The death of Cab-Overs
#11
09-10-2007, 03:43 AM
Nothing like a '72 Transtar, think the wb was 155" or 162', something like that. Was a real screamer with a 318 Detroit and a 13speed; no power steering (and no radial tires), no AC, running the south and southwest with a 40' reefer. Contributed heavily to my back surgery but we didn't know any better then, I guess.
Transtar, touted on the CB as 'double-decker beaver checkers,' ROTFLMAO Wasn't the only cabover I drove in the '70s and '80s; had the Astro, a Mack, and even an old Brockway.
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#12
09-10-2007, 04:44 AM
The demise of the cabover went hand in hand with the demise of the profession and the industry and drivers turning this into a "lifestyle choice".
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#13
09-10-2007, 09:07 AM
never drivin a cab-over. I always wanted to drive one just so i can say i have. I like the looks of the KW cabovers.
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#14
09-10-2007, 12:11 PM
Originally Posted by countryhorseman
Freightliner still builds limited numbers of Cabovers for certain customers and overseas sales. They are still extremely popular in Europe.
#15
09-10-2007, 12:17 PM
Re: The death of Cab-Overs
Originally Posted by JamesD2
I still see lots on the road owned by private owners that pull shipping containers in my area.
#16
09-10-2007, 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by roadranger
Originally Posted by countryhorseman
Freightliner still builds limited numbers of Cabovers for certain customers and overseas sales. They are still extremely popular in Europe.
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#17
09-10-2007, 10:36 PM
By the way - modern european cabovers are said to ride as well as hoods. The later american cabovers weren't that bad if you kept the chassis and cab shocks working. Main P.I.T.A. is the climb up into them - especially in the winter. There were some aftermarket retractable steps made that looked like they fixed that.
#18
09-11-2007, 12:41 PM
Originally Posted by geomon
Here's a White Freightliner very similar to what I drove for a few months in 1980
  As far as why they went away, I think the other guy nailed it. By the time the Argosy came out, the cabover was already dead. They were just trying to resurrect the idea with a nod back to the old length law days. The concept was if we could get everybody onto something like the Argosy, then we could pull 57' trailers without being any longer overall than today's 53' trailers and hood setups. I'm glad that idea seems to have died. For now. |
