Scania, Volvo, Mercedes vs American trucks. How can you stand them?

Canadian companies operate Scania trucks too....

 

who in canada operates with scania?

 

http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/2010/03/bjorn-in-the-usa-more-scanias.html

So you can see! But seems to me Scania, Nicka saw in FL is from Mexico.

 

I know nothing about European trucks. I do know that American trucks have to travel over 35,000 miles of interstate, millions of secondary hwys, gravel roads, and even dirt roads on occasion. They have to be able to handle -20F temps in the Dakota's during the winter, then 6 months later they have to be able to climb long steep mountain grades when it's 110F in Arizona, all without changing one thing to the truck. They are also expected to do this for at least 600,000 miles (not kilometers) before any major work being done to them and then continue to be in service for another 300,000 or 600,000 miles before being retired. Some guys will run them well over 1.5 million miles and they will do that if cared for. They have to be comfortable and big enough so a guy can live in them for weeks, or months on end, yet manuverable to thread a big trailer down some skinny ally way in New York. They are asked to do a lot of work in a lot of different enviroments at a low cost. They do it well. They may be old and low tech to you Europeans, but when you get something right the first time, you just don't have to change anything. A lot of times good engineering is simple and low tech.

 

Belive me, last 5 years differense is not so notisable. Europeans introdused ECAS, EBS with disk brakes in 90-s. But now new US trucks, especially Volvo and Freightliner have newer European things, and they install the latest and suffisticated versions of modern electronic toys, including EBS with ESP (electronic stability program).

EU trannies are popular in the USA for many years, especially ZF AsTronic (Freedom line in the USA), ZF did not design 12V version of tranny, they just offer this tranny with 12V-24V voltage converter!

EPA 2010 is a copy of Euro-V emission standard and Blue-Techc is on all new engines (exept Scania and Cat, that use EGR, Turbo-Compaund and ACERT to reduce NOx emissions).

Yeah, US makers attac EU market (Cat, Cummins, Meritor, Eaton), but European influens on US market is like a zunami wave!

Lets compare 2010 US truck with EU truck. They have EuroV/EPA2010 calibrated engines with AdBlue, EBS, ECAS, sometimes electronic light controll... and what is the difference? In the USA they offer conventional trucks, in Europe they are rare, Volvo do not offer VN/VH cabines in EU, FH/FM/FL COE trucks only, Mercedes Zetros is not offered like a hightway trucktor, they offer Actros COE... but this is not all, in EU we have Tachografs. What's that? HAH! unit that records when, at what speed and how long you drive? every cop may easily know how many hours you drive and at what speed! And according the law in many countries 55 mph speed governor must be!
And of course US and EU headlamp pattern differ. Really that's all.
seems to me in next 10 years we'll have the same trucks all over the world.

Yeah, now in Europe truck lenth limit is 16.5m, but they go on experiments with extra long and heavy road trains, like Australian use

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DsPNBgZ9Uk4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YnqwhoEP6c&feature=channel

It is the sign they will change law soon, like they introdues Blue Tech in 2000 and tested from 2005. We operate Euro 5 trucks for 3 years, but things are not so good as looks at first glace.

so.... we'll see evolution.... longer, heavier, more fuel efficient, safer, less emission... many purposes to achive

 

Take a look at my W900L....It has 1.6 million miles on it now and it's got another 10 years in it easily!

Euro trucks?

If you gave me a top of the line Scania today I'd sell it as soon as I could find someone dumb enough to buy it!
10 years from now American trucks will not look much different than they do today.

 

epa 2010 is more strigent than euro5 ,it is more closer to euro6 which is 3 years ahead.
not every tech stuff comes from europe,for exemple the oldest diesel model with serial turbocharging (which starts to be more used this day) was a cummins ntc475,overheadcamshaft- caterpillar 1693 , electronic fuel unit injectors -detroit diesel 60,the turbocompound was in research and development of many engine and truck firms in the 80's,if scania starded the first series production of turbocompound engine that doesnt mean they have invented it....
by the way ,mercedes will use a modifyed epa2010 version of detroit diesel dd13,16 for they new actros

 

Ouh! so many technologies were designed so many years ago,but they start using them later... first OHC engines were designed and made in the beggining of the last century, electronic diesel controll appeared in 60-s, unit injectors were introdused in 70-s....

but all these things are expencive and till gas and diesel were cheap, there were not so many trucks CO and NOX emissions were not concidered so harmfull, they did not use them

okay, why you will not purchase EU truck offered in the USA? yeah! you like conventional truck with bigger sleeper! In Europe there are laws limiting coupled semi lenth. And that's why they sell COE trucks only! It is true that distances in Europe a shorter.

Yeah, I like EU trucks for better brakes, better stability, they run not so rought like US trucks, but... things I have: to lift cabine! to climb in cabine! to fix cabine,<-> chassis wiring.... EU trucks are more expencive to fix after accidents, like any COE truck.

Things I do not like in US trucks: they run roughly, drum brakes are not so sencetive like EBS controlled disk brakes, US trucks are more noisy in cabine (yeah! steel cabines are more silent!),tranny/clutch works are more difficult and expencive becouse we cant use crane to pull out tranny.

