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Post by silverdragon on Nov 7, 2016 11:25:23 GMT
I challenge anyone to work this one through.
Question, can you drive a car if the steering was "backwards".
Back to the bike....
Would you try to do that on a public road, or would you try in a large open place to practise?..
Do you need to have an "Open mindset"
Can you "Unlearn" how to ride a bike?...
And if you do, can you "Switch" easily.
This affects me sometimes on a daily basis, not all trucks are laid out in the same way, but like driving your own car for three/four years then having a new one and finding all the switches are in "The wrong place"....
Can they at least get the Indicator stalk on the same side?..
[You may note I have posted more than one video of this guy in various places, he is exploding my mind in several ways, and its good for me at the moment.]
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Post by the light works on Nov 7, 2016 14:58:22 GMT
I recall a story my father told me about his youth building dune buggies. there were two common steering boxes; and one was preferred because it was simple and turned the wheels the right way. there was another that nobody used because it didn't.
one of his friends needed a new steering box, and the wrong one was what was available, so he put it on and told everybody that he wouldn't have any trouble being able to simply reverse the movement of the steering wheel.
the first time he drove it, he turned left when he should have turned right, and wrecked the buggy.
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Post by GTCGreg on Nov 7, 2016 15:15:09 GMT
Many of the tasks we do each day are too complicated to think about. They have to be part of the autonomous functions of our brain. Riding a bicycle is one of these tasks. So is playing a musical instrument.
I have a number of friends that are accomplished musicians. They all tell me the same thing. They didn't become good at their skill until they reached the point where they no longer had to think about playing their instruments and could just concentrate on the music they were making. And the really good ones didn't even have to think about the music anymore. It just flowed out of them.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 8, 2016 10:02:11 GMT
Is this what they call "Muscle memory", in that your mind starts to work subconsciously and you just "Know what your doing"?..
I know when I jump into a Volvo truck, its quicker for me to just drive the damn thing because not only is it what I learnt to drive, its all the same, and its the one I like the most. [you always favour your first truck, and have some loyalty to the badge?..]
If I have to drive Scania, Daf, or even [ye gods preserve us] and old Brit Leyland Globetrotter, I quickly remember, but what I remember is I dont like that stupid thing because it never worked right.
Have you ever returned to an old car and started "Yeah, I remember these", and suddenly you remember stuff about them you would have never remembered if you hadnt sat in it and tried to drive it?.
The thing with the backwards bike, I can cheat.
For some reason when I was a kid I liked to ride my bike "No hands", and eventually got quite good at it.
The brake cables ran along the bar between headstock and seat, and being split, I could just pull the cable to brake.
So a backwards steering bike, as long as I get it balanced when I set off, I can ride no hands from a standing start...
Sort of the same with Trucks.
I make a point of sitting there and pushing the buttons until I have found all of them, Lights, Exhaust brake, up-down range shifters, [splitters] handbrake, indicators, for lights, horn....
It sort of helps me switch mind sets from last truck to this.
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Post by the light works on Nov 8, 2016 15:01:09 GMT
Is this what they call "Muscle memory", in that your mind starts to work subconsciously and you just "Know what your doing"?.. I know when I jump into a Volvo truck, its quicker for me to just drive the damn thing because not only is it what I learnt to drive, its all the same, and its the one I like the most. [you always favour your first truck, and have some loyalty to the badge?..] If I have to drive Scania, Daf, or even [ye gods preserve us] and old Brit Leyland Globetrotter, I quickly remember, but what I remember is I dont like that stupid thing because it never worked right. Have you ever returned to an old car and started "Yeah, I remember these", and suddenly you remember stuff about them you would have never remembered if you hadnt sat in it and tried to drive it?. The thing with the backwards bike, I can cheat. For some reason when I was a kid I liked to ride my bike "No hands", and eventually got quite good at it. The brake cables ran along the bar between headstock and seat, and being split, I could just pull the cable to brake. So a backwards steering bike, as long as I get it balanced when I set off, I can ride no hands from a standing start... Sort of the same with Trucks. I make a point of sitting there and pushing the buttons until I have found all of them, Lights, Exhaust brake, up-down range shifters, [splitters] handbrake, indicators, for lights, horn.... It sort of helps me switch mind sets from last truck to this. I do that with new trucks. most of the fleet I drive, by the time I have gotten things adjusted from whatever strange position the last driver left them in, I am in the correct operating mode. (for some reason half the department thinks the truck seat should be as far back and as low as it can go, and the steering wheel should be in their lap) |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 9, 2016 7:51:42 GMT
Be glad you dont get those absolutely stupid "Air ride" seats that "Adjust" to your own weight....
Every time you hit a bump you do somersaults.
But yeah, I get the opposite, I get seats too close to the wheel... Long Legs.
My own seat in my own car is back and down, because it has to be to get my head under the roof?... but not so far back that I am sat on the back seat, its about half-way along the travel of the seat.
I had to drive a car that had the ability to sink the seat down way way way below what it should be able to.
