kscarbel2

Those FWD COE fire apparatus...... .

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Sintered cam lobes https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2000-01-0397/

Sure, existing truck dealers can add the Ford Trucks franchise.

Yes, they do. And "Kamion Importer" is Ford's importing distributor. I do see that B-H hasn't been added to the dealer locator yet. Give them a week or so. https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/tr-en/find-dealer

The all-new Ford F-MAX unveiled in Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic. .

The hands-on introduction outside of the Marriott hotel. .

Isuzu Trucks Australia Press Release / February 11, 2019 . . . .

Diesel News Australia / February 2019 The Iveco brand has had mixed fortunes in the Australian truck market, but is now unveiling the next stage of the Acco. The latest refresh sees the introduction of the X-Way model range and a completely new look for an old favourite. Tim Giles was there when the new trucks were unveiled. The Iveco organisation is one which has to balance a number of different options across its offering. It now has new International trucks on the market, plus a hangover from the old International brand, but still selling well, in the Acco, as well as a completely new range of European heavy duty trucks, the X-Way. While some models like the Acco continue to sell well, some of the newer editions to the Iveco offering coming from Europe have struggled to make an impact. For Iveco, the move over to the X-Way is an opportunity to break new ground and have better penetration in a truck market that is growing fast. One of the issues for the Iveco offering as a whole is the concept of the trucks as being a single brand. Many people understand there is an International brand, but then would describe the Acco as something separate and would have regarded the Powerstar as another type of truck. This would seem to leave the Iveco Stralis and Eurocargo as the only recognisable Ivecos in recent years. The introduction of the X-Way range will give the brand an opportunity to unify the brand into a more contiguous whole. This is being helped, in part, by one of the major changes taking place, the redesign of the Acco. The New Acco The basic layout and cab of the Acco design has been the same since 1972. Many features have been changed over the course of time between then and now but the basic skeleton on which the truck is built remains unchanged. Now, the entire truck is to be redesigned from the ground up. Iveco engineers have no choice, the next round of exhaust emission regulations will render the current design obsolete. The team at Iveco have had to go back to the drawing board and come up with a truck which can meet all of the needs of the current customer base, at the same time as meeting the environmental regulations of the future. The introduction of the X-Way models gives Iveco the ideal chance to work from an all-new base to create a truck which will have the opportunity become well-known as a garbage collection vehicle, a concrete agitator and a robust tipper, the new Acco. The parameters are clear and the close relationship between Iveco and the garbage and concrete operators of Australia means there is plenty of communication and feedback to make the new Acco able to handle the task with the same productivity and ease of use as the current model. The truck will be built in the Iveco facility at Dandenong in Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs. It will be available as both a 6×4 and an 8×4 with specific wheelbases developed to suit each vocation in which it has succeeded in the past. The model is currently in an evaluation phase where the basic model is being taken from the core design and then adapted across platforms to suit each vocation. At its core the truck uses the basic X-Way chassis design and an adapted cabin from the same truck. Iveco front axles on a two leaf parabolic suspension will be matched with a Meritor rear-end suspended on the Iveco eight bag air suspension. Of course, traction control and diff locks will be included. Another major change will be the fitting of the Cursor 9 engine rated at either 310 or 360hp, replacing the current Cummins ISL and offering higher power ratings. This engine uses Iveco’s Hi-eSCR technology cleaning up the emissions with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and not using Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) at all. The two engines put out 1300 and 1650Nm of torque respectively and will drive the back end through an Allison 3200 fully auto six speed transmission. Again, these torque ratings are an increase on those currently available with Cummins power. These are the aspects which will be radically different, but there are a number of requirements which will be matched in the new Acco. The wheelbase and chassis dimensions are vital when fitting equipment like garbage compactors. Final tare weight is still to be determined, but is expected to be very close to the original, depending on spec. These compactors have been honed over the years to do the job in the most efficient manner. The new chassis must be able to accommodate the body at the same ride height, length and fitting points. Wheelbase and turning circle are also vitally important in narrow suburban streets. The new Acco will either match or exceed the requirements of the garbage contractors. Wheel cut is expected to be much improved in the new Acco. The new cabin can be fitted with dual controls in the same way as the current Acco. The cabin itself will be roomier and taller with better visibility for the driver all round. Climate control will also be available along with the other comforts of a modern 21st century cabin, a distinct upgrade from the 1972 design. There are all the other trappings of the modern truck included in the standard specs of the new Acco. There will be Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Braking System (EBS), Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), axle load indicator, electronic battery cut-out and L.E.D daytime running lamps and rear L.E.D lights. “To replace a transport legend is no mean feat, so extensive local development has been undertaken in preparation for the next chapter of the Acco’s product life,” said Bruce Healy, Australia Business Director. “In developing the new Acco, Iveco has combined many of the much-loved attributes of the previous model with cutting-edge technology borrowed from the Stralis X-Way platform, it’s been a joint effort between our local engineering department and the design team at Iveco’s European headquarters. “Iveco is also very pleased to report that the Acco will continue to be manufactured right here in Australia at our Dandenong, Melbourne facility alongside our other truck models, the Stralis X-Way and Stralis AS-L.” .