Seems to me if EU will cancel lenth limit for trucktor convintenal trucks will appeare on EU roads. But COE trucks will not dissapeare. They will use them together like Russian companie operate COE and conventional trucks usint their advantages.

 

All this is what you have already written....are signs of globalization.....

It has brought us lots of good things but bad things too, unfortunately

for example old ZF 16s160 gearbox takes at least 25 years without any work on it .....

father had two Scania 112 4x2 one with 333hp and other with 363hp and that truck is amazing .....

he bought it with 200 000km in 1992 truck was 1986.....had it until 2002....sold it with 1200 000 km....

during that time had no malfunction.....


Only one was broken screw that pull clutch cylinder ....and that one cost 50$ ....head screws, not as an ordinary it has a two hooks ....

and he change rubber hose for intercooler (was lacerated due to lift the cab ) cost 170$
once was broken half shaft on axle it was with 70ton(155000lbs) gross in wet ground with diff lock
and driver broke twice diff lock


to mention....truck has never maintained except for brakes oil and filter....

loaded gross with 120000-125000lbs sometimes more depends on load ( it was tipper 2axle with 3axle trailer)

it was sold in april 2002 it still drives but easylly job ....

it has now "790000km" -probably about two million km....

and the owner says that will not sell it and and that he had no faults....except half shaft ( same reason )it is repackaged clutch cylinder....
and change nozzles.....




should be noted that the truck drove by our roads outside the highway.....


there is a lot of hills here for example that truck drives a lot of times through Bosnia... there is a even more hills than in croatia in fact there are almost no straight road... there is a one hill when you are going from town Bugojno to Kupres it is 10km 6.2mille long hill with 9% and there is always wet .....i was there 2days ago and there is a ice on the road now .....


in Bosnia on some hills is a message that is a dangerous road and trucks with trailers will be down the hill in first gear and buss and trucks without trailers in 2nd .....also has a lot of serpentine......bends.....

This truck also has worked only one period/year and doing 1200km(750mille) /day it takes about 20+ hours of driving on that roads

also winters are cold (last year was a long period of -26 to -30C (-15/-22F)

summers are too hot the sun is easily 50C degrees (122F)

other scania was bought in 1996 with "600 000km" it was 1987 112 363hp
was purchased with a malfunction in transmission 1000$

We had it to 1300000km.....
changed in the clutch..... ~4000$ ( original scania clutch no fake one)

and remanufactured injectors.....(I do not remember prices).....
it was sold in late 2001 in hungary and it still drives


but these trucks are no longer profitable

such scania spent on Mountain road 40L/100km =5.85mpg

on highway( same direction also with hills ) about 6.7mpg and it is not enough....there is a lot of people who drive same road with new trucks with 7.8mpg (This all applies to empty in one direction 16t-35500lbs and loaded in other direction 46t 101500lbs)

what truck is cost-effective on flat but no on hills .....

for example on winter all flat with allmost no hills on that road 46t in one direction empty in other consumption would be 9.55mpg ( no highway)


I can not remember more when I saw the old scania on the road in long distance...


as well as your classic trucks will disappear also .....

I am in touch with a lot of people( from my contury) who drive trucks in America and they say that the situation is not the best.....

believe, how will the changes happen really soon..... I also think that the trucks will be very similar....

Even could it come into consideration that you will not have two drives.....

It is totally unnecessary

here we only have it on contruction trucks logg trucks and heavy hauler....
Although there are a lot of heavy transport with one drive axle....

in Scandinavia and construction trucks usually have only one drive even sometimes logg trucks.....

also, unfortunately, will soon disappear and we small companys with 1-5trucks .....

My father will probably left transport in the spring .....

 

IMO, Scania is a greate truck, but parts are too expencive.... clutch kit for $4000!!!! ore PDE ECM for $4600!!!!

It is funny, but newer HPI Scania engine with ISX control unit, ISX injectors and valves compatible to pre EGR ISX, these parts are of the same price like in the USA.

People say Scania engine is better then ISX becouse less EGR problems, easier to do cyl.head works, becouse of pushrod design. There are 6 heads, no one long...

I gonna be a trucker next year. Of course I look for used truk. I did my choise about engine: N14 EuroII ore Select+ ore DD60 with DDEC-IV. May be Mercedes OM460. yep! CAT 3406 is better but Cat parts are very expencive here, ISX are offered with EGR and more then half with EGR on hot side... I wanna use this truck for domestic shipping and I need not Euro-III ore higher emission standard.

What truck? seems to me conventional one. the cheappest are Century Class and International 9200 here. Yeah, I love Mercedes Actros, Peterbilt, KW... but I need somethin cheapper, reliable and low cost parts.

Trailer is very difficult choise! May be Kogel, May be Fliegel, but nit Schmitz. Yeah! I want trailer with EBS, Roll stability system and ECAS.. for safety but... seems to me I will start with old one and may be later I'll do conversion to EBS! To get trailer with lift axe is a good idea too! save tires...

US trailers with tandem axes are good too.