How fast are Tractor units, i.e truck without the trailer ?

How fast are Tractor units, i.e truck without the trailer ?

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J4CKO

Original Poster:

41,637 posts

201 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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The Volvo truck thread reminded me that a few years back, a truck obsessed acquaintance proudly told me how his dads truck would out accelerate my mk1 Golf Gti, never though about that until now, I just kind of ignored him as be was a bit of a Billy Bullst merchant, thinking about it, if something can tow 20 odd tonnes it is pretty powerful so with that load removed it must have plenty of power in reserve but out accelerate a hot hatch, I wouldn't have thought so, don't they need quite a few gear changes, would be interested to hear how quick they actually are.

Krikkit

26,544 posts

182 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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Looking at a Volvo DH16 - 7 tons, 800hp, probably a bit slower, but shouldn't be far off! (Assuming you can put it all on the road of course).

martin mrt

3,774 posts

202 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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They are quicker than you would expect, a 480 DAF I had would pull away and be up to the speed limiter in two gear changes,

Pull away in 5th Low block change to 7th low and then into 8th High, I was more than able to give my mates old VTR a run for its money once rolling to 56,

Most new trucks are auto and can't be abused in the above manner the same

chilistrucker

4,541 posts

152 months

Monday 21st January 2013
quotequote all
martin mrt said:
They are quicker than you would expect, a 480 DAF I had would pull away and be up to the speed limiter in two gear changes,

Pull away in 5th Low block change to 7th low and then into 8th High, I was more than able to give my mates old VTR a run for its money once rolling to 56,

Most new trucks are auto and can't be abused in the above manner the same
this smile
back in the "good ol" days, a manual tractor unit was amazinngly quick out of the blocks smile
and like martin says, start in the right gear, get a smooth change from low, to, high range you'd surprise many a car.
i also here that unit only, roundabout drifts were more than possible. apparently.

martin mrt

3,774 posts

202 months

Monday 21st January 2013
quotequote all
chilistrucker said:
martin mrt said:
They are quicker than you would expect, a 480 DAF I had would pull away and be up to the speed limiter in two gear changes,

Pull away in 5th Low block change to 7th low and then into 8th High, I was more than able to give my mates old VTR a run for its money once rolling to 56,

Most new trucks are auto and can't be abused in the above manner the same
this smile
back in the "good ol" days, a manual tractor unit was amazinngly quick out of the blocks smile
and like martin says, start in the right gear, get a smooth change from low, to, high range you'd surprise many a car.
i also here that unit only, roundabout drifts were more than possible. apparently.
4 wheeler units I found especially good for drifting 6 wheelers not so much.
The DAF was certainly better, read easier, to abuse than my manual Scanias I had more recently

R0G

4,986 posts

156 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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they are 56 mph with or wothout the trailers

s p a c e m a n

10,782 posts

149 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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The dafs were always good for holding a drift, has to be manual whatever it is though.. Favorite Scania youtube drift

Going on averages a solo unit is about 8 tonne with 500bhp, so 60bhpt.. about the same as a 1.6 fiesta?

Nickyboy

6,700 posts

235 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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A tractor unit will out drag a typical car off the lights, with an auto box its pretty easy. A Scania R730 for instance has 2500lb/ft of torque.

I remember being behind a solo unit in a transit van a few years ago, when the lights changed i went to pass it on a clear road only to be shown a clean set of heels

tonkaplonka

751 posts

212 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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That YouTube clip is class. In a past life a long time ago, I was an HGV fitter. My favourite was the 450hp V8 citylink Scanias we looked after. Pulling away in 5th I'd have said they would easily give a hot hatch a run for their money. This was 17 years ago though.

Nickyboy

6,700 posts

235 months

Monday 21st January 2013
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Gives you an idea of the torque, doesn't just happen in bond films

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri_jmFaSbw4&NR=...

martin mrt

3,774 posts

202 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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Nickyboy said:
A tractor unit will out drag a typical car off the lights, with an auto box its pretty easy. A Scania R730 for instance has 2500lb/ft of torque.

I remember being behind a solo unit in a transit van a few years ago, when the lights changed i went to pass it on a clear road only to be shown a clean set of heels
I disagree here with the auto box, they are not programmed correctly to enable a quick sprint from the lights like you can in a manual truck. They choose too low a gear to start with and don't change in big enough blocks.

A unit will easily outdrag a transit van, I have done this several times in situations like you describe.

reckless st

178 posts

208 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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ahhh but does the OP mean quick or fast my fastest was 89 mph fully frieghted round the brussels ring in a volvo fh 12 with the limiter disabled but for quickness my four wheeler fh16 520 was certainly able to suprise car drivers at traffic lights if you got the shifts right

philmots

4,631 posts

261 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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Pretty good.. Specially with Volvo IShift.

With an empty trailer it'll use 5th or 6th to start in, then to 9th to 11th then 12th

It'll pull a high gear from such low speeds it doesn't really need lots of changed.

MK1 Golf GTI vs an average 450hp unit... In gear then it's highly possible the truck would pull away. But not for long.

grumpy52

5,598 posts

167 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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I once took an old scania 113 450 unit from the yard to the service workshop ,this scania had been fitted with an uprated pump (in the time prior to re-maps or chips) also prior to speed limiters ,this thing was huge fun !Plenty of slides loads of black smoke from the stack pipes,silly speeds !

ash5

28 posts

149 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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There faster then most people think,i came up to a round about one night and there was a brand new mercedes truck joined from the dock entrance,when he came on to the stright he made my astra look like i was going backwards,it did put a smile on my face to see how fast they are.

ZR1cliff

17,999 posts

250 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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It's the monster torque that does the damage and great fun when driving solo. Love it when I'm told to go solo thru the tunnel to the docks. Surprisingly gives good MPG. It's no problem getting 17 MPG driving solo.

Also love the feel of how the torque pulls going thru the tunnel fully freighted and hearing that big old turbo whistling.

Reminds me - today a scania with sidepipes overtook me (seems to be a daily occurence), the noise and the little effort of those torquey V8's is gourgeous cloud9

Edited by ZR1cliff on Tuesday 22 January 20:25

Panda76

2,572 posts

151 months

Tuesday 22nd January 2013
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They can be surprisingly quick.
If moving solo across town it's known to get some cars up your harris and occasionally you might boot it off the lights and roundabout and the car behind will be struggling to stick with you.
It's only cars with the bigger engines that can keep up tbh.
Seen a lot of solo units nail cars at a set of lights,always makes me chuckle.

  • Dependant on trucks bhp.

englisharcher

1,607 posts

165 months

Friday 25th January 2013
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Here is the story from the day one took my by surprise, I was driving a Daihatsu Sportrak when this happened

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Nickyboy

6,700 posts

235 months

yorkieboy

1,845 posts

176 months

Saturday 26th January 2013
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I wana drive this truck past Westminster lmao http://youtu.be/RgUJZ8Mr77E