Category Archives: Truck Detective

Home Made Fiat Euro-Wheeler

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www.euro-wheels.com

Once again my good friend Neil Jarrold sent me a little gem from his ever amazing collection of self taken photo’s. Often I am busy working away at my desk, when I get an email from the man behind www.euro-wheels.com usually titled “a bit of you”. This time round I think Neil was spot on, this little FIAT is probably a bit of me! An early mini international light weight wagon and drag.

Firstly Neil thinks this was taken in Boulogne, France. Other than that there really isn’t any more info to go with it. This is where you come in, do you know who’s it is? Where it was going? I can’t decide whether the caravans are an export or an import. The doors are on the offside, so does that mean they are UK built for the European markets, or are they European made for the UK?? Which ever, was there ever a return load or and outward load?

As for the vehicle itself, agin there are lots of questions and probably not many answers, unless you can help? leave a comment below or email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk . If you look carefully at this side of the cab, you can see the left overs of the side panel of the van, when it was indeed a panel van. Looking through the windscreen, the other side of the cab has an additional window between the door window and the back of the cab, likely to aid with vision while driving on the wrong side of the road. Flashing light on the roof. Again on this side of the cab behind the door handle, there looks to be the van model badge and what likes like or could be the owners details / sticker. All in all this is once again a real little gem and is typical on Neil’s photography.

Do your self a favour and set aside a wet Autumn afternoon and enjoy sifting through the thousands and thousands of photo’s on www.euro-wheels.com you will be amazed!! From the late 1970’s to present day there is something for all trucking persuasions. Personally I love the London Market night time photo’s, all sorts of Paddy Scania 141’s and Scottish Volvo’s and also the late 1980’s Dover photos. I also like the very rare rigid photo’s you can find. Neil has confessed to me that he isn’t bothered by little lorries so the odd photo he has taken must be of some thing special/interesting. Like this little Mercedes Benz 1117 from Malmo.

www.euro-wheels.com

Manton European Freezer Freight Part 5

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I didn’t think part 5 would be quite so quick in turning up!! After typing out the quick Part 4 the other evening, I opened my emails the following morning, who had emailed me?? Yep your right, the one and only Dave Manton. I think he was just taking a quick break from being in his loft for the last few weeks looking for photo’s!! This on the road photo was a regular stop on the route to Moscow. This is dieseling your truck up Belarus style.

Mantons en Route to Moscow

For a point can you tell me what type of Eastern European truck the fuel bowser is? I have no idea what so ever! Leave a comment or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk and hopefully by the time you’ve worked out what it is, my friend and yours DM will have the next photo.

Help Needed (Not me!)

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Can any of you identify this old bus?? Mike Tasker (of Black Scania fame) spotted this old girl and her big drawbar trailer, parked up in Dusseldorff, Germany. The tractor looks like its more engine than any thing else, judging by the size of the bonnet compared to the length of the rest of it. I’m imagining its got some sort of Magirus Deutz V10 in it, but that’s probably me just getting romantic! Any who if you look carefully it has got what looks like a parking ticket in the window. Looking at the evidence it looks like it has been there for a fair while though, as the weeds have grown up between the wheels and also the flattening rear tyre. Have you got any ideas what it is?? then please feel free to leave a comment or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk

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Mini Artics

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Dear Readers,

So far the info regarding mini artics has been a little sketchy to say the least. I have been trying to find out, what the weight combinations on these vehicles are. I NEED YOUR HELP!?
So far, i think it is fare to say that you can obviously have a minimum gross weight of 7.5 or 12 tons depending on what you require. This mini MAN artic is based on having a Gross Vehicle Weight of 12 tons, actually MAN’s are usually plated at 11,990kg. This particular one come’s from a German body builder and mini artic manufacturer called Pagenkopf. They claim that there trailer with an MAN TGL sleeper cab can still achieve a 5.500kg payload, which obviously means that the truck is designed to run at 11,990kg. This is also given away by the fact they call it “Maut-killer”, all vehicles under 12,000kg GVW dont have to pay the German Maut charges. The other thing I found yesterday on a quote for a 12 tonner from MAN was, they state the maximum Train Weight of a 12 tonner to be 24,000kg.

MAN mini Artic

MAN mini Artic

You may be wondering why i dont just ask MAN or Mercedes what the weight set up is. Well I have. MAN haven’t got back to me and Mercedes Benz UK have said they are on the case, so hopefully I will here some thing back, from one or both.

Activ Cars run these Mercedes Atego’s as you will be bored of reading by now. But they badge on the door say’s this is an “823” meaning 8 tons, 230 bhp. So how do they get away with pulling 11 and 13 metre long trailers behind. They can’t be using the GVW of 8 tons, so they must be going on the Train weight……………………..oh no i’ve gone boss eyed!!

Activ Cars

For a minute there I almost sounded like a right anorak! Can you shed any light on the mini artic debate?? If so email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave your USEFULL comments below.

Activ Cars Spezialtransporte, Achim, Bremen

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Right here we go again. Those who know me will know that i am not one to give up on some thing I want. Now for a good while I have been trying to get more photo’s and info about this lot as they don’t have a website. I did email them once and i did get a good reply with a couple of yard photo’s, but as you have guessed I want to get more of both! Activ Cars operate out of Achim, Bremen, Germany. They have a good looking fleet of Mercedes, mainly Atego’s. Perhaps my new friends at Mercedes Benz UK can even get in on the detective trail, surely there are some German colleagues you can contact?? Activ travel all over the continent and even regularly come to the UK. The main stay of there work seems to be for Airbus, delivering parts to manufacturing plants, such as Frankfurt, Toulouse and Broughton near Chester.

Activ Cars

Now, I have done an appeal before for your spots as you go about your daily drives, and we did get a couple of spots, one at Killingholme Dock and another up the M6, possibly heading for Broughton. I am going to try my luck by emailing the email address I have and hope the staff at Activ Cars don’t ignore my email. Now this is where you lot come in, while i’ll do the emailing, I need you lot to keep your eyes peeled and send me any photos you manage to get of Activ Cars mini artics on the road. Ideally one of you will find an Activ truck parked up and you can ask the driver to email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk or via the Truckblog Facebook Page. In fact who ever send’s in the best NEW photo of one of these trucks, will win a www.truckblog.co.uk sticker. In my previous searches I even put a thread on trucknetuk.com and did get some response, but i have renewed this Mini German Artic thread in the hope it too might get some new feedback.

Activ Cars 16.09.2010.jpg

Activ Cars A14 West 16/09/10

Just look at the backdoors, they have a lovely gap at the bottom for a nice new Navy Blue truckblog sticker! The detective work starts now, so best bi-nock-u-lars on and get detecting my loyal spotters. Hopefully now we have a load of new European friends reading the blog we may be able to spread the hunt further and wider than before and we may even get some results. Just imagine if an employee of Activ Cars got to hear about the search, they might email me direct!! Remember my email address is ben@truckblog.co.uk

Activ Cars A14 West 16/09/10

Activ Cars

Where is This Truck Now??

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What a cutie! This little DAF with its B I G Hatcher cab conversion is a real head turner, especially with its bright livery. These will now be rare photo’s due to Edwin Shirley being taken over by the equally beautiful black trucks of Transam Trucking. Now i wonder if this little gem is still on the joint fleet some where?? I know a couple of chaps by the name of Ireland who should be able to shed some light on the detective hunt. I would quite like a “where is it now?” type updtae if poss please. Also Nick, i think this is one of yours, thanks, can you email me a few more, perhaps along what ever trip you did with her??. Can you add any thing to the hunt? Leave your comments below or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk