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Friday, 23 March 2007 |
Hi Y`All.
Thought I should put pen to paper and give you some of the technical details of what we are doing over here.
 The truck (or Tractor as they are referred to in the States) that we are driving/living in is a 2004 International Series 9400i 64inch Skycab with just a little over 400,000mls(650km) on the clock. It is powered by a C12 Cat driving thru an Eaton Fuller UltraShift 10speed auto, others have a Cummins with a 12sp Meritor auto, this g/box skipshifts whereas the 10sp changes up thru each gear.
They are not autos as you would have in a car as they still have a clutch but no clutch pedal in the cab, you just push the accelerator to the floor, hold it there and the computer operates the mechanics of the gear changes, from the outside you would think it was a manual. The down changes are really impressive especially with the Jake (engine) Brake switched on and hard on the foot brake, the computer makes the changes so that the engine revs are at the top of the rev range to get the best out of the Jake Brake, it even builds the engine revs up in between gears to give a smooth down shift, it makes a pro out of any driver.
Margot is making gearshifts that it took me ages to perfect with an 18sp RoadRanger, pisses me off. Once it is rolling at Highway speed, flick on the cruise control and sit back and steer it for hour after hour after hour at 67mph (108kph) which is what it is governed to, if you catch up to another rig that is only doing 66mph then you just pull into the next lane and pass. It may take a couple of miles but there are plenty of lanes. Most Company trucks are governed around the 65-70 which is the speed limit for most States tho a few are 55mph. Owner drivers don’t tend to govern theirs so they race past at 80mph but the cops are pretty aggressive on speeding as it is a good revenue earner. We tow 53ft (16.3mt) box van trailers with an all up max weight of 80000lbs (36NZtonne) a little less than the 45.5t max in NZ. However only 5 axels and 18 wheels compared to our 8 axels and 28 wheels.
Fuel consumption is 6.6mls/USgal(3.86lts)=7.8mls/NZgal=2.7km/lt or 36lts/100km. However this includes idling which we do a lot of to get heating and cooling while we are sleeping. There is a system available at some Truckstops called "IDLEAIRE" that we use.
The truck is parked under a gantry, a plastic template is fitted into the side window and a unit that is hanging on a large flexible pipe is connected. This supplies climate air, telephone, Sat.TV, Internet and 110vt power. The cost is $1.85/hr against idling fuel consumption of 1gal/hr at $2.45 plus wear on the engine. Our Co. pays for it so we use it when it is available. We can also purchase Wireless Internet and On Demand Movies. New trucks are being produced with small aux.units that supply the heating/cooling/power to save the idling of the main engine. In some States it is against the law to idle because of pollution and as the price of fuel increases Trucking Cos. are looking for way to save on fuel costs. The Americans are becoming pollution conscious, on the ring roads around Memphis and Nashville the speed limit drops from 65 to 55 for trucks. If you are caught doing at 65 you get a $150 speeding fine and a $400 pollution fine for the extra exhaust emissions that you have produced, the cops love taking money off Truckers. I am amazed at the mileages they get out of tyres (tires) 100,000mls (160km) from the steers and 250,000mls (400km) from drive tires a little more than the 24,000km from the drive tyres on a Nelson Log truck, mind you concrete roads and no corners may have something to do with it.
Well that’s about all I can think of for know but if you have any questions send an email and NO Graham Eves I don’t know how many ft/lbs of torque the engine puts out, I am a truck driver not a technician besides there isn’t any manuals in this truck so I am having to make most of this up. It was a good thing I was a Tour Coach Captain and have that skill. If you really want to know ring Mike Lynch, he is a mine of information about these things.
Cheers Murray
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Non club trips 
