Why Trucks Have Such Long Wheelbases?
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- 🚚 Explore the Mysteries of Long Truck Wheelbases! 🤔
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Ever wondered why some trucks have incredibly long wheelbases? Join us as we delve into the captivating world of truck design to uncover the hidden secrets behind those extended frames and discover why going too long can spell trouble.
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▬▬▬ The video ▬▬▬
00:00 Start
00:20
How It's Measured
01:01 Typical Wheelbase Range
01:56 Historical Context
03:29 Advantages Of Long Wheelbase
05:06 Disadvantages of Long Wheelbases
06:46 The perfect wheelbase is..
07:25 Customized ultra long Trucks
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You might also enjoy: Why Trucks with Stick Shifts Are Going Extinct czcams.com/video/M0THWv6AMzI/video.html
You might also take the time to learn basic spelling, such as to, too and two. ( 0:48)
One of the Disadvantages of extra long wheelbase is ground clearance on railroads
Actually not really, there are some real bad RR crossings out there, but I pull an RGN (version of a low boy) with 6 inch ground clearance and 48' overall (40'? bridge) and it scrapes here and there but not bad, and its 6" ground clearance, and about 40' between drives and trailer sets. (construction sites with the sewers sticking out of the not yet paved road give me hibby jibbies though)
@@jimmahr.4665 Sounds like a disadvantage
@@elijahtucker7938 A trade off.
Tall things fit under bridges and wires, and you get to drive things straight on to it without pooping pants that you will fall off side.
My point was to what it takes for a long wheel base to become a ground clearance problem.
@@jimmahr.4665 That's a Really good point. There's trade offs for everything, and I retract my ignorant comment 😁
It's usually the trailer getting stuck
I just learned something important they said . "Longer wheelbases can make backing up more challenging. Particularly when the driver needs to
maneuver the truck in Reverse". At about 5.50. I had no idea this was the case!!
Thanks
😊
The longer wheelbase trucks are nice, but have you really seen one in cities, they are mainly for long haul on the interstates, and usually have dorms on them for husband/ wife teams who spend 24/365 on the road.
Cool stuff
With the exception of North America, COE seems to remain the configuration of choice.
And I love long nose trucks, not sure if you're saying that COE is better but it's not, and I haven't met a truck driver in US that would want cab overs back.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but longer wheelbase trucks are not necessarily able to take more weight than shorter wheelbase. It's entirely dependent on how the rear axles of the truck are designed, which has nothing to do with how long the wheelbase is. The weight from the load is almost entirely taken by the rear axles of the truck, and the axles of the trailer.
Yes I have enjoyed and something learnt
👍👍👍
I like my truck having a shorter wheelbase. I'll take manoeuvrability in tight docks and yards over general stability
Different needs and use cases.
I love an 8x4 with a lift axle for hill traversal
Getting around 6 mpg on 70 ton loads.
I say bring back the cabovers and the length laws
@@Perich29 I wonder, why say Volvo does not sell their European style cabovers in the US. IMHO, they would be popular in the cities and for short haul delivery. Also, they could bring their crew cab line as chassis for the firefighting vehicles.
since my parents got me a really old 18 wheels of steel game, I've been interested in these trucks since I was a child, huge respect to them and drivers, still play the new trucksim games some time
Best truck channel
Thanks 👍
Can you make a video why trucks have lift axles
Already made Will be posted in a couple of weeks 👍
Yay!
Maybe reduce tires wear
I think is for reduced tire wear and road noise
Lift axles are for carrying capacity
Driver compartment,rest or storage stretches the layout,the double rear wheel composition, All together are basically the reason for the long wheelbase.
All the trucks for the company i work for are with a long chassis (front and back axle) for a smoother ride for the driver.
For 13 years i ask for a 3 axle unit (we're always too heavy) but sadly.. due raising the taxes on German highways this is still too expensive
Trucks have long wheelbases for a couple reasons.
1. Spread the weight between the steer axle, drives and trailer axles
2. Smoother ride. Shorter wheelbase trucks ride rougher.
I drove long haul operating in the continental U.S. and Canada for 38 years and trust me, if you're driving 2500-3200 miles a week you want a longer wheelbase. But you pay for it when you have to go into cities or tight areas.
It would have been helpful to illustrate (with graphics) the difference between a set-forward and set-back front axle position, comparing two trucks with the same engine and hood length, same cab, same sleeper, and same cab-to-axle distance. The set-back axle decreases the wheelbase and shifts load to the front axle from the rears.
