Going thru the gears in a CAT V8 powered 80 ton road train

[shawnanddavefails]

god damm an air starter the only problem is you have 3 shoots at starting the truck also it starts the engien above RPM so theres alota pro's and con's abt em

[4fun2w]

RE: "does anyone know the old keswell v8 that was a 100 mile an hour truck that is my fav v8 cat or that one that is in the k100e areodyne that does melbourne canberra"

Silver and Blue, Truck of the Year back way ago ? and

RE: "gm16v149 2 years ago

yeah i know but i think he crashed it it was frightning when it went passed me and my dad u could hear it coming while i think it had about 900hp and 3:55 diffs it was sick"

Do u know where this was or any thing bout it

[gm16v149]

@4fun2w It disappeared but I saw it being built up in Adelaide and it had twin compound turbos and yes it was putting out around the HP you mentioned. I saw it a few times, it was quick. You wouldn't get away with that these days.

[69catpower]

I mixed youre Vid with some didgeridoo music in the background.Perfect know. :-)

[2009grizzly700]

Im in gear 12 and your in gear 15.... going the same speeed. GIVE YOUR RPMS a rise !

[AceofSpadesau]

@2009grizzly700 these thigns are geared LOW to drag more weight than most people can understand.Think about it

[saradawn6]

fun!

[psychotikpaisano]

I can hear every single power puls through my subwoofer that is amazing!

[AlexRyteuBart]

Lovely twisted road :D and this traffic is killing me :)

[MegaPOWERSTROKIN95]

is that an air starter?

[gm16v149]

@MegaPOWERSTROKIN95  air start yes

[llib245]

Just pullin your leg,Good video

[llib245]

Lucky there is no traffic,you're on the wrong side of the road. Better get some sleep.

[gm16v149]

@llib245 Yeah mate and the steering wheel is on the wrong side too, and I get too much sleep if anything, but thank you for your concern.

[GreenEyesRedBeams]

I love the sound of those air starters probably scares the crap out of people not paying attention.

[dimebag4ever426]

what kind of transmission? seems like you could skip a couple in the bottom end pretty easily!

[gm16v149]

@dimebag4ever426 Spicer 16 speed.

[MrBarney70]

fuck yeah thats the shit

[jamisgood21]

was that air start on thing?

[gm16v149]

@jamisgood21 Yes

[blobby1972]

@gm16v149 what happens if you have an air leak is there a back up?

[gm16v149]

@blobby1972  The starter air tank is independant from the main air tanks. The starter air tank holds enough air to start the truck even if the truck hasn't run for weeks. If it runs out of air because of a problem, you run an air line to a couple of tyres to fill the tank. Much easier than if you had a flat battery with electric start.

[blobby1972]

@blobby1972 oh of course I never thought of that I have always wondered about the air starter but as you say its easyer to solve a problem than a flat bat espeically if your in the outback 500 miles from anywere.

[aceytter]

@gm16v149 how does the Air start work... i know there is a start engine on a Electric but i never heard about air start before :S

[gm16v149]

@aceytter It looks like an electric starter motor but it is air-powered.

[halosux4life]

Is 15/40 run down there as oil as well? or does it get too runny?

[gm16v149]

@halosux4life That is what we use down here.

[brockbuster761]

that is one sweet video!!!! I recently purchased a 79 k100c with the original 3408. its sitting next to my garage waiting on restoration. your video sure put a huge smile on my face. Cant wait for the maiden voyage!!!!!

[gm16v149]

@brockbuster761 Make sure you get some video of it when it's running.

[docholiday456456456]

holy flat terrain... nice shifting and nice truck

[Bamchucknorris]

I need new undies.

[BGmurray9]

is that 600hp at the wheels? 

[gm16v149]

@BGmurray9 550 at the wheels on the dyno so about 600 at the flywheel.

[allispuller1952]

@gm16v149 Really that's it? I woulda figured at least 650 horse. I'm not shit talking your truck or anything but my dads c15 cat is pushing 700 and that's pulling a normal size trailor. It seems like you guys pulling the huge ass stuff would be the ones wanting the big power. But what do I know....

[gm16v149]

@allispuller1952 We run C15s over here too, and if they were set at 700 HP pulling 4 trailers at 170 tons (380,000 lbs to you), in 115 deg heat, they would only last 5 minutes.

[allispuller1952]

@gm16v149 Yeah, that's understandable. I guess it also makes sense that it's mostly flat ground over there, so I'm sure that plays a big part in it.

