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In the year 2020, there remain a loyal following of 7.8L-powered Ford Louisville Series operators. They take those trouble-free dump trucks out and make money every day.

The parking brake control valve is located between the driver’s seat and the passenger bench seat.

Excellent work! I like your tilt hood conversions!

Bob, the once great WSJ has lost all my respect. Though more subtle than CNN, the WSJ is clearly trying to steer people’s opinions with biased press rather than merely reporting the news.

Ford Trucks International / July 11, 2020

DAF Trucks Press Release / July 16, 2020 Service, reliability and total package behind decision to choose DAF DAF has delivered 44 fully-fitted city sanitation vehicles to Belgrade, the capital of the Republic of Serbia. The consignment consists of LF and CF trucks with diverse chassis configurations and a wide range of bodies. DAF vehicles now make up half of the fleet of 200 city sanitation vehicles in Belgrade. The decision to award the most recent tender once again to DAF was based on three key elements: a proven track record on service, fleet reliability and the fact that the Gradska Ćistoća city cleaning company can purchase and service the fully-fitted vehicles, including bodies and equipment, directly from its local dealer, Braca Crnomarkovic. Garbage trucks Gradska Ćistoća is responsible not only for all household waste collection in Belgrade but also for cleaning the streets and keeping the roads passable during snowfall. In addition to waste collection trucks fitted with rear loaders, side loaders and top loaders with a capacity of 18 and 22 m3, the order also includes tank trucks for spraying the streets and sweeper trucks that can be easily converted into snow ploughs in the winter. Serbian capital growing “Belgrade continues to grow as a city, as does its population,” according to Marko Popadic, director of Gradska Ćistoća. “Currently, there are 1.7 million people living in the city and its suburbs. So the workload is increasing and that’s why our services have to become better and faster. This means that the service provided by the DAF dealer organisation and the reliability of the vehicles is of crucial importance to us. Replacing our existing vehicles with new DAFs has helped make our staff’s work more efficient, safer and cleaner.” Extremely proud “We have never seen an order of this size before in Serbia,” says Richard Zink, member of the DAF Board of Management with responsibility for Marketing & Sales. “Together with DAF dealer Braca Crnomarkovic we have delivered a total package that perfectly matches the needs of Gradska Ćistoća. This city cleaning company now has a fleet of around 100 DAFs working to keep the streets of Belgrade clean. And that’s something we’re extremely proud of.” .

Ford Trucks International / July 17, 2020 In southeastern Spain, Ford Trucks has a new dealership in the port city of Almería. Almerisan S.L. has a great location and an excellent team of professional truck people! #PoweredByFordTrucks #SharingTheLoad .

However, if your under 19,500 truck pulls a large trailer, welcome to a new world of regulation.

Volvo doesn't even offer the MD as a tractor, and you're dreaming they might offer a tandem configuration ?

Mack part-no. 20QE3183R

You're thinking logically, like a truck people would.

It would not surprise me if the MD medium is cancelled right out of the gate. Volvo is far too late, that segment is already full. Remember, they're renting the plant in a low-buck way that allows them to quickly and cheaply walk away. There's zero commitment to the MD.

Introduced in 2011 but never promoted, Volvo's Mack-branded Granite MHD (medium/heavy duty) is being discontinued. Without ever being properly promoted, or priced appropriately for its target customer base, MHD sales have been abysmal throughout its production run. The MHD was supposed to be a cheaper Granite, equipped with the 8.9L Cummins ISL, to gain greater sales with municipalities and other price-sensitive operators. The MHD was simply a Granite with a marginally cheaper engine. It was not purpose-designed for it's mission, like Kenworth's T370 and International's HV (formerly WorkStar) which were. The new Mack MD series medium truck is not available with a tandem bogie, and is powered by the small Cummins 6.7L ISB unsuitable for many medium/heavy duty requirements. Hence, Mack dealers will have to rely on their other brands to meet customer demand for 6x4 chassis in this space. .

