Mini-semis are a common sight in the Netherlands, especially in the earth-moving business. With a market share of more than 80%, the Iveco Daily is the predominant tractor unit in this segment.
Ford, Renault/Nissan, Volkswagen/MAN and Mercedes-Benz can also supply a RWD chassis-cab with dual rear wheels. All set and ready for an aftermarket conversion into a small 4×2 tractor.
When talking Mercedes-Benz, the heaviest and most powerful turbodiesel Sprinter is the main candidate for towing jobs in this class. Back in 2007, that was the 518 CDI with the 184 DIN-hp, 3.0 V6 OM 642 engine.
Noteworthy is the fact that it’s a double cab, as most of the tractor conversions are single cabs.
The registered towing capacity, simply the semi-trailer’s maximum gross weight, of this 144” wheelbase Sprinter Sattelschlepper is 6,410 kg (14,132 lbs).
See, just like the real thing.
Veldhuizen Wagenbouw built the tandem axle semi-trailer, I’m convinced the same company also took care of the Sprinter’s tractor conversion. Nice couple, they seem to be made for each other.
There was a brief period in the US, from the mid-80s to the mid 90s or so, when vans were converted to flatbeds with gooseneck or 5th wheel hitches for hauling trailers. It was done for entirely different reasons, though. The pickup trucks more commonly used for such towing weren’t very fancy or luxurious, but the van conversions were, so they were used for luxury towing, maybe a horse trailer or a nice 5th wheel camper trailer.
Once pickup trucks could be optioned in a luxurious manner, the van conversions all but disappeared.
ABS/EBS on the trailer, nice, dont see many rigs this size though a three axle semi box trailer was doing linehaul courier runs it had a F450 towing it;
Not a truck fan or expert, but I’m continually dumbfounded by the seemingly pickup truck based trucks hauling on a 5th wheel either multiple cars, 3-4-5? or heavy equipment. I understand, even in the lowly 3/4 ton range they’re rated for ungodly towing loads, but it just doesn’t “look right” for what appears to be a HD pickup truck towing what appear to be semi sized loads. What makes me even more nervous is, as admittedly a graybeard, I see typically young men who I would card in a hot second in a bar, driving them. Not that I know of any particular safety/accident risk issues with them, just that very young men, driving what appear to be unreasonably high towing loads for the vehicle, makes me nervous.
As might be noted, I’m speaking mostly of perception here, both in the trucks and their drivers. In vehicles that appear to be similar to the MB this post is about.
A horse can tow a heavier load than it can carry on its back…whether it’s a Benz Sprinter, a heavy-duty US pickup or a Class 8 chassis.
I don’t know about the US, but brake-wise, this type of combinations is on par with the big guys. ABS/EBS/air brakes (the tractors are often retrofitted with an air compressor, part of the conversion job). And they certainly don’t drive as fast as the typical Sprinter parcel delivery van or ambulance 🙂
If it makes you feel better, assuming they’re doing it professionally, they’re required to have a commercial driver license just like the big rig drivers, and their vehicles are subject to the same inspections. You’ll see them pull off at weigh stations, for example, and they should have a DOT number on the truck.
I’m far more nervous seeing regular Joes and Jills driving 26-foot UHaul, Penske and Ryder trucks, often with a bumper-towed trailer and a car or truck on it, sometimes with a dog in the cabin, across the country in all kinds of weather, often with little or not enough rest in order to get wherever “there” is on a rental time limit, having done so myself a few times. These are people for whom this is often the first time doing so and there is exactly zero training, guidance, or regulations in force for those people doing so and who generally never even bother testing their actual braking distances or anything else before setting off and know nothing about the vehicle. The biggest milestone is making it out of the U-Haul office gates without damaging anything, after that it all seems easy…Some (not all) of them spring for the optional Collision Damage Waiver and figure that protects them.
Conversely a big rig requires training and a license, and the industry is highly regulated. Minimum age for in-state transit is 18 as far as I am aware and there is legislation pending to open that up to interstate travel as well. Maximum weight is 80,000 pounds, triple trailers are ok in some states. Not all drivers are great but most are far better at what they do than the Joe or Jill above in the U-Haul.
Those large pickups you mention can haul up to around 37,000 pounds now depending on how they are equipped and mostly with gooseneck or fifth wheel setups, the ones you mostly see that are Crewcabs with a long flatbed usually a little less as the weight of the truck itself cuts into the maximum rating. So maybe around half the weight of a big rig, three cars on the slant trailers weigh maybe 13,000 pounds and the trailer a big chunk. Five cars might be 20,000 pounds plus trailer. Also required to have a commercial driver’s license and as John stated, subject to many or all of the same rules pertaining to big riggers in regard to weight checks, driving hours per day etc. Many of these guys (like the big rigs) drive multiple hundreds of thousands of miles per year, sometimes in teams to maximize driving distances per day and generally are very cognizant and aware of what they are doing and this is a generally well paying job/gig/career/lifestyle for them in comparison to whatever else they could be doing. Many drive fast, but generally not recklessly, nevertheless, as with a Big Rig, it’s best to not linger around them or get in the way, their job seems hard enough already. As with big rigs, one accident is I believe generally enough to end any career in the field.
A normal average parent driving around town or down the highway with one hand on the wheel, the other on his/her latte, and their third hand on their phone is probably far more likely to cause you to be in a serious accident.