[gm16v149]

@allispuller1952 It is mainly flat going where the roadtrains go but there are a few steep hills around. On the east coast different story but roadtrains don't go there.

[bigcarle]

sounds like a spicer gearbox?

great vid

nothing beats the sound of a great V8 and the turbo whistle

[gm16v149]

@bigcarle  Yes, Spicer box.

[dwnrety1]

this truck makes a geo metro look like a bugatti veyron..

**yes i know this truck weighs about 100X more than a metro... im just saying..**

[wdowa94]

This is hard truck :D

[leokimvideo]

never knew it took so long to get up to speed, look that dead straight road, if your not used to it that air start can scare the crap out of you in real life

seems truck videos are hugely popular, something I never knew.

[gm16v149]

@leokimvideo There's a lot of truck videos out there. Deep down I think most people would like to roar off into the sunset in a Kenworth or Mack truck :)

[bluecollarboiler]

@gm16v149 especially when you can look down into cars, and girls LOVE to show you their legs ;-)~

[Bondidog]

@leokimvideo - "... look that dead straight road, ..." According to the description accompanying the video this was taken in South Australia. On the same road (Eyre Highway) in Western Australia is, apparently, the longest straight stretch of road in the world. It is 90 miles of absolutely gun barrel straight road.  Just for good measure, the railway line just north of the highway has a stretch that is 350 miles dead straight.

[joedrummer2010]

Is that an air starter I hear? =) I miss that sound....

[scorelvor]

whats a drive RATIO?

[gm16v149]

@scorelvor Diff ratios? 3.7:1 Eaton diffs.

[scorelvor]

@gm16v149 sorry, i meant wat does a drive ratio mean?

[gm16v149]

@scorelvor The step down ratio between the drive shaft and the wheels. so if my truck has 3:7 diff. ratios, then the drive shaft turns at say 1600 rpm and the wheels turn 3.7 times slower thru the diffs.

[truckingmadman]

your truck sounds good

[m648mvp]

has she got a jakebrake ?

[gm16v149]

@m648mvp No, the V8s use a Caterpillar Brakesaver which is a hydraulic retarder.

[m648mvp]

@gm16v149 right :) as good as a jake or what ? what kind of hp is she kicking out ?

[gm16v149]

@m648mvp  Yep, as good as a jake but it sounds like an off-highway haul truck coming down a ramp in a mine if you know what they sound like.

[iambehindthemirror]

how many gears?

[gm16v149]

@iambehindthemirror 16 gears

[tman06798]

Air start..Sweet.

[spinlessbastard1]

GREAT VIDEO MATE!!

[jlopes00]

Cool vid! I'd love to visit Australia sometime. Thanks for the vid.

[gm16v149]

@jlopes00 It's not all flat going like that, we even have mountains here. But a lot of the outback is like that, with nothing but small road houses 200-300 kms apart on the main highways. In the remote areas people get lost and die just about every year.

[zozx]

Cab-over, also known as COE (Cab Over Engine), cab forward, or forward control, is a body style of truck or van that has a vertical front or "flat face", with the cab of the truck sitting above the front axle. This truck configuration is currently common among European and Japanese truck manufacturers, because the laws governing overall vehicle lengths are strict and the body style allows longer trailers or a longer cargo area for the same overall length.

[jdknetts]

I'm surprised how many gears you got through before you can really hear the turbo pulling its weight. But then again, I'm used to the newer detroits that sound like jet engines. Nothing like the "growl" of a big cat though!

[gm16v149]

@jdknetts I go easy on the throttle until it's rolling at a good speed. You can hear the turbo better in the tunnel in my vid Like Big V8s.

[nandoanalog]

300 gears later...

[jerotheBIG]

AHH! YOU'RE DRIVING AT THE WRONG SIDE OF THE R--wait...

[Saunis06]

Nice sounds!!

Better than my scania! :D

[dunkie007]

nice driving mate my old man has been a truck driver all his life and i plan to do the same u like the detroits

[dunnodontcare93]

It accelerates slow as a real train.

[asifakc69]

thanks for all

[wabbles323]

90 kilosmetres an hour

[gm16v149]

Depends what state you are in.

WA & NT is 100 k's

SA, Qld, NSW 90 k's

Trucks bigger than triples usually have special conditions.

[wabbles323]

@gm16v149 when me and my father went to perth roadtrains were only doing 90k's

[wabbles323]

roadtrains are only allowed to travel 90kilometres an hour

[asifakc69]

what s the top speed of quad trailer 180 ton on long plane highways

[gm16v149]

Quad roadtrains are usually speed limited to about 85 km/h which is a condition of their permit.

