TRUCK DESIGN 101

[Sixty8panther]

1907 Oldsmobile commercial truck: AWWWWWW-SUM!

1923 Ford Model-TT pickup: Pretty damn cool for a Ford, nice pre-war dinosaur.

2008 Hino light duty truck: (chassis) UGLIER than Barbara Streisand.

It's even worse in the flesh... a profile shot would make you gouge your eyes out!

This is something that irks the $hit out of me.

More and more and MORE Hinos are showing up on new england roads

these days. Many local salvage yards/towing companies have bought

Hinos for roll-back truck duty and they are showing up in large

numbers as delivery trucks. Laundry services, meat packing plants &

even occasionally as flat-bed haulers.

I personally think that upright COE/bus style windshield combined with

the raked nose of a Freightliner/International is sinfully grotesque.

Never mind that big pig-nose & awkward design on the WHOLE fascia.

Anyone else with me here? I can't look at these trucks without fear

of puking. Why does everything Toyota touches turn so FUGLY?

Hino, Subaru, Diahatsu... seriously!?

90* completely VERTICAL windshields do not belong on ANYTHING

this side of the early 1930s UNLESS it's a BUS, or perhaps a very flat

nosed cab-over-engine design.

I mean seriously the damn subway cars o the Boston Green Line have

a rake to their windshields these days.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Sixty8panther

[Guest aatbloke]

So this is just a xenophobic rant is it?

[Sixty8panther]

Fine... x-out Streisand... substitute Michael Jackson post-1998.

[Guest aatbloke]

As is the case with the vast majority of commercial vehicles, form follows function.

[z28luvr01]

Well, I have to wonder the aerodynamic numbers on this thing vs a more conventional front end design. I could understand the sleek nose, but to me the windshield being completely vertical negates any gains made. The school buses in my neighborhood have adopted a similar nose (they're Internationals), but the windshield I believe has more of a rake to it.

[Satty]

So this is just a xenophobic rant is it?

Most of his posts are.

[siegen]

It looks like a normal freight hauler to me. No more an eyesore than any of the others.

[FAPTurbo]

I guess I'll be the first here to say that I actually like the looks of those trucks. I think it's better than International's new face, to be honest.

[chevelle454]

God those are ugly. Where as most big trucks look tough, thes look wussy.

[Polish_Kris]

LOL, you took the time to bash Toyota's commercial trucks? It's a truck, they all look alike! We all know you hate Toyota, we get it already!

[Robert Hall]

Maybe the big windshield is shared w/ a COE cab as well..that could explain it's verticalness..

It's not as if the domestics haven't produced some uglies in their time...the rear of the fullsize GMC & Chevy vans, for instance--high mounted taillights, black trim, disgusting looking from behind, IMHO. Or the new Ford Super Duty with it's wierd headlight treatment...or the '08 Ford E-series van front end. etc, etc..

[Nick]

Now this is a truck!

[Robert Hall]

Unimogs are the only Mercedes product I would ever buy. Got to love those portal axles.

Mogs are cool...I have a buddy that has an old Mog ('60s) and a Pinzgauer... also has a Porsche 930 Turbo, a 914, and an A6 wagon for family duty.

The current Merc that I lust after is the CLS...love that shape.

[Sixty8panther]

Unimogs are cool. Hino trucks are disgusting.

For those not in agreement... whatever but I think that the HINOs

are the ugliest & most poorly (stylistically) designed trucks EVER.

Z28LVR: Yes agreed. NO continuity.

WMJ: That Euclid is HOT! See that's a dynamic design.

Form follows function is beautiful when done right.

[Satty]

Unimogs are ugly. Hinos are ugly. Every other commercial truck available is ugly. To single one out reeks of asinine hatred.

The Hino RK busses aren't bad looking, for busses at least.

[Sixty8panther]

Yeah, there you go, that windshield belongs on that bus.