I managed to sink it down far enough that my own head was "about average" to the rest of the world?.. as in level with the headrest...
Bloody hell, you dont half loose a lot of visibility that far down in the car.......
I am "that tall" that my head often does touch the roof in many cars, and there are some I just cant fit in at all.
Mostly those micro-mini things, fiat500 comes to mind.
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Post by the light works on Nov 9, 2016 7:58:50 GMT
Be glad you dont get those absolutely stupid "Air ride" seats that "Adjust" to your own weight.... Every time you hit a bump you do somersaults. But yeah, I get the opposite, I get seats too close to the wheel... Long Legs. My own seat in my own car is back and down, because it has to be to get my head under the roof?... but not so far back that I am sat on the back seat, its about half-way along the travel of the seat. I had to drive a car that had the ability to sink the seat down way way way below what it should be able to. I managed to sink it down far enough that my own head was "about average" to the rest of the world?.. as in level with the headrest... Bloody hell, you dont half loose a lot of visibility that far down in the car....... I am "that tall" that my head often does touch the roof in many cars, and there are some I just cant fit in at all. Mostly those micro-mini things, fiat500 comes to mind. in a car I tend to ride back and down, but then the steering column is not passing vertically between the pedals. and we do have air ride seats, here. they take some getting used to. |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 9, 2016 9:36:56 GMT
Hate the sodding things with a passion.. I would rather bounce about on a solid seat than try and regain some kind of control with the seat jumping to both ends of its suspension travel.
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Post by the light works on Nov 9, 2016 14:53:08 GMT
Hate the sodding things with a passion.. I would rather bounce about on a solid seat than try and regain some kind of control with the seat jumping to both ends of its suspension travel. the trick is to press back a bit. I suspect a lot have the shock absorbers blown out. |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 10, 2016 6:15:04 GMT
Hate the sodding things with a passion.. I would rather bounce about on a solid seat than try and regain some kind of control with the seat jumping to both ends of its suspension travel. the trick is to press back a bit. I suspect a lot have the shock absorbers blown out. Nope, not on "New" wagons, so I presume the older ones are still working just as badly as well. As for pressing back, I tried that, and that dont work either. Thankfully, they dont have them in the Volvo's I drive. |
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Post by the light works on Nov 10, 2016 6:51:19 GMT
the trick is to press back a bit. I suspect a lot have the shock absorbers blown out. Nope, not on "New" wagons, so I presume the older ones are still working just as badly as well. As for pressing back, I tried that, and that dont work either. Thankfully, they dont have them in the Volvo's I drive. running them tall also helps reduce the bounce. the press works in the ones I drive the most. made the most difference in old 23. the one that was nearly as old as I am. of course, I've also developed the habit of driving with my heel on the pivot of the pedal, and my hands balanced on the wheel, because things DO still bounce in the cab. |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 10, 2016 7:51:10 GMT
Nope, not on "New" wagons, so I presume the older ones are still working just as badly as well. As for pressing back, I tried that, and that dont work either. Thankfully, they dont have them in the Volvo's I drive. running them tall also helps reduce the bounce. the press works in the ones I drive the most. made the most difference in old 23. the one that was nearly as old as I am. of course, I've also developed the habit of driving with my heel on the pivot of the pedal, and my hands balanced on the wheel, because things DO still bounce in the cab. Cabs bounce at the best of times, I just cover the brake as needed and come off everything else until it settles back down and get both hands on the wheel to stop it jumping one way or the other. Thankfully, you can see most of the big lumps coming, its just the ones you cant avoid. Its just the over-doing it of those over-sprung seats thats sort of not needed, and the having to brace against yer noggin hittin the roof?.. Perhaps they just need **Better** shock absorbers in them, or just not air-ride under them, and give us a solid seat. They are not more comfortable at all, they just annoy.... |
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Post by the light works on Nov 10, 2016 7:58:57 GMT
running them tall also helps reduce the bounce. the press works in the ones I drive the most. made the most difference in old 23. the one that was nearly as old as I am. of course, I've also developed the habit of driving with my heel on the pivot of the pedal, and my hands balanced on the wheel, because things DO still bounce in the cab. Cabs bounce at the best of times, I just cover the brake as needed and come off everything else until it settles back down and get both hands on the wheel to stop it jumping one way or the other. Thankfully, you can see most of the big lumps coming, its just the ones you cant avoid. Its just the over-doing it of those over-sprung seats thats sort of not needed, and the having to brace against yer noggin hittin the roof?.. Perhaps they just need **Better** shock absorbers in them, or just not air-ride under them, and give us a solid seat. They are not more comfortable at all, they just annoy.... not really a shortage of headroom in the custom cabs, either. |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 11, 2016 5:30:52 GMT
Cabs bounce at the best of times, I just cover the brake as needed and come off everything else until it settles back down and get both hands on the wheel to stop it jumping one way or the other. Thankfully, you can see most of the big lumps coming, its just the ones you cant avoid. Its just the over-doing it of those over-sprung seats thats sort of not needed, and the having to brace against yer noggin hittin the roof?.. Perhaps they just need **Better** shock absorbers in them, or just not air-ride under them, and give us a solid seat. They are not more comfortable at all, they just annoy.... not really a shortage of headroom in the custom cabs, either. Do you not get shelves above he drivers head above the window in US cabs?... they poke things like Tachograph up there these days, and if you get thrown forwards and up, its just the right height. |
