Road Train, 90 Mile Sraight

[brickpaverr]

Great video of what I think is among the great road trips of Australia, crossing the Nullarbor by road. I've done that trip over 40 times now since 1964 and never tire of doing it again. My first trip was in June 1964 in a VW over the then dirt road from just out of Pt Augusta and across to Norseman, after it had rained buckets. The section from Iron Knob to Ceduna was a sticky mess of a road & I loved every bit of it. Back then, you might see 12 vehicles in a 24 hour day, now it's 12 in 10 mins

[gm16v149]

@brickpaverr It's very quiet this time of year, all the vans have gone home. If you drive mid-week in the off-season you don't see much traffic. It's much quieter than the Pilbara or the Stuart Hwy.

[spamsafe]

gm16v149, 90 mile straight and constant rpm gets you bored and make you asleep?

do you race also if theres no police? hehe

[gm16v149]

@spamsafe No I don't get bored much, always something to think about, play good music, maybe listen to a talking book. It's a good place to unwind.

[brickpaverr]

@spamsafe You would probably "race" in the old days but not now. Apart from having spotter planes that can time your speed from the air (apparently?), the copper can sit a coupla mile down the road with a speed camera and have your speed timed before you even see him, then unfortunately, there is nowhere to turn off or hide. He's gotcha.!!.. or she, as the case may be. There's generally more than one sitting there anyway.

[TheWaggaBloke]

EPIRB's the way to go when ya go Scrub!! People when going bush really dont understand how easy it is to turn a good day into an Emergency without even knowing it...so when your leaving the Big smoke and heading Bush! take Heaps of water (I always take at lest 20lt's plus) no bull, Epirb, and Let people know where ya going.. and call them ever second day at lest...

[johnnymcjiggers]

Look out! Theres a gradual turn coming up just 30 miles ahead!

[markyo321]

I was wondering what is the wire mesh on ur front window? Im from the us and never see anything likke that. Is that a bug catcher or sumthing? And why do the trucks out there have extened upright breathers?

[gm16v149]

The mesh stops stone chips and the air intakes help keep out the dust . All Aussie trucks that go bush have them.

[hellraiser125]

@markyo321 the wire stops birds hitting the window when they fly up off a dead animal and the extened breathers are on to reduce the amount of dust that gets into the aircleaner

[markyo321]

@markyo321 Oh ok that makes good sence. Thanks for the info!

[Akatcam]

And the total overall length of 25.25 metres (82.8 ft)

[Akatcam]

In Finland trucks are limited to 90 kph, By the law trucks are only allowed to drive 80 kph. Over 80 kph -> Speeding ticket.

[dunnodontcare93]

Very noisy...

[MGM12]

The Speed Channel's program Dangerous Drives is featuring these trucks next week.

Do the drivers pull over to pee or just wizz in a plastic bottle?

[tom3999]

lol at second question

[Xx69roadrunnerxX]

Sweet vid! They shouldnt even both putting speed limits on road like this. It reminds me of the SW US, miles of straight open road with NO one on it. Open up the diesel and hear it roar!!

[benztrucker]

Sweet truck man .Keep that V8 choppin!!

[mnzntn]

100 kilometers per hour?? are there not speed limits in this road?

[gm16v149]

100 kmh is the speed limit for trucks in Australia

[pmora61]

@gm16v149

i now some truckies out west they do up to 140 km

[1Rallaster]

@mnzntn 100Km/h only translates to about 60 MPH

[mnzntn]

@1Rallaster in italy the limit is 80km/h

[TheMelissa6969]

thats cool , i expeted to c the road warrior any time!

[mapahue]

100 KILOMETROS X HORA

[gm16v149]

It stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.

If you are in a life threatening position you turn it on and a satellite will pick up the signal and notify search and rescue your exact position.

You only use it in dire emergency because it costs 1000s of dollars to do a search.

A satellite phone is better but an epirb you can put in your pocket. A satphone wouldn't give your position.

[123jozef]

What's an EPIRB? Ive been watching these vids for awhile. Very interesting stuff. I drove truck for 15 years, but this is in Cali, not the outback.

[kwvaussie]

123jozef as the driver is driving on the left, why do you think this video is in "Cali"?

But taping while driving?

[Josephtube666]

The road is so straight you could leave a brick on the pedals and go to sleep and wake up again!!!!!

[Wiier]

Get cruise control, and an auto and enjoy a nice 1 and a half hour nap at 60mph.

[heureco]

like a brazilian road

[Landaux]

You have a break down there in a passenger car, youre SCREWED! :-O Man, looks like hardly NO traffic is on thoes roads! How often do you encounter a passenger car?

[gm16v149]

You see a few in an hour but none at night. Depends on time of year.

There's a lot more isolated places than this, though. Every year in the outback people bog their cars or break down and they die. If only they had carried a satellite phone or EPIRB............

[Landaux]

WOW! Well, Africa theres more open land than this, its like putting America and Aussie in there 2 X s! :-O

[JackDooner]

would love that job :)

[azza25]

K104? They're a nice truck. Who do you drive for? You got a chip in the window there!

