customized by the Whatoff company: http://www.ameshistory.org/exhibits/whattoff5.htm
That cab, once seen never forgotten, had a remarkable 48" overall length bumper to back of cab, and the operator has the feeling that he is driving a window. In a very real sense, the driver is the first thing to get hit in one of these cabs, and they were not a commercial success for International.
Found on http://steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com/post/83580731459/whattoff-toter-with-adjustable-chassis-length
https://www.facebook.com/groups/321577158048111/?fref=nf
Both bottom photos from http://steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com/
The International Sightliner was not a commercial success, although it was not just because the driver was the first thing to get hit in an accident. In this era, Cab Over Engine trucks were becoming increasingly popular throughout the trucking industry. Some complaints specific to the IHC Sightliner were, extra maintenance costs as the lower windows were susceptible to damage from rocks and gravel tossed up from the road, and, drivers also complained of cold feet due to the lack of insulation afforded by the lower windows. While the lower windows did offer a slight safety benefit of allowing the driver to see pedestrians walking directly in front of the cab, drivers often joked that pedestrians could also see them, perhaps with their fly open or while they were doing some inappropriate scratching LOL.
ReplyDeleteI happened to see a truck with those two extra windows the other day, do you know what the purpose is?
ReplyDeleteSo the driver could see what was happening right in front of his truck... an ordinary long nose truck makes it impossible to see bikers, pedestrians, dogs, etc that are in front and close to the truck.
DeleteCheers for the explanation. It was wrecking my head!
ReplyDelete