I don't know, my cabover Pete double bunk had 18,000 on the steering axle bobtail.
I learned to drive a semi in a COE at age 18. My last tractor was a 310" wheelbase super bunk before I retired. Trucking will always be a love/hate relationship. But if it's in your blood you will look back fondly.
Indeed. I only got out of the game because Reagan took all the money out of it. A lot of airline pilots got out for the same reason. The best time I've ever had was being snowed in across from the St. Louis airport at Noah's Ark. The place was full of truck drivers and airline pilots. Truck drivers and Pilots are the same kind of people. What a wild time we all had. LOL
@@dannysdailys Noah's Ark. That had to be a long time ago.
It was; early 80's. Why, is it gone now? @@michaellake5269
Yes, I see it was closed in 1990. Too bad, it was a wild place.@@michaellake5269
Also interesting are some of the long wheelbase rigid trucks. I once worked on the development of a four axle chassis to carry a 40ft shipping container. It had a wheelbase of over 10 metres!
I don't believe it 😂
@@driverandy4263 If I remember correctly, it was 10.8 metres.
@@driverandy4263Check out "Super Dumper" if you design them like this you could fit a 20 feet container and have 80.000lbs of legal weight.
We load those 40 footers on regular container chassis trailers. Sure, those trucks are usually extended slightly, but that has to with our weight regulations. A regular semi truck you'll find on the European continent has a max weight limit of either 40 tons (4x2 pulling a 3axle trailer) or 44 tons (6x2 or 6x4). Up here in Sweden, we extend the trucks slightly and reduce overhang on the trailers to make them allowed to weigh up to 50 tons. This because total weight is often regulated by the distance between first axle and last axle in an axle group as well as overall. A regular American semi truck has a max gross weight of 36 tons, for reference. When it comes to rigids, that is the most comon thing you'll find in Sweden. Most Swedish truck drivers drive either 6x2 or 6x4 rigids with 4- or 5-axle full trailers. These has a max gross weight of 64 tons (141000lbs) and are 24 meters long. Then you have the 8x4s pulling 5-axle trailers and those bad boys can weigh up to 74 tos (163000lbs) and they are up tp 25.25 meters long. Then there is that Scania S770 hauling woodchips between a train station and a powerplant. It's an 8x4 pulling a B-train with a dolly. Max weight? 98 tons (roughly 215000lbs). It's also 34.5 meters long (from front bomper to the back of the trailer)
Yeah, but that's different, it wasn't pulling a 53 foot trailer.
Excellent video ! American trucks are so special. I particularly like the older ones as well as the older cars. Great engineers, great history. Thanks a lot, Colin UK
Thanks
Thanks ❤️
Long wheel base are great for open decks. Longer wheel base, smoother ride and stability. And comes in handy when hauling over length steel beams.
Anything over 185 is going to be tough if you have to do a lot of docking. Anything over 240 is going to be impossible in major cities where cars double and triple park. I had to have the police route me in NYC due to this, and that was with a 185 COE.
at least weekly I hear from a driver complaining that they can't make the turn into my dock with their sleepers, then the day cab LTL drivers come around and effortlessly whip their trucks around other trucks to get on it XD.
I hear ya. I run a 260 inch Pete. I love it when I hear, we don't get big trucks here. I've had many police escorts because the only way in is going wrong way on a one way street. One trip to nyc, police had cars towed to make room for me. People get upset, but oh well, I take as much space as I need.
We adjust wheel bases a lot. Mostly for municipal vehicles, it’s very important you get that measurement correct lol
Next video could be about axle configuration, if there is one it could be then an update.
Already made 😅 Decoding Truck Axle Configurations: 4x2, 6x4, 8x4 and More
czcams.com/video/BjHXyLHiEoo/video.html
My offered opinion as to why trucks and trailers have lift Axles is to save fuel when empty and to reduce tire wear when they aren't needed !
Also save on tolls (charged per rolling axle) and truck axles don't like to be too light, they tear up tires when traveling long distances empty (this is especially bad on trailer axles, tires don't so much wear, but get chopped up, flat spots/river wear)
Hint: ground pressure
I heard they sucks in the snow and rain but I don’t know if that’s true tho I never a truck class a with a lift Axle I only drove a tank wagon with a lift axle in the middle for weight
Our company has several backing issues a day and it is difficult to maneuver through a lot of our job sites, yet we will receive 2 new trucks this month with a longer wheel base. I would be surprised if our fleet services who ordered the trucks know the type of sites we deliver to or got any driver input.