[T904nut]

its a kenworth k123,4,5 one of them, not a k104

[18WoSHaulinCrew]

no thats wat u do...

[Rhys123455]

cool i want to be a truck driver when im older

[aid2003]

Great truck..

I love road trains..

[interAB160]

if there is two trailers do they fishtail?

[gm16v149]

Only if the road is bad, on a good road they track real good.

[wmodel892]

Cheers mate yeah i did some off siding to darwin in a w model with an 8v92 but that was about 8 years ago now

[wmodel892]

do you know if there are still any gm powered road trains up north i did some off siding with a couple of blokes a few years ago with them but you don't hear much of them anymore

[gm16v149]

No I don't think there are.

I was the last one to run a GM 8V92 across the Nullarbor on a regular basis, but there is one guy you see every now and then with a KW T650 who runs one.

[bobctx]

can you find bearded dragon how much price

thanks from usa!

[gm16v149]

It's illegal to sell them

[bagthatvan]

looks like a decent cruise. comparable to my Super B over here.

[hellsummon]

seems like a fun job

[theonlyfigmint]

Man I sure do love the way a V8 rumbles, I can feel it thundering away under my feet

[Irreo]

Damn, this cab-view video got me hard, if you get what I mean. I love trucks, but unfortunatelly I have never been in one.

And... yes, to back 2 trailers is really hard... the only place I tried is in a truck simulator computer game, and I NEVER manage to get them where I want. It's a complete mess... however, I'm slowly learning how to back up properly with one trailer, but still requiere too many moves (at least now it ends in the proper place).

Thanks for the video.

[bam88]

i got one question m8. how do you reverse 3+ trailed road train if you even can? i know that 2 trailer road train can be reversed how about 3 trailer or even 4? can it be done?

[gm16v149]

You can back 3 trailers if you start in a straight line but it wouldn't take long to get in a mess. It's hard to back a 2 trailer roadtrain accurately, takes a lot of practice.

[bam88]

u can back it up going straight line right? once u go manevering you can mess it up (talkin about 3 trailers). so how do they manage that? do they turn around to avoid reversing or what?

[gm16v149]

You don't generally have to reverse 3 trailers. Most towns and minesites have a special area where you can split a roadtrain and go in with 3 individual trailers.

[bam88]

ah that sounds logical. well thank you for explaining to me.. i always wanted to ask that question directly a driver of a road train.

[Bondidog]

@bam88 I know your post is a couple of years old now, but if you do a Youtube search on 'Truck Driver Looking For New Job' or 'dingosgotmybaby' you find footage of an Aussie guy backing a B-Double and a B-Tripple.  Pretty impressive stuff.

[bam88]

@Bondidog ok m8.. thanks alot. i'll look it up.

[sexyCUMMINStime]

Love the truck and love the open roads in australia

Rather have a Cummins QSK19 but the Cat 3408 is allright to

[gm16v149]

I've driven both but I like V8s better! The QSK 19 is being fitted into some new Australian - built Kenworths as we speak.

[sexyCUMMINStime]

thats cool

my dad is general manager for cummins metropower so thats why I LOVE CUMMINS. I'v been around them my whole life.Favorite engine is the QSK 38

[gm16v149]

Not sure how a 38 liter V12 would go in a highway truck........

[muckrunner308]

bloody fast!!!!

[albcl2007]

Luv those old cab overs

[Roadrunnerz45]

any chance you can show us either end to see how the straight ends. is it a sharp bend? is there a sign telling you its over?

[gm16v149]

There's a pic of the sign at 1:55 on my vid Kenworth Air Start......both ends the road has curves and short straights for a few K's, Caiguna roadhouse is on eastern end (just a tiny stop in the middle of nowhere)

[allenjanoch]

how fast can you go on the road you where on it is cool to be the only truck on the road

[gm16v149]

100 kilometers an hour....that's 62 mph

[humehwy31]

dont you feel tempted to go faster, i mean if ur truck can go faster or is 100km the max. it must get boring and hard to concentrate

[gm16v149]

No, 100kms is plenty fast enough with that sort of weight. You get used to it.

[drumbasher]

I respect your answer. Some of these American knuckleheads can't handle one trailer going 70 mph. I think you guys are great, I would love to ride in a roadtrain with you. It must take a while to get up to highway speed. Great job.

[theonlyfigmint]

I feel the same way

[gm16v149]

I guess there's knuckleheads whatever country you live in, lucky they're only a minority.

[drumbasher]

You would be surprised at the number of wanna-be Super Truckers over here. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be in the same profession with these guys. The days of the courteous driver are gone in America. Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

[BigChief427]

Knuckleheads may be a minority for now, but it seems the group is becoming more popular these days. At least here in southern Mississippi. They're everywhere now!

[gm16v149]

Most of the truck drivers in Australia are OK specially the guys on interstate but there's always the odd one that's up themselves.

Mind you, I would't mind an old Harley Knucklehead

[BigChief427]

LOL, good one. I dont know how hard it is to find american harleys in Australia, but good luck with the search.

