warehouses a mile off the motorway would you need manual override? The one I drove was a G450 Opticruise, you had manual control of 1-4 if you wanted but 5-12 only accessible in auto.

 

[Renaultman]

I agree, but we're used to narrow roads and mud. If you were just towing a box van between Primark warehouses a mile off the motorway would you need manual override? The one I drove was a G450 Opticruise, you had manual control of 1-4 if you wanted but 5-12 only accessible in auto.

Probably not. I don't use it much anyway. Retarders automatically drop you gears and you have to be on some pretty naughty hills before you need to override the auto box.

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

That's because they're run all day everyday, the same as loading shovels and quarry equipment. They clock up high numbers of hours per year and have good service schedules and operators trained in there use. Tractors tend to be more seasonal and carry out a range of roles.
I'm sure the list or repairs on 20,000 hours of forestry service would be substantial, where as any failure or part replacement on a tractor has them labelled as unreliable junk.

A plough horse used to go lame by Monday morning if he had the Sunday at rest

 

[TomD]

I was once told by a bloke that he had never left the Fens as he feared falling into oblivion at the end of the A1

I think it’s more likely he wouldn’t leave the Fens in case his sister came into season...

 

[Ducati899]

That’s @puntabrava’s secret stirrer!!

One of these? There’s one near me but I’ve not seen it in action

 

[Vizslaman]

Well reading this, I do not think I could drive one of the modern Trucks without and introductory course LOL

I was used to driving a Foden with 12 speed range change the went to Seddon, Atkinson, Seddon Atkinson, Volvo and Scania but they all had manual or splitter gearboxes I remember having to double de-clutch which I am sure is a skill relegated to history now.

 

[michael N123]

so what’s actually broken or is it still a big secret

 

[Vizslaman]

I do not think we ever found out..
Just hope it is not as bad as the JD.
You have to skip the introduction to where he examines the cylinder head.

 

[ollie989898]

Do you guys remember the thread on TFF showing two JD engines which had been stripped down and one had been run for long hours on the wrong oil and had worn it's cross hatching away?



Also, there is much complaint on TFF about machines breaking, often seriously and with expensive repairs but no one seems to mind 'paying' the simply hideous amounts of depreciation on new kit?

 

[Foxcover]

One of these? There’s one near me but I’ve not seen it in action

Yes that’s the one!

 

[Frankzy]

Well reading this, I do not think I could drive one of the modern Trucks without and introductory course LOL

I was used to driving a Foden with 12 speed range change the went to Seddon, Atkinson, Seddon Atkinson, Volvo and Scania but they all had manual or splitter gearboxes I remember having to double de-clutch which I am sure is a skill relegated to history now.

Driving an auto lorry is pretty easy, just keep it in auto and it'll sort itself out to a "good enough" degree. Double clutching is definitely relegated to the history books since last you needed it was in the 60s

 

[Renaultman]

Driving an auto lorry is pretty easy, just keep it in auto and it'll sort itself out to a "good enough" degree. Double clutching is definitely relegated to the history books since last you needed it was in the 60s

My first trucks had David Brown gearbox's and the Fuller 9 speed, both having a crash box and needing double declutching one was old V reg the other 1986 C

 

[puntabrava]

Well reading this, I do not think I could drive one of the modern Trucks without and introductory course LOL

I was used to driving a Foden with 12 speed range change the went to Seddon, Atkinson, Seddon Atkinson, Volvo and Scania but they all had manual or splitter gearboxes I remember having to double de-clutch which I am sure is a skill relegated to history now.

I wouldn’t worry too much, the thread is being loaded by a lad that knows a little and talks a lot.

 

[Vizslaman]

yes it would have been 70s/80s I was driving for Pitter Bros.
We still had to load fruit by hand and rope and sheet it. (Again roping and sheeting is a dying art nowadays it seems to be containerized or curtain sides)

 

[kiwi pom]

Driving an auto lorry is pretty easy, just keep it in auto and it'll sort itself out to a "good enough" degree. Double clutching is definitely relegated to the history books since last you needed it was in the 60s

Volvo and Scania don't use them but the Eaton Fuller Roadranger requiring double clutching (unless you float them) is still fitted to thousands of new trucks, mostly in North America but some Japanese trucks also use them.
Until very recently the 18 speed was still fitted to a decent percentage of DAF trucks entering the NZ market as their own auto box was not seen as being up to the job. I think the latest range are all auto's though.
Eaton do their own auto version of their gearbox too but their usual market of Kenworth, Peterbilt and Freightliner have developed their own autos. Mack autos are basically the Volvo I shift.

A lot of owner operators in the US still tick the 18 speed manual box though as they like the reliability and resale value.

 

[ridger]

Volvo and Scania don't use them but the Eaton Fuller Roadranger requiring double clutching (unless you float them) is still fitted to thousands of new trucks, mostly in North America but some Japanese trucks also use them.
Until very recently the 18 speed was still fitted to a decent percentage of DAF trucks entering the NZ market as their own auto box was not seen as being up to the job. I think the latest range are all auto's though.
Eaton do their own auto version of their gearbox too but their usual market of Kenworth, Peterbilt and Freightliner have developed their own autos. Mack autos are basically the Volvo I shift.

A lot of owner operators in the US still tick the 18 speed manual box though as they like the reliability and resale value.

As far as I see, an i shift is ok for 8 or 9 years then they give plenty of trouble, whereas the old 12 speed manual just keeps going

 

[Frankzy]

My first trucks had David Brown gearbox's and the Fuller 9 speed, both having a crash box and needing double declutching one was old V reg the other 1986 C

No idea what year V reg would be but crash boxes in '86!? And here I was assuming that the crash box went extinct in the first few years of the 50s since that was the case up here....
Edit: I meant Europe of course, I know that the US and some other places are still stuck in the 50s.

 

[kiwi pom]

As far as I see, an i shift is ok for 8 or 9 years then they give plenty of trouble, whereas the old 12 speed manual just keeps going

The local dairy company takes them to quite high K's and they don't seem to give too much bother.
I used to drive an 08 Scania with a 3 pedal Opticruise, fantastic truck but terrible transmission, wouldn't climb in auto and was constantly back at the Scania Importer having a new box fitted (I think they were just reconditioned) almost every truck in the fleet had the same problem. I heard Scania blamed the importer for getting something wrong and they're now better but they lost a lot of sales because of it.