American trucks in Australia like Kenworth, for example that are used for transporting road train, But Kenworth K220 is a cab over. still it has good enough wheelbase.
In europe trucks also have alot of different task to do. With the same axle configurarion. Heavy loads were pulled by 4-axle trucks. But a longer bed is rare. And don't say our shortbeds are not comfy.
Make a video on the advantages of different suspension heights
Air ride makes that a mute point. You can set that to whatever you want. And on these roads? Even air ride is tough.
It's interesting how different trucks are in different countries. In Europe or Asia, you wouldn't survive a single day with such s vehicle while thry seem to fit on NA roads. But even in the US or CA, it must be a pain in the ass to drive to places like the Bronx or Manhattan wirh such a wheelbase + the long hood.
Please make a video on roadtrains
Here you go Why Australia Is The ONLY Place With Road-Trains?
czcams.com/video/TksLDZ9IDbE/video.html
the old COE trucks were so cool looking. cool that Europe keeps the trend alive
I run a 1993 K100E Kenworth Aerodyne with an RTAC (Canadian) legal 244 inch wheelbase. For long beams, pipe, poles etc. it can not be beat. Why use a stretch trailer when I can hang 10 feet off the nose of the trailer?
No headache rack, that's why.
Headache racks are still required by law. Plus you gotta hang chains and binders someplace.@@dannysdailys
Exactly what I meant. @@KeithJibben
Mostly long frames on a tractor are because idiots think it looks cool. Try working NYC with one of those POS
👍
Yep. Same as thinking manuals are better.
Try thinking that NYC is not the bellybutton of US. Also over half of long haul truck drivers don't want to go north of Baltimore, and there are a LOT of trucks that long haul purely across Nebraskas, Dakotas etc. They pay no penalty for their set ups. If you ever get out of your little bubble you will find out how BIG US is.
Fun fact. Did you know that loads going to NYC pay more? And I mean MORE, I'm talking couple thousand bucks more.... straight out of your pockets, still not taking it, screw NY NJ and your toll road gouging on trucks, pay your "make trucks pay it" penalty. (your politicians lie to you, at the end, YOU pay for the tolls with every load).
@@Low760 And you think there are automatic semis? Not one automatic transmission semi truck has ever been mass produced.
What you're thinking about is automated manual. It's a manual transmission with a little robot mounted on it to shift it and run the clutch for you. It's a manual gear box, because.... wait for it..... IT IS BETTER. (none sincro manual to be specific, because 10, 13, 18 beefy gears take up enough space)
Upside of actual stick shifts was that it took some skill to shift them, now with the automated ones any numbnut can jump in there and go "look at me! I'm a truck driver!" while forgetting that they are pulling a trailer and side swiping my truck twice in a week.
Its because of economy.Europe now is showing the way as U S has to adopt till tesla and chinese take overwith ev
Weight distribution ...
8:12 😲😲😲 I've never seen one this Long before. 😲
His girlfriends don't want to share rooms.
I have the suspicion that this channel doesn't know much about trucks if they are associating long wheelbases with a Volvo in the thumbnail... could be wrong tho.
Definitely not. But they have cracked the algorithm
Hard to find good images to use👎 but Volvo provide so had to go with it 🤔
I was stationed in Europe for 9 of my 22 years in the US Military and I notice very few purpose built trucks and fewer trucks with long wheel bases, just some observations from my travels in Europe.
That's because they don't need to be purpose built as they don't suck.
@@Low760 Exactly! Who wants an truck with a wheelbase that would make a locomotive jealous with envy?
Wow, I see we have two super truckers here, must have put down a lot of miles to be so opiniated on someone else equipment. (replies)
In Europe, regulations limit trucks front bumper to rear bumper, also they need maneuverability more then anything else on the smaller roads, much different here in US, regulations here are about axle set spacing, the longer the better up to a max limit. (Short spacing can't carry as much gross).
The tractor shown at 5:23 is ridiculously long, it will stay out in Nebraska's or it will be purely show truck, and it cost more then your keyboard warriors daddies' house.
They ALL ARE purpose built for their market.
@@jimmahr.4665 Calm down, dont elevate your blood pressure, it;s OK to take it on the chin sometimes . . .
@@jimmahr.4665 yep. I definitely don't know what I'm talking about in my 18 years working on trucks as a mechanic. Nope.
Wheelbase choice has almost nothing to do with high-speed stability, but the rest of the reasons are valid.
