Trucks with side window curtains pulled nearly shut??
Discussion
I'm doing a few more miles on the motorways to get to meetings these days, and have started to notice more oddities on the roads, one of which seems to be a trend, if you want to call it that, for truck drivers to have their cab side curtains pulled almost shut whilst they are driving along??
Without stereotyping too much, it usually seems to be the drivers who have tarted up Scania's and suchlike, covered in a hundred lights, bits of chrome, and frilly curtains.
I saw one today who had his seat quite far back and his side curtains almost shut to the A pillar, so you couldn't see him at all unless you looked into the cab through the windscreen.
I can't imagine this is particularly legal or indeed safe? Is it a fashion thing, privacy thing or just to stop sun getting in your eyes?
Without stereotyping too much, it usually seems to be the drivers who have tarted up Scania's and suchlike, covered in a hundred lights, bits of chrome, and frilly curtains.
I saw one today who had his seat quite far back and his side curtains almost shut to the A pillar, so you couldn't see him at all unless you looked into the cab through the windscreen.
I can't imagine this is particularly legal or indeed safe? Is it a fashion thing, privacy thing or just to stop sun getting in your eyes?
tish thing to do as well.
they're the Kings of the road don' cha know Willy Nilly said:
When I was in the USA, the "Bull Haulers" all drove either 379 Extended Hood Petes, or W900L KW's. They all had big shades, a big hat, loads of tat on their trucks and drove along with most of the air out of the seat, peering over the steering wheel. We laughed at them.
I laughed when I read that because it reminded me of this video on YouTube that I saw a few months ago. Skip to 1:30 ish for a better camera angle of the driver barely managing to peer over the dash.http://youtu.be/KIw_ZfM26Hw
NinjaPower said:
Willy Nilly said:
When I was in the USA, the "Bull Haulers" all drove either 379 Extended Hood Petes, or W900L KW's. They all had big shades, a big hat, loads of tat on their trucks and drove along with most of the air out of the seat, peering over the steering wheel. We laughed at them.
I laughed when I read that because it reminded me of this video on YouTube that I saw a few months ago. Skip to 1:30 ish for a better camera angle of the driver barely managing to peer over the dash.http://youtu.be/KIw_ZfM26Hw
I was driving Peterbilt 377's with 12.7 Detroits with 6 speed Allison autos. We would have come steaming past him with the combines on the trailers while he minced through 400 gear changes.
NinjaPower said:
I laughed when I read that because it reminded me of this video on YouTube that I saw a few months ago. Skip to 1:30 ish for a better camera angle of the driver barely managing to peer over the dash.
http://youtu.be/KIw_ZfM26Hw
That`s some gear lever.http://youtu.be/KIw_ZfM26Hw
JoyDivision said:
That`s some gear lever.
That's nothing... In a later video the same chap has changed his shifter setup to 3 levers, just so he can look even cooler... 
Still can't see over the steering wheel!
http://youtu.be/8lEYaTvvq4g
NinjaPower said:
I laughed when I read that because it reminded me of this video on YouTube that I saw a few months ago. Skip to 1:30 ish for a better camera angle of the driver barely managing to peer over the dash.
http://youtu.be/KIw_ZfM26Hw
WTF is he playing at with those gear changes and wat is the point of that gear stick?http://youtu.be/KIw_ZfM26Hw
jagracer said:
I've been driving trucks for over 45 years and I've never heard of it.
Trucks have had engine brakes since the 60's, the reason it's called Jake Braking is because in the US the main manufacturer of engine brakes was Jacobs, this was soon nicknamed the Jake Brake and the name stuck. Over there you can opt to have a certain manufacturers braking system whereas here you get whatever the truck maker fits, usually their own system. Jake Braking is banned in a lot of built up areas because of the noise it makes through the straight through pipes most American trucks run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qocMoTOVn6Q
LikesBikes said:
Isn't it a Jacob brake? Some sort of engine brake rather than an exhaust brake. One of the old boys explained it to me once, can't remember how it worked but something to do with valves in the head and compression in the cylinders.
Or I might be wrong?
You're right, there.Or I might be wrong?
Cummins engines can have the Jacobs Brake system installed. Other engine makes might possibly be fitted.
The valves are disconnected from the camshaft, thus the pistons push against cylinder gases with nowhere to go.
By all accounts, it's a lot more effective than the usual Euro type of exhaust brake that just blocks the exhaust pipe after the manifold/turbo.
bigwheel said:
You're right, there.
Cummins engines can have the Jacobs Brake system installed. Other engine makes might possibly be fitted.
The valves are disconnected from the camshaft, thus the pistons push against cylinder gases with nowhere to go.
By all accounts, it's a lot more effective than the usual Euro type of exhaust brake that just blocks the exhaust pipe after the manifold/turbo.
The old Foden's with CAT 6 banger's in had them too, never driven one but i'm told they're far more effective than our rubbish EU discount noise compliant exhaust stranglers. MAN's exhaust brake's were particularly useless on a full loaded artic IIRC. I've also heard them referred too as 'Retarder's' but not sure if that maybe refers to something else.Cummins engines can have the Jacobs Brake system installed. Other engine makes might possibly be fitted.
The valves are disconnected from the camshaft, thus the pistons push against cylinder gases with nowhere to go.
By all accounts, it's a lot more effective than the usual Euro type of exhaust brake that just blocks the exhaust pipe after the manifold/turbo.
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