Transport Topics / July 15, 2020 U.S. retail sales of Classes 4-7 medium-duty trucks in June dropped 18.8% to just under 18,000 units, WardsAuto.com reported, with long slides down in the two heaviest segments and a small combined step up for the lowest two. Sales fell to 17,515 compared with 21,574 a year earlier. Sales for the first six months were down 18.6% to 99,281 compared with 121,991 in the 2019 period. Class 7 sales were 3,798, down 25.9% compared with 5,123 a year earlier. Freightliner was the sales leader. International was second. They were separated by 479 trucks, and their combined sales accounted for 68.2% of the total sales in Class 7. Class 6 sales plunged 46.7% to 3,575 compared with 6,711 in the 2019 period. International edged out Freightliner 966-956 for the top spot. Four other brands sold a combined 1,653 trucks in the class. Classes 4-5 sales inched up 4.1% to 10,142 compared with 9,740 a year earlier. “Classes 4-5 continue to outperform expectations,” said one analyst. “Our current call is for this segment to drop about 30% [in 2020]. For the larger medium-duty vehicles, we are looking for Classes 6-7 to fall about 35%, with similar expectations for the whole of the Classes 4-7 market.” He said things are progressing as expected for Classes 6-7. “This continues to be largely a lease-rental and private-fleet story, with capital budgets being cut, leading to below replacement demand,” he said. “Same for government and municipal markets, whose tax revenues are suffering mightily.” He added, “Honestly, there is no magic between classes. All of the configurations that go on these chassis are scalable. So a small beverage-delivery truck could be a Class 6, but it could also be a Class 5 or a Class 7. “Just change the length of the frame rails and either add to or take away from suspension slash weight carrying capacity, and it is what you want it to be. Perhaps Class 6 is a just a good middle ground from which to move up or down.” In related news, Mack Trucks, a unit of Sweden's Volvo Group, announced serial production of its MD Series of Classes 6-7 trucks was rescheduled to Sept. 1 from July 1. Mack invested $13 million in a new manufacturing facility in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley. “The start was delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” a spokesman said.