[DirtBikesAustralia]

We have some knuckleheads in Aus that can't handle one trailer but most are ok.. it does get tricky when towing three or four trailers - but once up to 110 km/h things run pretty smooth - maybe a bit of fishtailing in the last trailer...

Great vid...

James

[elliotlovesfox]

all u gotta do is keep the wheel straight, watch out for roos and the wildlife, not fall asleep, and trucks r on channel 40!

i drove this road twice, it sucks cos my wheel alignment is heaps out

well im off cya xx

[percheron45]

the wire at the bottom of the windshield is to protect the driver from animals / birds hitting ... wombats ...

[gm16v149]

.....and stones kicked up by other trucks. Don't know about wombats tho, they're ground huggers!

[NXClass]

Wombats on the Nullabor?! Would they survive?!

[gm16v149]

There's plenty out there. Just do a google search.

[NXClass]

I thought they were only a mountain animal! I see now.

[CaliSwangin559]

aussie's are some real pro's mate and may i ask whats up with the wire screen going across the truck just curious

[uscar17]

You count in kms in Australia ?

[gm16v149]

Since the mid 1970s

[karlssonm]

more vids please

[HYPHYDUM408]

great video, was your kenworth a t-800?

[gm16v149]

K124CR Cabover..... I reckon my other vids are a lot better!

[Worzbuquet]

Good video! Nice to watch. You probably can't sleep in there, because you have to feel like the king of the roead, if not the world evrey second you drive there. At least I would. Thank you

[brett09312]

just new to youtube, and found both your clips, there great, theres nothing better than seeing the inside of the cab and you going thru tha gears. thats great videoing and keep it up. cheers

[Roadrunnerz45]

when ur out in the middle of nowhere and you dont have to turn the truck, do u always stick to 100? surely u must be tempted to go faster!

[gm16v149]

Nope, because you burn too much fuel and everything wears out quicker

[roadwolf2]

nice truck dude my dad had a similar one but fitted with a vt903

[bolts1111]

love ya video brother! been thinking about doing up an old 3408 i got at home and dropping it into my k100g. the cummins is starting to move on i thinkk plus i just love that sound

[MADTASS]

Are these Trucks fitted with Cruise-Control or is it Foot on the Throttle all the while.

[gm16v149]

All the new ones have cruise but older ones like mine don't unless you retrofit....a VDO Tempostat is fitted on mine

[MADTASS]

You know, nowadays, i find it hard to drive trucks without Cruise Control. All our trucks[Scanias} are fitted with it,unless i"m getting lazy after 20 years of driving. Whats a VDO Tenpostat just out of interest.

[gm16v149]

Electronic cruise for mechanical fuel injection made by VDO in Germany......you need it on our long outback roads with hardly any traffic

[brochjamie]

iz it true that road trains can go 100mph+ ?

[cavscout6b]

I wouldn't think so.

Mind you that 100 kph is 62 mph, which is probably about as fast as you'd want to go with on of these outfits. (I don't suspect they stop on a dime.) I would also assume that the engine is governed like most other places for the fuel efficiency, rpms, or safety.

I just want to know where he has to park it when he stops for a cheeseburger?

[artiew]

Would love to see a vid posted of your K124 from standing start (inside cab) gently going through the gears so we can hear the 3408 burbling and turbo boosting etc - now that would be an awesome site and listening experience!

[gm16v149]

Will do......just give me a little time

[artiew]

Thanks bud - I've viewed a few Euro scanias on here from in the cab, impressive but really never heard a 3408 go through the gears anywhere. Look forward to it....

[artiew]

Rare as CAT 3408 powered truck anywhere! - awesome motors mainly used for marine/genset apps, but the odd one was installed as a powerful hi-cube hi-torque durable motor especially for hi demand long haul runs in Australia...nice to know tis one still running and earning dollars for its owner in Oz...shes a collectors item your KW....

[rcroadtrain]

Ahh... my all-time-favourite bit (bit?!!)of road... odd to see it in daylight, I'm usually going through there at night.

[JGMagoo]

Hey mate! Yer drivin on the wrong side of the freaking road fer chrissake!! What do ya need a big horse like that for to run on a bloody level road???

[gm16v149]

Well, mate , I guess its you guys over there that drive on the wrong side of the road. And hey, check out the turbo pressure and pyrometer, you'll see she's working plenty hard as it's mighty windy out there, and with two trailers of wind draggin' steel pipes!

[JGMagoo]

Couldn't read the pyro or boost guage. Darn old KW is shakin' so bad my eyes couldn't focus!!

;o) ;o)

Shure is some scenery!!!

[harrychown1989]

i hope this guy isn't serious.......the wrong side??

since when is the left side of the road the wrong side? because it's not the same as the US?? 25% of the world drive on the left, it means shit- UK, australia, new zealand, japan, india, south africa, pakistan, they're the main ones.

[JGMagoo]

hey, Harry, lighten-up! I'm just given' the Aussie a little static on the CB. do all your replys include profanity?? You sound like a fun guy! ;o) ;o)

[hemi406hhh]

man, that engine sounds like a locomotive. whats 100kph in mph?

[Tehoboo]

60mph