When I was a kid in the seventies, the 1965-1973 Volvo N88-series already had the looks of a classic (as in really old) truck. I didn’t like it back then, probably for that reason. No wonder it looked kind of ancient, because its design dated back to the 1951 Volvo Titan-series. But now, some 45 years later, I think this fully laden N88 is pure eye candy!
The 1967 Volvo drew my attention before, I took this picture three years ago. A superb 6×2 flatbed truck with wooden dropsides, the tag axle is liftable.
Under its hood a turbocharged, 9.6 liter inline-six diesel, known as the Volvo TD100 engine. Its maximum power output is 260 DIN-hp. Volvo started to offer turbodiesels in 1954.
The period correct load securing system: ropes.
Let’s end with a QOTD: what’s its load? I noticed that the letters Do were written on one of the yellow labels. Dorrestijn -the owner of the truck- or Douglas Fir, the boards? Anyway, CC is also known for its construction specialists, so we’ll find out.
Related article:
Truck Stop Classic: 1964 Volvo L495 Titan 4×2 Flatbed Truck – The Traditional Conventional
Six packets of timber secured with ropes yeah real old school but I did see a 60s TK Bedford flat deck carting apple bins with ropes not strops holding them on just three weeks ago so its not a completely lost art,
I like it, 260 hp isnt to be sneezed at either, plenty of Japanese round town trucks currently in use make do with similar amounts, I used to travel all of Northland in a petrol Bedford with only 130hp, quite leisurely up and down hills
You mentioned the liftable tag axle, how/where does it lift to? There doesn’t seem to be any space under that wheelarch and bed, is there or am I completely misunderstanding something here?
I had the same thought. I’m not familiar with any tag axles lifting back then, as that’s mostly come along with modern air suspensions.
It might be an undriven third axle, but not a liftable one. Why lift it anyway. Frankly, from the looks of it, it rather looks like two driven axles.
Here in South America is quite common. They lift the axle when traveling empty or hauling a light load.
Besides saving tires and brakes the driver will pay less at the toll.
They’re quite common here too, but often the tag axle here is ahead of the drive axle, and has smaller wheels and tires. I was referring to the 1960s, when they were generally not as common at all.
Jim (and Paul), GIS volvo n88 dorrestijn. Several pictures there with the tag axle up.
Oh I see now, it looks like when the back is raised it’s actually pushing the front down to gain more road clearance. When I made my original comment I was (I think) looking at the image with the truck loaded. But even the unloaded one didn’t seem to have enough space but after looking at the Google Images it does make more sense. I didn’t think that the front axle of the pair would/could extend down.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/122237878@N03/21078885005 They seem to tuck those tires up tight. I guess in theory they shouldn’t spin, so them touching something shouldn’t matter when they are up.
The reason to lift is to save wear on the tires and brakes, at least in theory.
…in reality too. Liftable tag axles go back many decades, at least to the sixties, obviously.
With the tag axle up, the rear end of the truck swings out rather briskly, as you’re basically driving a 4×2 truck with a very long rear overhang.
Dad drove a DAF 6×2 grain tipper in the seventies. When empty: the tag axle up was standard procedure.
Lifting the tag for extra traction isnt unknown either the trick used to be run a slightly bigger tyre on the drive than on the tag for grip when its down
Quite right Bryce, see link below bogie-lift.
I can see the truck has leaf springing: without air/hydraulic suspension, just how is that tag axle lifted? A huge Dutch truckie owner, perhaps?
Bogie lift:
http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/30th-april-1976/62/how-it-works-bogie-lift
Ah, dank je. So when the wheel is down, it is sprung by the pivot end (the end where the hydraulic strut is) pushing downwards (towards the earth) on the end of a leaf spring?
Well Justy, I can’t explain it any better than posting this video of an ol’ Volvo:
Well the fact is when you lift that rear axle while you are eliminating the wear on the lifted axle’s tires and brakes you are increasing the wear on those components on the axle on the ground. For the tires it is probably still at net gain because you also reduce the scrub wear. For the brakes I’m not so certain that you are really gaining much since there are a lot of people like me who would replace the tag’s brakes when the drive’s brakes were done if they are not that far behind the front. Down time and all you know. Proper rotation can eliminate the difference in wear between the drop and fixed axle tires.
Interesting to mention is that, currently, a drive axle is rated at 11.5 metric tons maximum axle load, while the liftable tag axle is rated at 7.5 metric tons. Ditto for a steering and liftable single-wheeled pusher axle (very common on tractors).
With a 6×4 set-up, the drive axles are rated at 9.5 metric tons each. So in all cases the end result is a total of 19 metric tons for the rear axles.
A little surprised that the end of the rope in the photo isn’t parcelled and/or served. Would only be good for one use without.
Wood has a reddish cast, likely not doug fir but hard to say what it is from the side. Having been stickered on the bed for a long time it’s likely dry by now, although I don’t see checking on the ends.
That sure looks like Douglas fir to me! I see it by the millions of board feet just about every day, leaving our many mills by the truck and train loads. Eugene is in the heart of Doug fir country. The orange color is from the heart wood and the pale color is the sapwood. Back in the day, the old growth trees were almost all heartwood, with a deep orange cast.
Good, clear vertical grain DF is wonderful stuff.
And a splendid truck to haul it.
Thanks! I’ve digged a little deeper, on Dutch websites of timber wholesalers, they often mention “Oregon pine”. Is that just a synonym for Douglas trees or…?
Undoubtedly. There is pine in Oregon too, on the eastern side, but pine is common. DF is what Oregon lumber is famous for. A huge swath of the Western part of Oregon was/is dominated by DF. The old growth ones that were originally here were hundreds (and even over a thousand) years old, and huge. This is how they were hauled out on trucks (and trains).
There’s only a very stands of old growth left. Most of it is protected, but there’s still some that’s being harvested. Eugene is the county seat of Lane County, which IIRC has the greatest output of DF of any county in the US.
Douglas Fir, simply called Douglas here, has become more and more popular in the recent past. I’m by no means an expert, but maybe there’s a connection with the ban on importing some types of tropical timber.
In the past years, I hear Douglas frequently when someone wants a construction like below.
That looks familiar! But I wouldn’t use it for a floor, as it’s less rot resistant than some other decking wood.
Is Douglas Fir a thing in Europe?
So I just googled it. The answer is “no”.
The answer is yes!
The tree was brought to Europe in the 19th century, where it is now widespread in many European countries.
Douglas fir is one of the most important timber species in the world. In Europe, the tree is grown on plantations and used for reforestation, especially in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Source: http://www.euforgen.org/species/pseudotsuga-menziesii/
But I didn’t have to look it up as my great grandfather was a forester in Austria and praised Douglas fir highly, at a time when it was still a fairly newly introduced tree there (late 19th century). I heard this from my mother.
Google is dead to me.
Technical point here. I’m told that a flat bed truck’s load should never rise above the height of the cab, or in the case here, above the steel bar behind the cab. So, is this truck therefore overloaded?
If its above the headboard double the weight of the load in restraints is required here, easy to work out with rated strops and loadbinders not so easy using ropes. Overloading is calculated on weight not height providing you keep within maximum dimensions. That truck here would be good for a GVM of 30,000kg packets of timber are usually 3,000kg so it likely only has 6 tonnes aboard.