The doghouse is almost shoulder high, and this takes a little getting used to for anyone accustomed to driving a conventional-cab truck, where the engine's up front.
#Condor cab driver#
In this type of truck the driver sits next to the engine, which is covered by a high but well padded "doghouse." In other low COEs, the driver tends to hug the doghouse with his right leg, but the Condor's wide cab allows the driver to sit a little farther away. The cab is also wide at 96.5 inches (excluding steps and mirrors), so there's sufficient hip room and plenty of space for a driver's arms and elbows. The cab's bumper-to-back-of-cab measurement is a compact 68 inches, but there is ample leg and belly room for all but the biggest guys. Because the cab is mounted low on the frame, it's just a three-step climb to the inside floor. For a no-frills work truck, the Condor proved rather comfortable on a designated street-and-freeway loop near the Freightliner dealership in North Las Vegas. So it's always "loaded" and never comes back empty, as mixer and dump trucks do.īefore Pones took delivery, Freightliner borrowed this rig from Schwing to show it off to potential customers and trade press writers during the World of Concrete show earlier this year in Las Vegas. It's 40 feet long - the legal limit for a straight truck in most states - and weighs 60,000 pounds, the chassis' gross vehicle weight rating and the legally allowed amount for three axles in Iowa. As it sits, this one is maxed out in length and weight. The 39X has five hydraulic pumps, Pones explained, and they get pressurized fluid from the main pump that's driven by a front-engine power take-off.Ī pumper body is bulky and heavy, which is why a compact but strong low COE is the chassis of choice. Paul, Minn., which installed the 39X body and set up the hydraulics system. Like many concrete-pumper chassis, this one was bought by the equipment manufacturer, in this case Schwing America in St. "It's got lots of room and a good ride." The Condor chassis cost $5,500 more than an MR, "but that is only one more payment for me. His other two trucks are MRs, but he says they are cramped and rough riding.
#Condor cab drivers#
He decided to try the Freightliner because his drivers were unhappy with the idea of getting another Mack MR. Gary Pones, the small fleet's founder, owner and president, says he traded in an '88 White Xpeditor for the Freightliner. Protivin Builders, a three-truck concrete pumping operation in eastern Iowa, bought this vehicle through Star Equipment, the Schwing dealer in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And as you can see from the lettering on this truck, one operator is doing just that. My short outing in this Condor illustrated capabilities that more customers would appreciate if they tried it out. Loyalty is great if you have it, but it's difficult to wrest away from strong rivals, no matter how capable your products might be. Freightliner introduced the Condor in 1999, but it's still is a rarity in the field. So it is with the construction and trash-hauling businesses, for which the Condor and its competitors are built. Most customers have strong relationships with their dealers and see little reason to change if the trucks they're using are doing well.
It also fields a variety of vocational trucks but has found that trying to dominate the vocational markets, as it does OTR, is a different matter. But there's a fifth major name in the business: The Condor from Freightliner and its sister company, Sterling.įreightliner is this country's largest single maker of over-the-road truck-tractors. Think of Class 8 low cab-over-engine trucks and you might name three or four: Mack's MR, Peterbilt's 320, the Xpeditor from Autocar (formerly Volvo and White), and Low Entry and Low Cab Forward models from Crane Carrier. polished aluminumīody: Schwing America 39X concrete pumper Tires & wheels: Michelin 425/65R22.5 XZY-3 front, 11R22.5 XDE rear, on Accuride polished aluminum discsįuel tank: Single 110-gal.
#Condor cab plus#
Freightliner TufTrac leaf-and-rod suspensionīrakes: Meritor Q Plus S-cam w/Meritor Wabco ABS Transmission: Eaton Fuller FRO-15210C 10-speed overdriveįront axle: 20,000-lb. Truck: Freightliner Condor, low COE, BBC 68 inches (w/flush bumper), GVW rating and curb weight 60,000 poundsĮngine: Caterpillar C-12, 355 hp 2,100 rpm, 1,350 lbs.-ft.
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