And not weight either. Longer means heavier. American suspension systems aren't as good as European trucks and will need longer wheelbases to be smoother.
@Low760 North American heavy highway trucks essentially all have beam axles with leaf springs in the front, and live beam axles with air suspension in the rear. I realize that Volvo offers independent front suspension in the FH but I assume that's not standard practice across the industry - what do typical European trucks have that is better than the North American trucks?
@@brianb-p6586 A modern truck with fuel effeceient engines, quiet exhausts and higher gross weights for a start . . .
@TRPGpilot sorry, I was asking specifically about suspensions.
And there is no difference in engine efficiency between trucks in Europe and North America - they're generally using the same engines now. There is also no difference in weight capacity: US Interstate rules limit weight to lower than typical Euro limits, but many North American trucks run much higher gross weights in specific areas... including right across Canada.
@@brianb-p6586 Fair enough though I doubt that US truck engines
can be Euro 6 compliant. Fair point though. Have a nice day!
The simple answer is wheelbase has nothing to do with gvw and axle weights but legislation has everything to do with it. That's why the current federal limit in the US is less than what the UK was running in 1983 let alone the increased limit in the UK from 1993 to the present day. Norway allows trucks about 15% heavier than the UK .
I am not hating but i just wanted to say the cargo container semi trailer near the end was the European version of it with a American semi which being a semi nerd that combination just looks wrong💀
🎉
Can you now make video on most reliable truck brand?
Hard to say which is
This would be an impossible subject, purely opinion, and even by stats would change every couple years, also unlike in cars, you spec what brand engine, axles/suspension, and sometimes even ABS you want in a semi. The emblem on the hood is the cab and frame. (not all brands are available on all trucks but...)
There really isn't one. Unless they use proprietary parts. Ford was horrible for that using car headlight pull out switches that you couldn't buy anywhere. The reliability comes from the engines/ transmissions you order on it. At least, that's how it used to be. In my day, it was hard to beat a Cummins 400, a Cat 425, and a fuller 13 speed overdrive tranny. I put half a million miles on a Peterbilt without any problems except for the jake brake wire falling off it's switch. Really. Of course, it chose to do that coming off a mountain and it got hairy. They used a crimp connector on the jake brake switch!
the rigs in europe are like a long car
An other issue is that more of the wheight would be distributed just onto the rear axles making it more likely to have issues stearing at slippery road conditions
And I think it does, heavy end always wan to be in the front. Also pay attention to truck crash videos, if a truck has a single drive axle it jack knives EVERY time, tandem drives do it about half the time.
EU trucks dont have such a long wheelbase...thats total waste tbh to have that long wheelbase
5 Yeař ÕŁdé Sâys
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small channels, participating in pagerism of articals for youtube videos? who woulda thought
i know alot of people are copying my content and thumbnails sadly..
So you are saying that long wheel base carries heaviest loads but don't unless you put more steel on the frame.
I don't understand how a longer wheelbase reduces the strain on tires and suspension? How does a longer wheelbase reduce road surface wear? Third, how does a longer wheelbase handle larger and lighter loads?
A longer wheelbase increases stability and driving comfort on highways, I accept that, but that's all.
Can someone tell me how big the largest axle weights are in America and does the wheelbase affect them?
A long nose long wheelbase keeps you alive in the event of a very bad multi vehicle accident. In a cab over, you're the first one to the accident. I know of many drivers personally who have been killed in them. 5 of them in just one wreck in the winter outside of Reno, alone.
heavy haul 4 axle trucks need a longer wheelbase due to the additional axle. They usually have longer fifth wheel slides so you can get more weight on the steer axle. Bobtail im 15,500 lb on the steer and 15,000 on the drives with a 288" wheelbase. With a 13 axle setup i can get 60,000+ lb on the drives/pusher axle, and close to 20,000lb on the steer. The turning radius is pretty bad, backing can be tricky due to it taking a long time to get back under the load. Its not ideal for tight spaces, but necessary due to the fourth axle, fuel tanks, apu, etc.
What's that in Kilos? Come on USA move in to the 21st century.@@hkerekes
Optimus Prime 🚛🚚
This sounds like it was written by an AI
Well was written by me 😅
Because try driving a cabover cattle hauler once . Vs. a Long nose Pete . That's why .
Did you drive an old k100 or a new Volvo fh? Because plenty of cattle trucks in Australia at 80 metric tonnes are cab overs.