Call it a weakness, I always zoom in on how the wiring, air hoses, AC hoses and coolant hoses are all plumbed, kind of a lead in to the truck's overall assembly quality, and this truck looks quite good. The Navistar team has been hard at work, and this is evidence.

The people from Ford Trucks International are driven. Their passion for trucks......Ford Trucks......is overflowing.

Ford Trucks International / February 15, 2019 Continuing to expand our presence throughout Europe, Ford Trucks is delighted to introduce our all-new F-MAX in Bosnia-Herzegovina. .

When you contacted your Mack brand sales person, or his service manager, what did they say ?

I'm good with that. The most innovative ideas come from thinking outside the box.

Senator Ted Cruz, The Washington Post / February 14, 2019 With Democrats and Republicans locked in a staring contest over border security, there’s a solution here that secures the border and won’t cost the taxpayers one dime: Let’s build a wall, and make El Chapo pay for it. Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, the infamous Mexican drug lord also known as “El Chapo,” was convicted Tuesday by a New York jury on 10 counts in connection with his years-long international drug-smuggling operation. El Chapo will be sentenced in June; after a history of high-profile escapes, he is expected to be incarcerated for life in ADX Florence, a “Supermax” prison in Colorado which houses dangerous criminals ranging from al-Qaeda operatives to the Unabomber. He deserves every day of a life sentence. In 2015, El Chapo boasted to Rolling Stone magazine that "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world.” That year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50,000 Americans died from opioid and other drug overdoses in the United States. By 2017, that number had jumped to more than 70,000. According to CNN, El Chapo claimed in 2014 that he had killed between 2,000 and 3,000 people. While exact numbers of Americans murdered by cartel members are difficult to determine, these deaths are a tragically regular occurrence, whether innocent teachers visiting Mexico or members of law enforcement in border states such as my own. The former leader of the murderous Sinaloa cartel made a killing from the death, addiction and misery he trafficked, to the tune of $14 billion in ill-gotten revenue across the cartel’s operations. These criminal assets, which are forfeit to the federal government, should be used to stop future criminals such as El Chapo, and to protect Americans from the suffering that cartels and gangs such as MS-13 continue to export around the world. That’s why I have reintroduced the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act in the Senate. It would direct our government to use El Chapo’s drug fortune — and the fortunes of other drug lords — to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and invest in a border wall, technology, manpower and infrastructure that is sorely needed for comprehensive border security. Criminal asset forfeiture can occur after a conviction in a variety of circumstances; when a criminal has used a building, car, or secret fund to conduct illegal activities, the government can take it away. In this case, the difference is the sheer size of El Chapo’s operation. No matter what fraction of El Chapo’s holdings the federal government manages to seize, it will put a dent in our nation’s border security bills without affecting any funds currently going to victims or law enforcement. The Democratic Party should embrace this solution. In 2013, the vast majority of Senate Democrats voted for 350 miles of additional border fencing. But in the lead-up to the last government shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) insisted that President Trump’s request for 234 miles was unacceptable because it violated the president’s campaign promise to have Mexico pay for it. “The American people are still paying the price,” Pelosi claimed in December. “Mexico is not paying for this wall.” Similarly, Schumer said: “The president repeatedly promised that Mexico would pay for his unnecessary and ineffective border wall.” I’m sure that Americans are grateful for Pelosi and Schumer finding one cause they won’t tax-and-spend for. But the EL CHAPO Act sidesteps these funding problems. Everyone should support taking money from murderers, drug smugglers and human traffickers such as El Chapo and using it to prevent murder, drug smuggling and human trafficking — all without costing the American taxpayers one dime, or adding anything to the federal budget. That’s what the EL CHAPO Act would do. People across the United States are desperate for a sign that Washington is ready and willing to protect them from dangerous criminals and porous borders. And taxpayers of every political background appreciate the increasingly rare occasions when Congress is fiscally responsible. The EL CHAPO Act satisfies all of these reasonable concerns. Congress has two clear mandates from the American people: secure the border and save money. So let’s build a wall, and make El Chapo pay for it.