Despite the weird insect antenna like mirrors and the

lack of flush mounted headlights it's a decent design.

If you can't see how awkward that aforementioned Hino

looks, with the juxtaposition of a aero-like nose and

VERTICAL windshield then you my friend are blind.

Also if you think all commercial vehicles are ugly than

your opinion here is not valid... there's plenty of trucks

that look awesome with vertical windshields, & I for one

think there;s many cases of great designs that are 100%

form follows function.

Here;s some cool Trucks:

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/5666/cl...rrierspbbm7.jpg

http://www.bradsclassictrucks.com/67-Peterbilt-041-2-1.jpg

http://www.trucker.com/extimages/paper%5C1...%5C74890283.jpg

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/truc...ilt_379_wc2.jpg

http://www.selectyourtruckdeal.com/Freight...0Pics%20034.jpg

http://www.dietersaccessories.com/catalog/...nworth-2005.jpg

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/5716/se...htlinerctr1.jpg

http://www.techrivet.com/content/binary/Wi...musprime1_1.jpg

http://www.sellyoursemitruck.com/images/1001.jpg

Here's an awesome COE that is 30 years old and still has MORE rake to its windshield.

AND IT'S A flat nosed COE!

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/truc..._powerliner.jpg

[Satty]

They all look alike. Come to think of it, so do the Ford and Olds posted at the top. Its like they were designed by the Japanese or Koreans, no originality.

[Robert Hall]

They all look alike. Come to think of it, so do the Ford and Olds posted at the top. Its like they were designed by the Japanese or Koreans, no originality.

Most everything from the early 20th century looks alike to me...most cars or trucks from around 1920 or 1930 all look the same to me...hard to see brand distinctions until later, IMHO. (though some of the luxury cars of the 30s definitely stand out like the Cords, Auburns, Duesenbergs, Bugattis, Mercedes, RRs, Packards, etc or futuristic stuff like the Chrysler Airflows).

Edited April 14, 2008 by moltar

[Sixty8panther]

They all look alike. Come to think of it, so do the Ford and Olds posted at the top. Its like they were designed by the Japanese or Koreans, no originality.

Some days I really wish you'd just leave this forum and go

discuss sodomy, mulletts & the ever elusive fordgasm on

some other far less "relevant" forum. That would be great.

[SuperSport623]

My dad instilled my love of most tractor trailers (i LOVE MACK superliners and R-models, and Pete 379's like he had)

and someday i will own a B-Model

[Sixty8panther]

Yup... Pete 379s are the $h!! Actually ALL old school Peterbilts or Kenworths are awesome.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I'm more of a Mack Truck guy myself... taking my Marketing classes to the Macungie (Allentown), PA plant for a tour in two weeks This will be the third time I've been to the plant - first though while it's in operation (the first two times were on Saturdays in June when the plant runs tours and provides shuttle buses from the ATHS National Truck Show in Macungie Park). I'll be there with the wife and kids in June again too.

International will be releasing an all new heavy commercial truck called "Lonestar". I found these two smaller pictures, but the current issue of TruckTrend features an article on this new truck with better pictures:

I'm with you Sixty8... I think Hino trucks are horrible looking, and I'm seeing more of them on the road here in southern NJ too.

[Sixty8panther]

379's always look best with round headlights... IMO

That International is the coolest looking tractor trailer this side of 1969.

A+ to them, I hope those are production photos!

[Polish_Kris]

I think that new International Lone Star is an awesome looking truck, though my buddy who is a trucker dreads Internationals, saying they look good, but driving it is like driving a Lada. LoL. From what I heard from many trucker, Volvo has one of the best-engineered trucks on the market.

[Intrepidation]

I'm more of a Mack Truck guy myself... taking my Marketing classes to the Macungie (Allentown), PA plant for a tour in two weeks This will be the third time I've been to the plant - first though while it's in operation (the first two times were on Saturdays in June when the plant runs tours and provides shuttle buses from the ATHS National Truck Show in Macungie Park). I'll be there with the wife and kids in June again too.