[horseass01]

my couson had one believe it only one in nz pulled like a train all good stuff keep it up

[ozziairlegger]

Hope there is a certain couple of Yank Rednecks watching this one.......for all those disbelievers Cat V8's are not in highway trucks......what is this then....and in a K/W........ thats why us Aussies are smart...were a decade in front of them....

[gm16v149]

Actually they were in US trucks first because the guy who originally bought this truck was in the US and saw these working and wanted one. KW Australia were thinking about it and later built it for him. (This truck was the first KW in Aus with the 3408). They built about 30 in Australia but a lot more were put in KWs & Peterbilts in the US.

[earsneyes1]

How is the fuel economy, mpg or ltr/100km?

[gm16v149]

Does about 5.4 mpg with one trailer and 3.8 mpg with two. That's average, but a lot depends on the wind, height of load etc.

[earsneyes1]

You are doing a lot better than the W900 that I had with a smaller motor ( 3406 B ) pulling lighter loads ( 80000 lbs gross ).

Maybe I should find an Aussie mechanic to build my engines!

[gm16v149]

I've been as low as 2.8 mpg and as high as 5.6 mpg with 2 trailers. The quad trailer roadtrains with Cummins K19 @ 180 tons can go down to 1.5 mpg.

[earsneyes1]

Your engine sounds almost perfect, whoever did the build and tune knew what they were doing. A lot of times we set the motors up smoky here in the States, but almost everywhere else people are getting the power without creating a blackout. Impresses the friends, just bad for the mpg and throttle response.

What final drive ratio do you run? 4.10s, 4.33s?

[gm16v149]

They are 3.73s which is a bit high for 2 trailers but it handles it OK.

The engine used to smoke but we changed it to B-series fuel injection so it is a lot better now.

[MattytheDem]

@gm16v149 what do you for fuel mileage

[bibble05]

was that a air powered starter?

[gm16v149]

Yes it is.

[MovieMad007]

Ex Backpacker.....been along this road!!!! Awesome!!

[hsfhdhgsgdf]

What are ya hallin?

[Henkegreen]

how many gears ist it on this one?

[gm16v149]

16 gears. Check out my vid How to shift a 16 spd Spicer.

[Xx69roadrunnerxX]

Great vid!

[evilbeaverofdeath]

im just waiting for someone to put a rocket on thier truck JUST to get the damn thing to speed LOL!

[generationll]

The 3408=1,099 cid.Its the same engine in the 988B,988F,988F Series 2,769C,769D,771B,D8L,D9N,D9R,6­31D,633D,637D,639D

[Robfreightliner]

love it cant beat a bigcat

[wrench2317]

Is this a twin turbo or single?

[gm16v149]

Single turbo, standard truck 3408.

Some marine 3408s are twin turbo.

[supertrucker1968]

air starter now theres a thing of the past

[fixitdude74]

i reckon old mate from heavy haulage australia give you a run for ya money in his superliner, she's apparently good for 700hp.......i do like the cats thou.....there was another chap with a custom kenworth long wheelbase with 3408 runnin across the paddock, i cant remember his name, saw it at bob fountain tpt in adelaide bout 7yrs ago, she was a twin turbo 3408, nice!

[gm16v149]

That was Simon Kerswell's truck. Disappeared of the face of the earth.

[spcascades]

Hey Chris! How are things down under? The railroad is still the same old RR here in Oregon and the ex SP Cascade Line has very little snow. I don't think we'll run the plow train this year unless we get a huge amount of snow real quick.

[gm16v149]

Hi Joel. Things are still quiet here. I'll send a pm.

[cmeonthemove]

I never tire of listening to that V8 rumble. Guess you must be on the Trans Access Road. I have some family who lived in Adelaide and are now in Kapunda.

[gm16v149]

That's the main road that goes across Australia, the Eyre Hwy. As you can see, there isn't a lot of traffic.

[asifakc69]

Hi Iam an Indian and driven Cars, Buses, Trucks n Trailers more than a million km in India and Gulf regions, but this is OHhH??? no words to say. I love to drive road trains how is possible? could any body help i like them tooooooooomuch, especially like to drive 1000ds of miles in plains.

[8590edward]

Well, he does a good smooth job of shifting. And it don't sound like that ole cat is working to hard either. Good job there driver. You ain't over taching the girl between shifts either. You must be got a few miles under ya belt?

[8590edward]

Thar big bitch sounds awesome, but he won't be driving it long if he don't get his ass back on his side of the road............