Hyundai Group Press Release / July 6, 2020 Hyundai Motor is shipping the first 10 units of XCIENT Fuel Cell, the world’s first fuel cell heavy-duty truck, to Switzerland • Hyundai will roll out 50 trucks this year and total of 1,600 units by 2025 • Powered by 190-kW hydrogen fuel cell system, XCIENT Fuel Cell can travel approximately 400 km on a single charge • Developed independently by Hyundai Motor, XCIENT Fuel Cell will help decarbonize the world • Hyundai to develop tractor unit with driving range of 1,000 kilometers on a single charge SEOUL – Hyundai Motor Company today shipped the first 10 units of the Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell heavy-duty truck, to Switzerland. The company plans to ship a total of 50 XCIENT Fuel Cells to Switzerland this year, with handover to commercial fleet customers starting in September. Hyundai plans to roll out a total of 1,600 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks by 2025, reflecting the company’s environmental commitment and technological prowess as it works toward reducing carbon emissions through zero-emission solutions. “XCIENT Fuel Cell is a present-day reality, not as a mere future drawing board project. By putting this groundbreaking vehicle on the road now, Hyundai marks a significant milestone in the history of commercial vehicles and the development of hydrogen society,” said In Cheol Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Division at Hyundai Motor. “Building a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem, where critical transportation needs are met by vehicles like XCIENT Fuel Cell, will lead to a paradigm shift that removes automobile emissions from the environmental equation.” “Having introduced the world’s first mass-produced fuel-cell electric passenger vehicle, the ix35, and the second-generation fuel cell electric vehicle, the NEXO, Hyundai is now leveraging decades of experience, world-leading fuel-cell technology, and mass-production capability to advance hydrogen in the commercial vehicle sector with the XCIENT Fuel Cell,” he added. XCIENT Fuel Cell XCIENT is powered by a 190-kW hydrogen fuel cell system with dual 95-kW fuel cell stacks. Seven large hydrogen tanks offer a combined storage capacity of around 32.09 kg of hydrogen. The driving range per charge for XCIENT Fuel Cell is about 400km*, which was developed with an optimal balance between the specific requirements from the potential commercial fleet customers and the charging infrastructure in Switzerland. Refueling time for each truck takes approximately 8~20 minutes. Fuel cell technology is particularly well-suited to commercial shipping and logistics due to long ranges and short refueling times. The dual-mounted fuel cell system provides enough energy to drive the heavy-duty trucks up and down the mountainous terrain in the region. Hyundai Motor is developing a long-distance tractor unit capable of traveling 1,000 kilometers on a single charge equipped with an enhanced fuel cell system with high durability and power, aimed at global markets including North America and Europe. Green Hydrogen Ecosystem In 2019, Hyundai Motor Company formed Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM), a joint venture with Swiss company H2 Energy, which will lease the trucks to commercial truck operators on a pay-per-use basis, meaning there is no initial investment for the commercial fleet customers. Hyundai chose Switzerland as the starting point for its business venture for various reasons. One of the reasons is the Swiss LSVA road tax on commercial vehicles, which does not apply for zero-emission trucks. That nearly equalizes the hauling costs per kilometer of the fuel cell truck compared to a regular diesel truck. Hyundai’s business case involves using purely clean hydrogen generated from hydropower. To truly reduce carbon emissions, all of the trucks need to run on only green hydrogen. Switzerland is the country with one of the highest shares of hydropower globally, and can therefore deliver sufficient green energy for the production of hydrogen. Once the project is underway in Switzerland, Hyundai plans to expand it to other European countries as well. Hyundai Hydrogen Leadership As Hyundai looks to the future, zero-emissions mobility will play a significant role in the company’s strategy. In addition to the XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, Hyundai is also the manufacturer of NEXO, its second-generation hydrogen-powered SUV. By 2025, the company aims to sell 670,000 electric vehicles annually, including 110,000 FCEVs. In December 2018, Hyundai Motor Group announced its long-term roadmap, “Fuel Cell Vision 2030”, and reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate the development of a hydrogen society by leveraging its global leadership in fuel cell technologies. As part of this plan, Hyundai Motor Group aims to secure a 700,000-unit-a-year capacity of fuel cell systems for automobiles as well as vessels, rail cars, drones and power generators by 2030. * Driving distance range around 400km in the 4x2 truck with refrigerated upfit configuration while operating 34 tonne truck + trailer combination .

A German-controlled American truckmaker cooperating with a Chinese Communist Party-led autonomous truck company........what could possibly go wrong? https://www.tusimple.com/cn/

Nick Carey, Reuters / July 15, 2020 Truck maker Navistar International Corp. has bought a minority stake in TuSimple [Beijing TuSimple Future Technology Co., ltd.] and aims to co-develop self-driving trucks by 2024 with the technology company as it rolls out a national U.S. autonomous freight network, the two companies said Wednesday. Self-driving technology for freight trucks has attracted investor attention as it should be easier and cheaper to roll out than in self-driving cars and autonomous taxis, while providing a clearer path to profitability. Unlike self-driving cars and robotaxis, self-driving freight services run on fixed routes between predefined points -- almost all of that on major highways with no intersections or pedestrians. That business is more predictable and requires less mapping than driving customers between random points. Navistar and TuSimple did not disclose the size of the stake. TuSimple recently announced it was launching a self-driving truck network with United Parcel Service Inc., trucking firm US Xpress Enterprises Inc., and McLane, a supply chain unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Navistar CEO Persio Lisboa, who said the truck maker chose TuSimple because its software was more developed than its competitors' and because of its relations with customers, said the minority stake could "turn into something bigger as we go to the next phase of development." TuSimple's president, Cheng Lu, said because its network runs using points on a fixed network -- which he likens to a railroad -- the trucks the company will co-develop with Navistar will operate at Level 4 autonomy where vehicles can operate without a driver under set conditions. Self-driving car developers are aiming for Level 5, or full autonomy, which will require far greater investments of money, time and research to develop. "You don't need to over-engineer this," Lu said. "Trucking is always about taking freight from point to point on predefined routes and this is where we can add value by addressing pain points in the industry." In addition to running tests on TuSimple's network, UPS also owns a stake in the company. "This is the type of developmental production partnership we are excited to view in this market," Philip Aiello, the director of UPS's advanced technology group, said of the partnership between Navistar and TuSimple. The two companies have worked together since 2018 and Navistar CEO Lisboa said much of what needs to be done by 2024 consists of testing technology the truck maker has already developed on TuSimple's network. In January, Volkswagen Group's truck unit, Traton , offered $35 a share, or $2.9 billion, for the Navistar shares it does not already own. Lisboa declined to comment on buyout talks, but said as Traton has two seats on Navistar's board, it is well aware of the move to work with and invest in TuSimple. .