International will be releasing an all new heavy commercial truck called "Lonestar". I found these two smaller pictures, but the current issue of TruckTrend features an article on this new truck with better pictures:

I'm with you Sixty8... I think Hino trucks are horrible looking, and I'm seeing more of them on the road here in southern NJ too.

That's is quite a truck! It really breaks the mold of what most trucks tend to look like...and both stunning and handsome IMO.

Living conditions aren't bad either! These are from Truck Trend

Edited April 15, 2008 by Dodgefan

[GMTruckGuy74]

In case you're wondering about the red pickup in the last picture DF posted, it is a 1939 International D-Series pickup truck. It's reason for being in the picture? The '39 was restored by International (using the 32-valve, 390 cubic inch MaxxForce TD V8, is appropriately called the "DMaxx") and was the inspiration behind the Lonestar's design (according to TruckTrend). It was parked next to the Lonestar at it's Chicago debut.

The DMAXX is a 1939 International D-Series 1/2-ton pickup that has been brought fully up to date with an International MaxxForce 7 twin turbo diesel, putting out 350 horsepower @ 3000 rpm and 650 ft. lbs. of torque at 2000 rpm. In addition, it has an Allison 1000 automatic, a Ford 9" rear axle, an Air-Ride Technologies full air suspension, 18" wheels and other goodies.

More info and pictures of the DMaxx can be found here.

For a picture gallery of the new Lonestar, click here.

[Nick]

Wow...that thing is hot! A bit gaudy in certain shots, but still pretty attractive nonetheless...

Definitely looks sweet towing that tank.

I don't know why, but I have always taken an attraction to the road presence of the Volvo VN's and VT's. They can look kinda goofy in pictures, but driving around one is a different story in my opinion.

[SuperSport623]

regarding Volvo;

The dealership here on Long Island that my dad bought his Macks and all the parts to fix them is Gabrielli Mack, Kenworth and Volvo (Volvo Currently owns Mack, so they share dealerships)

one day a few years ago, we were getting parts at the parts department and one of the guys mentions they were starting to get the Vovlo Single Cabs in, and after a while, thye set it up where my dad would get a week test trial on one (he had no intention of buying, since he had three mack Superliners and a Pete 379, but its a totally free, so who cares?)

i was 13... and i was a bit biased.. thinking Volvo? the swedish crap?

i absolutley LOVED that truck.. i got to do a little bit of drving around the streets around our shop in brooklyn, and of course my dad beat the hell out of it... i kinda want one now...

[GMTruckGuy74]

Well, I have to wonder the aerodynamic numbers on this thing vs a more conventional front end design. I could understand the sleek nose, but to me the windshield being completely vertical negates any gains made. The school buses in my neighborhood have adopted a similar nose (they're Internationals), but the windshield I believe has more of a rake to it.

The school district I work for still uses GMC Topkick's for their school buses (older models), but they are starting to replace them with the Internationals you've described.

The township where I live is starting to convert over to Thomas built buses using Freightliners, similar in design to the Internationals:

[Intrepidation]

I HATE those nasty things. They are hideous!

[A Horse With No Name]

Now this is a truck!

Not just yes but Hell Yes!

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

This is a cool thread...thanks for the pics guys.

Sixty-Eight, thanks for the Olds Pic in the O.P.! That's Awesome.

Chris

[Sixty8panther]

This is a great exampe of "retro" design.

I LOVE this new International. A+++

(no it's not perfect but it's way better than 90% of modern commercial vehicles)

Still way less awkward than the HINO, that windshield works way better.

It may be ugly but it doesn't try so hard to be ugly that it gets

disqualified from the ugly awards.

[FAPTurbo]

Holy Sh*t, that Lonestar looks awesome!!!

I wish they had bigger pictures for a desktop wallpaper though.