[gm16v149]

This is Australia mate so the left side is the right side ! And yeah, done a mile or three.

[FireFighterrock24]

how come all those Australian trucks have that there net on the grill?

[gm16v149]

You mean the mesh net? Or the bull bar? The mesh net keeps the bugs out of the radiator but U.S. trucks got them as well I think.

[spencnaz]

Keeps the bugs and roos out of the radiator.

[neworder18]

By the way, sounds awesome with the sub rockin' the bass with this motor :)

[neworder18]

What do you call the big driving lights on your bull bar? Here in Alaska we call them Moose lights.

[gm16v149]

We call them Bull Lights for the big lights, they are Lightforce brand & they have a long range, just right for picking out the bulls in the north.

Further south we only have to worry about kangaroos & emus which are a lot smaller.

[peepeevagi]

I think i just came a little...

[kondziu85mph]

Man, tell me something: How much earn truck driver in Australia and how long  you have to work daily?

[BrEnNo1023]

hahahahaha

it's rumbling my floor.

what better way to pass the boring time of driving than to film it. gives you something to do. better than falling asleep

[B422TMack]

always wanted to go down under & drive a roadtrain for a day alot different from the dump, lowboy, & log trucks im used to ...

be my luck i go to gears & open the door insted ...;) lol

[gm16v149]

You wouldn't want to do that at 60 mph....

[69SKIPPY]

get of the middle of the road u crazy person haha

[ctjmrcsf]

Excellent excellent video!.....wish all the "in cabs" videos would be made in this format: no music,little or no talking,no air horn or wind noise. All you want to hear is the sound of the engine while the driver goes through all the gears!..... That big 3408 just sounds beautiful!! Thanks for posting!

[gm16v149]

This was one of my first vids and if I did it again I'd use a camera tripod or something.

If you like the sound of the engine, check out my vids Big V8s and Mackjack's Exhaust Note Challenge, they're in HD.

[thesoulsekr]

what's the speed limit on them roads?

[biggestMetallicAfan]

I would imagine somewhere around 75 - 80.

I mean why would it not be, it's a long barren road in the middle of nowhere,

[witjuti]

that would be 110 km/h out there

[shaned8845]

Trucks 100KPH (63MPH)

Cars 110KPH (70MPH)

[spencnaz]

I really like the sound of V8 turbo diesels.

[hatsorus]

sounds like maximum overdrive

[johnsenkenn]

I hear that there are air starter on this V8......I don't see the reason why.......my experience is that the tanks do not hold the air very long. But it is an American - Aussie phenomenon, never seen or heard of an air starter in Europe, except in boats.

[gm16v149]

The air tank for the air starter is completely independant from the normal air tanks, even if you run out of air overnight the starter air tank holds enough air for weeks.

[johnsenkenn]

Gm.

Aha......of course the air tank starter, are separate from the air brake system, and therefore don't lose as much air, maybe it's better, I have only used air start in a boat.

[RexCars1]

Very cool... Lots of power.. But man even with 600hp.. You can really hear the weight.. Good driver too... Not his first bbq...  Great sound...also.. Well done.

[fredericia01]

I´m still amazed by this video, the last time I drove a 3408 was in Canada. It was an ´85 Freightliner, 110" BBC Coe. We had a good mechanic who could tune those things by ear and a heatmarker. My guess is that the thing made around 750 Hp. Btw. it also had a Fuller RTO 15spd. and 2 speed rearends. It was built to pull super `B`s in western Canada, and could also run express runs with produce out of California to Canada.

[remmel100]

I was working for international...and these delco starters do not last very long..I think air powers starter are way better, even if your air tank has a small leak and it will drop over night... get a cheap 12volt aircompressor and charge the tank.. even in cold weather it will kick her like a horse

[remmel100]

I like these airpowered starters 2 bad that they dont make em anymore...I guess they last 2 long

[gm16v149]

They make them for the mining and oil industries in the US and Australia and you can option them on a new KW in Australia but they are expensive.

[stevesprinceofsteaks]

Hey Donk you're on the wrong side of the road. lol Great video.

[HillbillyonaYZ]

I'd love to come live in Australia. In some ways like the Americas of the 50's. Dreamed about it for several years, but discovered Oz too late in life, and now too old. Got an imigration cut off age of 46 there, and I'm 52. Damn good welder and metal fabricator, been doing it for 30 years, your country says it wants people with my skill, but just past the numbers to come there.

Maybe in the next life.

Great vids you post, keep 'em up, I love 'em.

[xxxxburp]

just come over in a rickety old boat, tell them you're a refugee and got no identity papers or skills, and they'll give you the dole and a house and free medicare.

[gm16v149]

Actually we're probably one of the most urbanised countries on earth and very few Australians  ever see the outback except on TV. But a lot of places in the sticks are like a time warp.

[Snurdgerbly]

There's a lot of demand for skilled metal tradesmen here, Hillbilly, so look into getting a 457 visa. Don't give up just yet. See you on the road!

[zforce69]

@HillbillyonaYZ

Give it a little bit longer mate, when all the building and stuff is going on in North West Australia they will soften the rules, just you watch.

[gzwbyc]

Could have warned me about the air starter. Fair dinkum......Just about fell off the bloody chair. "Clean up to aisle 5 thanks luv."

[BACHGENDRWG71]

shes a beaut,miles better than the euro trash we get here in the uk

[gm16v149]

I guess it's horses for courses, my truck would be too heavy for over there and it wouldn't pass the length regulations!

[BACHGENDRWG71]

we get some of the scania t cabs here and the odd kw,k 100s but they are mostly show trucks,seeing the road trains makes me want to get my arse over there and see them for real,

[BACHGENDRWG71]

have you made any more recordings of your trips lately?

[666Djskydiver999]

shame really tbh, i would love to see austrailian road trains on our roads :-)

[BACHGENDRWG71]

fantastic video,put it through my hi fi speakers and scared the shit out of my neighbours hahaha.keep em coming mate

[gm16v149]

A bit of the Australian outback in the old country then.

[BACHGENDRWG71]

only a kenworth,mack,western star,peterbilt are best suited to the aussie terrain,hence why not many scanias,volvos are used as roadtrains,they have there own power plants where as the yanks can havemcats,cummins or detroits up to 800hp,caterpillar engines sound so bolloxy and how n engine should sound,with the air start its the complete sound,far better than any european engine

[samsteryfc]

Scania S-U-P-E-R Is The Best

[xxxxburp]

best for what

[samsteryfc]

Long Distance In English/European Terrain, However I Don't Think A Scania Would Be Suited To This Type Of Driving.

[truckerman1994]

it has a wierd start up sound

[gm16v149]

Air start

[gm16v149]

It would look very blurry in full screen !

My last vids are in HD and you can watch in full screen and the resolution is sharp.

This was one of my first vids and I should have used a tripod.

[bodryn]

I love this video. I just set the monitor to full screen and rode along. Sure reminds me of my trucking days 30 years ago. Weird driving on the left side though! Keep 'em coming!

[billy90250]

how many kilometers haveu done in that truck

[gm16v149]

Done over 5,000,000 km now.

[pipeorganistken]

Great Sound. I especially like the sound of the air starter. I drove an older Pete with a KT 600 that had one. Mine was for a movie role and one of the execs had never experienced a ride in a truck with an engine this big before. When I hit the air starter I thought the guy would need a restroom. It was a blast. Thanks a great deal for the video. Brings back memories of my days doing some movie rentals! GREAT!

[gm16v149]

You can still get a KW with airstart in Australia if you want. They recently made a batch of tri-drive twin-steer KWs with QSK 19 liter Cummins with airstarts.

[VOLVOFH16FAN]

Hey... Do you need a special driver licens to drive a road train in australia??

[gm16v149]

In Australia you work your way up from light rigid to heavy rigid to semi-trailer then multi-combination (B-Double and road train). You've got to take a test for each class. You can't just jump straight into a road train.

[billy90250]

how long does it take to get a roadtrain licence if u want to get it as quick as posible would i get it by the time im 25 lol cuz im 15 now and u cant go for heavy rigid till ur 21 i think and i want a roadtrain licence cuz i want to work in the mines in wa when i turn 25 lol thx great vid

[Streetcar1743]

Nice truck!

[fredericia01]

I´ve justdone some research - Australia is the only place where you can get the KW cabover !!!

[RRuuffaarroo]

naa not really mate, you can import trucks anywere in the world

[VOLVOFH16FAN]

hey... sounds good...

how many hours are your driving on an normal day??

[gm16v149]

You can drive 12 hrs a day normal, or 14 hrs if you do a fatigue managment course

[billy90250]

cant u do like 16 hours in ur log book in Western Australia and Nt and its 12 everywhere else?

[gm16v149]

They do sound good, there's still a lot of V8 Macks in Australia, not so many left in the U.S. I think.

They're all sixes now.