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44 rear? 88AX449 seal. Not expensive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_USS_Forrestal_fire On 29 July 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal after an electrical anomaly caused a Zuni rocket on a F-4B Phantom to fire, striking an external fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk. The flammable jet fuel spilled across the flight deck, ignited, and triggered a chain-reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161. The disaster prompted the Navy to revise its fire fighting practices. It also modified its weapon handling procedures and installed a deck wash down system on all carriers. The newly established Farrier Fire Fighting School Learning Site in Norfolk, Virginia was named after Chief Gerald W. Farrier, the commander of Damage Control Team 8, who was among the first to die in the fire and explosions. Unstable ordnance received On 28 July, the day before the accident, Forrestal was resupplied with ordnance by the ammunition ship USS Diamond Head. The load included sixteen 1,000 lb AN/M65A1 "fat boy" bombs (so nicknamed because of their short, rotund shape), which Diamond Head had picked up from Subic Bay Naval Base and were intended for the next day's second bombing sortie. Some of the batch of AN-M65A1s Forrestal received were more than a decade old, having spent a portion of that exposed to the heat and humidity of Okinawa or Guam,[10] eventually being improperly stored in open-air Quonset huts at a disused ammunition dump on the periphery of Subic Bay Naval Base. Unlike the thick-cased Mark 83 bombs filled with Composition H6, the AN/M65A1 bombs were thin-skinned and filled with Composition B, an older explosive with greater shock and heat sensitivity. Unstable bombs stored on deck With orders to conduct strike missions over North Vietnam the next day, and with no replacement bombs available, Captain Beling reluctantly concluded that he had no choice but to accept the AN-M65A1 bombs in their current condition.[8][14][15] In one concession to the demands of the ordnance handlers, Beling agreed to store all 16 bombs alone on deck in the "bomb farm" area between the starboard rail and the carrier's island until they were loaded for the next day's missions. Standard procedure was to store them in the ship's magazine with the rest of the air wing's ordnance; had they been stored as standard, an accidental detonation could easily have destroyed the ship. Incorrect NASA report A 1995 report, NASA Reference Publication 1374, incorrectly described the Forrestal fire as a result of electromagnetic interference. It states, "a Navy jet landing on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Forrestal experienced the uncommanded release of munitions that struck a fully armed and fueled fighter on deck... This accident was caused by the landing aircraft being illuminated by carrier based radar, and the resulting EMI sent an unwanted signal to the weapons system."[

Um, first of all, are you capable of having a conversation without using vulgar language like sh*t ? Second, what I wrote is what I was told by a Navy fire training instructor from Pensacola. I didn't have any reason not to believe him, nor did I get the impression that he had "an agenda". I don't have an agenda either. That all said, I do recall the news reported a Zuni missile, a type alleged to be problematic, malfunctioned.

No, absolutely not.

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The original Bronco was not an icon........then. It "became" an icon.......over time. Fortunately, Ford corporate not only acknowledges this, but also sees the vast potential to profit from it.