BigLorryBlog

"Well it runs from St Louis, down to Missouri, Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty you'll see Amarillo, Gallup New Mexico...and all by looking at the Renault Magnum/Road 66 website by clicking on http://www.magnum-route66.renault-trucks.fr/  which has a complete photographic record of the trip across the great Continent made by two Maggies....

Regular BLB readers may well recall me covering the departure of the smart pair for a road trip across the USA following the classic Route 66 (or the bits that are still left)...and here are a few pictures from it to whet you appetite...(and especially for 'The Boss') Now click through here for more...

Cam has sent me this shot from the recent do at the opening of the new Transport museum and Cultural center at gatton where there was this Bicentennial Mack as well as the handy sign that has the names of all of them on it. Now click through here....

Cameron McFadyen, Biglorryblog's man at South East Queensland Tilt Tray says: "Hi Brian, we went up to Gatton (about 90k`s from Brisbane) today for the opening of the new Transport Museum and Cultural Centre. Gatton is the home of 'Lights on the Hill' a memorial for people in the transport industry that have died whist doing their job. There has been a lot of Government money spent there."

"Bill Baskett was there, he was rounding up a bit of info on our trucks for a bit of commentary, but by the time the pollies got through with their speechs I don`t think he was asked. Anyway, the main thing, there was a good roll up of old gear there, so as they say on TV, wait there`s more." And you can find it by clicking through here....

"Hello Brian", says Gyles Carpenter. "I'm sending you this pic in light of Bob Tuck's mentioning of the first Anglo-Scottish run. Kind regards, Gyles."And look carefully and you can see Tucky in the passenger seat too! Now for a quick pie, it's an AEC but what model and year?

Les Freathy has kindly sent me these pictures of Cliffe Construction's F16 four-axle Globetrotter...but where is it now I wonder?

And click through here for Brown and Mason's Volvo low loaders.

It's a trailer Jim...but not as we know it  yes this is for real..and click through here for the full-story and equally over-sized vehicles. Only the weirdest wagons on Biglorryblog! 

"Greetings Brian," says Gyles Carpenter..."Evening Star hooked up to 413 at the 2007 Great Dorset!"

Brace yerselves men--it's 'T' time..Diamond T that is. "Hey Big Lorry Blog," says Wayne Westwood--product specification co-ordinator for Volvo trucks down-under (must be a mate of Gary 'Two Hats' Richards methinks). anyway Wayne says: "I'm not sure how to post a pic or add a story?? So I'll send you a couple of pics of my old man's 1959  630 Diamond T.. still in the TNT fleet colours..( it's last working assignment ) and a shot of him at his induction into the Australian Transport Hall of Fame in 2005.. if you could post these up with the other Diamond T pics already in BLB, I know he would be 'wrapped...'. Thanks heaps...Wayne."

Leave it to me mate---and what a cracking machine too. Indeed BLB is only too pleased to post this up not least as it reminds me to ask Cam McFadyen: "How's your Diamond T restoration coming along...any chance of some shots?" Meanwhile, click through here for more from Wayne....

Here's a bit of a 'rare beast'....it's from John Pugh who says: "Hi Brian, Port Lympne Wild Animal Park (in your back yard?) has a fleet of ex military 4x4 trucks, fitted out with seats, to operate their "African Experience" tours around the park. Most of them are British Bedford M-Types, but there are at least two of these French Renaults (at least that's what I presume they are - you can just see where the Renault badge used to be on the grille). I think there might be a Volvo in the fleet too." Now click through here for more...

It's clearly 'Russian Friday', GR sent me these twig trucks...."HI Brian, thought you might enjoy this collection of loggers from various locations from around the world...a few creative ways of hauling sticks !!!"

And not just Russia.....

Take a look at these two steel semi-trailer neck sections....notice anything different about them? And you won't need a pie to see it either says Biglorryblog.

