Pup trailers

[Renze]

View attachment 731905
Not much drag on this unit, and this is typical of modern designed tractors in North America. The trailers connect very close behind and often have skirts to help keep the underside of the trailer and axles from adding too much drag.

Yes, that looks more streamlined than a Pete 389 they still make..

In Europe, Paccar company Daf has taken over the lead in sales with their newest model:

Start the Future

DAF has developed a New Generation of long distance, distribution and vocational trucks. In fact, DAF has reinvented the truck, setting new standards in efficiency, safety and driver comfort.

startthefuture.daf.com

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Yes, that looks more streamlined than a Pete 389 they still make..

In Europe, Paccar company Daf has taken over the lead in sales with their newest model:

Start the Future

DAF has developed a New Generation of long distance, distribution and vocational trucks. In fact, DAF has reinvented the truck, setting new standards in efficiency, safety and driver comfort.

startthefuture.daf.com

Paccar still makes the 389 as well as Kenworth W900, but those are most often purchased by owner-operators, flat bed fleets and small fleets. The larger fleets mostly buy the aerodynamic models. The W900 hasn't really changed all that much in 55 years. The single screw is a 1965 model, the tandem is a 2021 model.

My first truck boss owned a 1943 Kenworth tractor that didn't look a whole lot different than either of these. I think he said it had a 185 hp Cummins. Other than a narrow nose and a butterfly hood, the main difference was the front fenders flowed down into the cab steps like an early 1930s era car did.

 

[oliver1555]

Any advantage in aerodynamics of bonneted American trucks is nullified by air filters, steps and other parts sticking out. And the gap between cab and trailer is a source of wind drag too.

Most fleet operators run aerodynamic “curb sniffers” because the bean counters have determined that they do save fuel. A few gallons a day on a single truck isn’t much, but multiply that by a few hundred trucks in a carrier’s fleet, and that’s huge.

 

[oliver1555]

Yes, that looks more streamlined than a Pete 389 they still make..

In Europe, Paccar company Daf has taken over the lead in sales with their newest model:

Start the Future

DAF has developed a New Generation of long distance, distribution and vocational trucks. In fact, DAF has reinvented the truck, setting new standards in efficiency, safety and driver comfort.

startthefuture.daf.com

I know that’s the norm for trucks in Europe, but that is one butt ugly rig!

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I know that’s the norm for trucks in Europe, but that is one butt ugly rig!

They do look pretty on the bean counters bottom line though. The T680's lines though are like a work of art. Kenworth did good on that design.

 

[oliver1555]

They do look pretty on the bean counters bottom line though. The T680's lines though are like a work of art. Kenworth did good on that design.

Yes, KW did a good job. I was referring to that DAF thing.

 

[Renze]

I know that’s the norm for trucks in Europe, but that is one butt ugly

Paccar still makes the 389 as well as Kenworth W900, but those are most often purchased by owner-operators, flat bed fleets and small fleets. The larger fleets mostly buy the aerodynamic models. The W900 hasn't really changed all that much in 55 years. The single screw is a 1965 model, the tandem is a 2021 model.
View attachment 731914View attachment 731915

The difference between the two, is that the latter now comes standard with the Daf engine.... even if you dont like Euro styling, Cummins is the only truck engine that isnt a European design...

Daf is looking for a bigger engine, as the Australian long-haul market is more and more looking for European cab-overs because of luxury and refinement, but the Daf engine (dubbed Paccar) is doing 530hp in its current form, a 120 ponies short of whats needed to match the other Europeans on the Australian market...

There have been test mules of a 560hp twin turbo MX13 in the previous generation, but they had problems packing it away under the cab. But a Cummins X15 isnt a big enough leap in torque to warrant the installment engineering, in its current form.

 

[Skeans1]

The difference between the two, is that the latter now comes standard with the Daf engine.... even if you dont like Euro styling, Cummins is the only truck engine that isnt a European design...

Daf is looking for a bigger engine, as the Australian long-haul market is more and more looking for European cab-overs because of luxury and refinement, but the Daf engine (dubbed Paccar) is doing 530hp in its current form, a 120 ponies short of whats needed to match the other Europeans on the Australian market...

There have been test mules of a 560hp twin turbo MX13 in the previous generation, but they had problems packing it away under the cab. But a Cummins X15 isnt a big enough leap in torque to warrant the installment engineering, in its current form.

Paccar engines are Cummins and what about Detroit?

 

[oliver1555]

even if you dont like Euro styling, Cummins is the only truck engine that isnt a European design...

Daf is looking for a bigger engine, as the Australian long-haul market is more and more looking for European cab-overs because of luxury and refinement, but the Daf engine (dubbed Paccar) is doing 530hp in its current form, a 120 ponies short of whats needed to match the other Europeans on the Australian market...

And right on cue, we go from a discussion about pup trailers to being schooled on the superiority of European thought and design…

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Cummins is the only truck engine that isnt a European design...

Certainly European engines are common, but not the only ones. I didn't realize all the engine design engineers were fired from Detroit Diesel when they were bought by Daimler, but they must have been if all engines are European.
By far the best engine I ever operatized was a Cat 3506B. It was quiet, had good torque in the low end and didn't smoke at all. I was pulled into the scale in Canada at the Alex Fraser bridge and had one of their clean air officers tell me to floor the engine. I did as he asked and he said I didn't see any smoke and opened the door so he could watch me floor it. When he was done he said that that was the cleanest burning engine he had ever had through there. That was around 1998.