I always liked the look of these big 3-axle trailers moving around Sydney. Is there anything special about adding a third axle to the normal 2-axle trucks in N America/Europe? Would the location of the bogie move? Are these type trailers used in cities? I believe the majority of semi's I saw in Sydney were 2-axle; I presume the 3-axle are for long haul or "trains?" Are there any websites with pictures for these type of operations? Thanks.
Do they actually run triple trailer combos there? I'm guessing this is the set up for cross country trips? And I thought the UPS folks here had it tough with triple 28's!
In NY they will run 2 53' on the interstates. But as soon as they get off there is a lot for disconnecting and running single for the city.
In Australia they actually have "Road Trains" multiple trailers in tow, check out this tanker "train"... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Road_Train_Australia.jpg
trailers Yes in ny they also run double combinations 53ft vans with 48ft vans , 53ft vans with flatbeds, 53ft vans with tankers ,flatbeds with tankers and so on . I have hauled most com. there are componds at most of the thruway exits to brakedown the trailers
Man, that Road Train is one SERIOUS freakin' truck! mg: There was an article sometime back about the continuous string of trucks going up and down I-81 in Virginia. "...so many trucks they were trying to be a train."
The third axle distributes weight. Allowing heavier loads. More $$$ for the haul. We used to have triples and more in logging here. Some folks called them "mule trains." Strictly off highway. But those have died away, along with our forest industry. Boxcab E50
Hank's Truck pictures: http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/trucks.htm Has a lot of pics with three & four axle trailers. Lots of beer trailers, and Canadian trailers. Steven
Some huge combinations there! BIG bumperguards, off-road lights, and big fuel tanks.. Get this, they call the tractor of the combo a 'prime mover'... With a combo that long, I guess there'd be no tight curves ont he route--lots of wide-open-spaces!
There is a PowerPoint which includes the photos posted and it shows one road train consisting of 29 trailers behind one tractor.
I used to drive trailers here.. Quite easy to drive really, but same as anything once you get used to it. B-Doubles are everywhere now, they have pretty much taken over from Singles, and its rare to see anything but triaxles now, except for furniture removals. B-doubles are used for everything from fine wine, to fuel Road trains are not so much all over the country, but mainly as stated outback, and longhaul. Trains are also anything from wine to ore The few times I had a run in a train, it was an experience, stopping them when loaded was very intense! Then there is this one - world record holder CAPTION: Using its Australian-designed Titan model, Mack recently recaptured the world record for the longest road train ever pulled with a single prime mover.
http://www.gordontrucking.com/Online/GTIWeb.nsf/Equipment?OpenForm# I used to work for GTI. Click on all of the types of trailers to see common American axle set ups. The four axle trailers are only for heavy haul states, and the last I knew this was about 15 Western states. The four axle truck and trailer combo is for a normal(non permitted) gross weight of 105,500. The four axle trailers are all 53' long, and the axles are fixed at the end of the trailer and don't move. The three axle trailers are also 53' long and the axles can slide or be fixed. A three axle truck and three axle trailer can legally be 88K, a four axle truck and three axle trailer can be 96K, and a four axle truck and four axle trailer can be 105,500. A three axle truck and two axle trailer over 40' long can have a gross wight of 80K. The two axle trailers all slide, and GTI only had 48' reefers and 53' dry vans. FYI Hi cube means that the trailers are 14' tall, which is a standard overpass height for everything west of Missouri, IIRC. There are four, five, and six axle container chassis, of varying length from 45' on up to 53' total length. Just the axles slide out from under the chassis, so you can have a container chassis that only holds a 45' container, but the axles slide out the back and make it 53' long so you can get all of the length needed to carry 105,500. In Washington, all of the trailers I've listed are used everywhere, in cities and in the country. The four axle trailers are illegal in California, and any trailer you take into CA HAS to have the axles slid forward past the 40' mark of the trailer(unless it's a fixed spread axle). You can run a 3 axle 53' trailer in CA, but again, all three axles cannot be past the 40' mark on the trailer. Here are some common heavy haul state trailers and trucks. "A" train http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:RoadtrainCrop.JPG These are commonly flatbeds, but there are some tanks and pnuematics using this combo. "B" trains http://www.beallcorp.com/newtrucks/020.html Normally flatbeds, there aren't a lot of tankers like this around. http://www.beallcorp.com/newtrucks/019.html Common gas truck http://www.beallcorp.com/newtrucks/007.html Common dump truck and pup. Normally, a four axle trailer has a four axle pup, and a five axle truck pulls a three axle pup. The pup drawbar extends to adjust weight. http://www.beallcorp.com/newtrucks/036.html Fairly common double bottom dump set up, although there are also flatbed, van, and tanks set up with similar trailer lengths.
The longest regular road trains carry zinc ore from the McArthur River mine at Boroloola to the coast for export. Cheers David
The term I've heard for the bumperguard is a "Roo Bar" (as in kangaROO). Also notice the high mounted air snorkels? I'll bet that could get through some seriously flooded washes. Or maybe that's to get up to clean air on dusty roads. I've actually done a triple axle conversion for a project I'm working on (kinda hard to see with the wheel guards). I need to get one of the new Athearns Mack R cabs for a closer match.
The nifty thing about this unit is in the 5th or 6th trailer is a second diesel motor & auto gear box,all tied in with the prime mover.A road version of the DPU Will post some pic's of some big heavy haulage trucks/trailers from the co. I work for soon.