@@Low760 You are assuming he knows where Australia is much less have a passport ha ha . . .
@@TRPGpilot You can't even tell a female name from a male one ! So you can go stick it in Kathmandu.
@@Low760 And I don't know why they do that to themselves, but hey, to each his own. Any Australians here? Why yall run cab overs? I know you're allowed conventional.
@@jimmahr.4665 volvo/scania offers more powerfull engines and they have better turning circles
Definitely won't bottom out driving on "flat" earth theory.
a too long wheelbase is literal / visible copium, that will and must eventually backfire. always a good chuckle to see Mr Big Rig getting stuck on hydrants and whatever, one can almost physically see the shrinkage of ... ego.
If your semi can be comfortably converted into a box truck without changing the wheel base, your wheel base is too long
Easy answer long wheel base better ride
Long wheelbases because 'murica. Bugger long wheel base semi's, makes it hard to drive a truck in tight spaces. Most drivers are so fat they have enough padding to ignore bumps in the road.
Long wheelbases decrease load capacity.
Don't need load capacity if your business is hauling foam, or flowers, or zit faced teens. Btw just starching the frame by 3-4 feet with no extra cab on it, is absolutely negligible in truck weights.
Aaaaaand once again, not everyone goes into tight spaces, actually believe it or not, 80+% of trucking happens outside of big cities. Come harvest season, Wowee them country trucks come out of the woodwork. 20 year old trucks, not one mile in NYC, or LA, or..... allergic to it.
@@jimmahr.4665 In Australia, the long wheelbase is used by drug runners pretty much.
@@Low760 LOL, (not dismissing, just funny statement) You sure that's accurate? Media likes to do propaganda when they want to achieve something, good to have public opinion behind you when you go attacking a group.
Can't speak about Australia at all, but here in US all the "custom" type trucks are Owner Operators, you don't go buying extra expensive trucks for employees. Big trucking companies run what I call "corporate trucks". They might be going after small business to put them out (we have a lot of this here in US but by different means), and attacking anything custom would be what stands out to the public, yet not committing heresy by outright saying they want moms and pops shops to die. And why would they? Money. They can make more money.
And if you think the world is not this corrupt.... yes it is, remember, man can get pregnant.
So what you said, I don't buy it. Not even as an indicator let alone a rule.
I think all the excuses of long base trucks are not accurate, for the big cabinet the European trucks are so comfortable and luxurious, the wight can thry holding even more the American style , so the long base and long truck nose is just for show for the American trucks to rbe ecognized
Sounds more like the common American mentality: Big is Back - because Bigger is Better - 6000 SUX ...
And then come to urbanized area, which for sure is very rare in America, just to find out: Bigger sucks ..
Girl at 1:25 what's her @?
American trucks.... Not euro trucks
Better ride.
Was this video AI written or at least drafted? Cool topic, but the language and transitions seemed AI based. I don't care if you do that, just curious is all.
Use AI to help write some parts of the script, the VoiceOver is 100% real person 😃👍
Yeah I hate the long wheel bases and big sleepers keep it simple like Australia
Many ppl stay on the road for Xtra long times,so having Bigg sleepers with everything from showers, fridges, stoves, etc is cheaper & healthier than truck stops
The oversized bunks are called condos, there are truck drivers out there that don't actually have a house/building, they literally live in them trucks for years.
@@scottycollins1829 drive a truck not a house is my saying for them
@@jimmahr.4665 we call them a flat here and you don’t live in your truck in Australia you live in your bosses granny flat
I mean, except cabovers and definitely except European ones. They typically only have one rear axle and have very short wheelbases, which after running in a simulator (Beamng Drive) I flipped it over during a turn because it wasn't like the conventional truck with the longer wheelbase.
European trucks are engineered as a package and meet higher safety standards.
how the fuck did you flippe it? I have been driving all kind of trucks and configurations over the years and never came close to an accident such as you discribe.
Two steer axles are better then one (tractor drive tires serve as steer axles for trailer) more traction up front to control the trailer, 50/50 weight distribution for where the weight is.
Australia is the level player which has both Europe and America but b double and triple on 6×4 shorter wheelbase
😂🤘👍
Maybe they need the wheels in the back to turn left right as well . Those trucks with that big cabin in the back cost a lot of money, i am surprised they even consider buying it if it's difficult to maneuver. Come on... year 2023 for fk sakes do we really need to talk about this? those trucks should turn as easily as a car can. For 400k the price of those trucks i would've expected way more.