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Post by the light works on Nov 11, 2016 7:03:46 GMT
not really a shortage of headroom in the custom cabs, either. Do you not get shelves above he drivers head above the window in US cabs?... they poke things like Tachograph up there these days, and if you get thrown forwards and up, its just the right height. my tender has a cubby up there, but there would have to be a seatbelt failure for me to hit my head on it. the custom cab engines have nothing up there except the sunvisor.  |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 11, 2016 7:31:32 GMT
Your tender is what we call a "Cab-over" design, the same as UK cabs, in that the driver sits over the engine. Even in out huge overnight cabs in UK, this gives the driver a high seating position anyway to start with, and unless the cab has been designed with a huge wind-jammer sloped roof to direct air up and over a Box trailer, they try to keep the height of the cab down to help with aerodynamics over flatter trailers, ... That in effect means we have less head height than some one-ton vans... the Ford Transit has more head height than some artic cabs that I have driven.... Of course my favoured Volvo has the right amount of head height, so my complaints of low headroom are not all cabs, just "Some"... And it seams that those "some" are always the ones with the wild-ride bucking bronco air suspension seats that rise up when you put the ignition on, and "auto adjust" you to what they suppose is the right heigh dependant on your weight on the seat?.. Obviously from my implied sarcasm there, they always get it wildly wrong, and it takes a while to adjust the seat to where you really want it to be. And then the first bump it all goes wild again... Take for instance this "day cab" design...  Against my favoured Volvo extra room type thing...  And you can see the extra heigh above the windows. |
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Post by the light works on Nov 11, 2016 7:50:09 GMT
Your tender is what we call a "Cab-over" design, the same as UK cabs, in that the driver sits over the engine. Even in out huge overnight cabs in UK, this gives the driver a high seating position anyway to start with, and unless the cab has been designed with a huge wind-jammer sloped roof to direct air up and over a Box trailer, they try to keep the height of the cab down to help with aerodynamics over flatter trailers, ... That in effect means we have less head height than some one-ton vans... the Ford Transit has more head height than some artic cabs that I have driven.... Of course my favoured Volvo has the right amount of head height, so my complaints of low headroom are not all cabs, just "Some"... And it seams that those "some" are always the ones with the wild-ride bucking bronco air suspension seats that rise up when you put the ignition on, and "auto adjust" you to what they suppose is the right heigh dependant on your weight on the seat?.. Obviously from my implied sarcasm there, they always get it wildly wrong, and it takes a while to adjust the seat to where you really want it to be. And then the first bump it all goes wild again... Take for instance this "day cab" design... Against my favoured Volvo extra room type thing... And you can see the extra heigh above the windows. that's a custom cab engine. this is the tender.  and our air ride seats are all manual adjust - maybe that's where yours go so wrong. |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 12, 2016 18:56:25 GMT
There is manual adjust for height.
But there is no adjust for length of travel.
A seat that can jump abut a foot up and down in normal use is just "Not right", when it gets to throwing you 18inch upwards on a small slow speed bump, there is something seriously wrong.
Especially when I only have 12 inch headroom in a low height cab.
BTW, If you mean that all cab-over-engines are custom, no, most euro design are built that way as bog-standard.
All Fire tenders are custom design as well.
Most are taken from a known working body design of something that has passed the test of time.
However, newer ones are now being done that are "All new", just taking the good stuff from older ones.
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Post by the light works on Nov 13, 2016 0:36:33 GMT
There is manual adjust for height. But there is no adjust for length of travel. A seat that can jump abut a foot up and down in normal use is just "Not right", when it gets to throwing you 18inch upwards on a small slow speed bump, there is something seriously wrong. Especially when I only have 12 inch headroom in a low height cab. BTW, If you mean that all cab-over-engines are custom, no, most euro design are built that way as bog-standard. All Fire tenders are custom design as well. Most are taken from a known working body design of something that has passed the test of time. However, newer ones are now being done that are "All new", just taking the good stuff from older ones. in fire engines over here, you have two choices: commercial cab and custom cab. commercial cab will be the standard cab from some chassis manufacturer. for example, T22 is an International Harvester cab and chassis. T21 is on a Kenworth cab and chassis. the engine pictured above was built by the engine manufacturer to their own specs. our chief prefers custom cab, because they are also built to higher rollover standards. and the travel on the seats is the thing. T23 was so sloppy, that any bump big enough would bounce you off the stops. in the newest rigs, you basically have to take the truck airborne to get the seat to go to the travel limit. basically, the seat bounces half as far as the steering wheel bounces. |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 13, 2016 2:43:37 GMT
We aint got them here yet then... as for getting them airborne, dont tempt me... thats not a good idea to suggest to an ex RAF guy?..
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