As if I needed to tell you the one immediately above has been fabricated using 'normal' S353 steel and has a 12mm flange and 6mm web. More importantly it weighs 50kg. But the one at the very top (as you have already guessed) is made from DOMEX Swedish Steel comes with an 8mm flange and 4mm web and offers superior strength and stiffness whilst weighing just 35kg. Multiply that down the length of the chassis and you save 314kg on just the two main rails---and never mind the cross members. What's more, if you were to use DOMEX Swedish Steel for the entire chassis you could be looking at saving over half a tonne---and that's the kind of weight-saving that any tipper or tanker operator should be interested in.....How do I know this? Well click through here for more......  

Hello....what's this then? As if you needed telling it's the magnificent MZKT 12x12 'King of the Desert' ouildfield truck and as ever I have Vladimir Chekhuta to thank for these pictures---and as a teaser. Vidalmir has very kindly helped me with a forthcoming feature on MZKTA for the Commercial Motor Christmas Issue, so keep your eyes peeled. And as part of that atrticle he sent me a whoe shed-load of superb shots including this 12x12 in the Turkmenistan desert (shots via the company's testers so Biglorryblog's thanks to them) And if you want to see more of this massive Belarus bruiser click through here!

I have Gary 'Hop-along Two Hats' to thank for thisfriday morning frivolity...and should you see it in your rearview mirror I'd advise you to pull over. Heaven knows what 'The Sweeney' would have doen with this. Anyroadup what you see here is the 'Ultimate Police Patrol Car' capable of a top speed of 250km/h, which makes it pretty suitable as highway chase cars....and if you want to see more then you'd better click through here lively like..? Snout Guvnor?

Ron Johl returns to say: "Hello Brian, the last of 'Watfords Finest' heavy-haulage Scammells the "Evening Star"  S26 50-40.Built early 1988 and registered 1/8/88.When fully ballasted the tractor's gross weight is 49-Ton or it could be used as an artic."

"The engine is a Cummins 400-HP 14LT NTE driven through a ZF WSK400 torque-converter to a ZF 16-speed ecosplit gear box the vehicle is owned by Gary and Maggie Grysa the pics were taken at the Bed's Rally 09." Now click through here for more and a REAL pie quiz!

Last one for tonight...and it involves a Kiwi voice from Biglorryblog's past "Hi Brian, Peter Geany here---we met many moons ago when I worked for Cummins with Roger Wilsden and Paul Foulston. I drove the ERF in the Commercial Motor 17-tonner group test in about 1991 I think." Ahh yes I remember it well says BLB., but I have interrupted Peter who continues. "Anyway seeing that shiny new KW K108 on Biglorryblog prompted me to scan a photo of the very first KW cab-over in New Zealand operated by my Father J.V.Geany Ltd.  It was a 1965 Canadian Kenworth K923 with NHC250 Cummins Spicier 4x4 transmission and Timken (Rockwell) SQHD rear axles.  3 decks of sheep and one of Cattle.  She usually pulled a 28 foot 3 axle trailer and was supposed to gross 38 tons. Loaded with Cattle I reckon she was closer to 42 tons.  We used to manufacture our own stock crates, and definitely no effluent tanks in our days!"

"And here are some of our Merc's thrown in for good measure, a 1418 of which we had 10 and a 2223 of which we had 2." And click through here for the 2223 and how they ran.... 

Have you ntoiced how Scammells are like buses...? You wait all day for one them dozens of them come along at once, not least on Biglorryblog, as Alex Saville has sent me this shot of another 'Handyman' -- seee Bob I remembered what it was this time....and he says "Brian, since you posted a photo of Robert Laidlaw's Scammell Handyman from Bob Tuck, here's another one....John Boughey's 1974 example...now click through here for more 'crinkly cabs'...

He goes on to says: And no race team would be complete without an equally 'well-equipped' cheer squad - so here is the Bishop crew!!" And that's mjust bthe kiind of sexist picture that you WON'T find on Biglorryblog Gary...oh no....and how do you spell phwoar? Now click through here for the full spec of the drag racer and a picture too!