The W600 all-wheel-drive models were rugged, with two cast iron levers protruding through the floorboard, alike a WM300. Many were exported. .

Stock buybacks spark debate U.S. companies repurchased more than $1 trillion of their own stock in 2018, but that may change going forward. In recent weeks, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed legislation that would either disincentivize or place limitations on the practice. Opponents of share repurchasing believe it promotes wealth disparity by rewarding shareholders at the expense of workers and long-term projects, while advocates say corporate leaders should be allowed to allocate capital however they see fit.

In 1977, the U.S. Armor Engineer Board at Fort Knox, Kentucky ran tests on several diesel-powered commercial trucks including a 1977 Dodge D700 equipped with a 636 cubic inch 3208 Caterpillar V8 paired with an Allison AT540. The hood had a bulge to accommodate the 3208.

Chance of a U.S. recession up, number of Fed rate hikes down Reuters / February 14, 2019 There is a one-in-four chance of a U.S. recession in the next 12 months, a scenario that should keep the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates next month, according to a Reuters poll of economists who now expect only one rate hike this year. Given a global economic slowdown and a dimming outlook for U.S. growth, economists said the Fed’s tightening cycle will likely draw to a halt before July. While financial markets have recovered from a deep sell-off late last year, the Feb 8-14 poll of over 110 economists showed a cut to the outlook for U.S. economic growth and the number of Fed rate hikes this year and next. “There is a lot of uncertainty and there are some good reasons to forecast a slowdown in 2019 as compared to in 2018,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. “It certainly does makes sense for the Fed to take a pause on policy to see how things play out, because it is not impossible for the economy to slow down in 2019 between weakening global growth, tighter financial conditions and fading fiscal stimulus.” U.S. economic growth was forecast to slow and average 2.4 percent this year, a downgrade from January and the lowest since April last year. Over half the economists who answered an extra question warned any further escalation in the trade war would bring the next U.S. recession. That compared to about 60 percent of economists in a July 2018 poll who said the trade war did not pose a significant risk. The median probability of a recession in the next year rose to 25 percent from 20 percent in January. It held at 40 percent over the next two years, although the most pessimistic call was 75 percent. Expectations for Fed’s preferred inflation gauge were also slightly lowered from last month. All but a couple of economists polled forecast the Fed to keep rates on hold at 2.25-2.50 percent when it meets March 19-20, echoing Chairman Jerome Powell’s dovish tone. However, 51 of 101 economists said the Bank would take the fed funds rate to 2.50-2.75 percent next quarter, something over 75 percent of economists who answered an additional question said would not be a mistake. “The Fed is very focused on slowing growth. If anything, the bigger risk is if the Fed goes too late rather than too early,” said Ethan Harris, head of global economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Only one hike is expected from the U.S. central bank this year, compared with 2 hikes suggested by the U.S. central bank’s own “dot plot” projections and in January’s poll. After next quarter’s hike the Fed is expected to stay on the sidelines through to the end of 2021 at least.

Ford's groveling campaign has begun. .

The US government officially controlled the internet until 2016 (and some say still unofficially controls it). So, if you're another sovereign country, large or small, they feel the right and need to control the internet within their borders. There's some logic to their argument. Hey, personally, I wish we'd all get together for a group hug and get along.

Where is Mary Barra taking GM ?

GM will launch electric bike sales in Europe Reuters / February 14, 2019 General Motors said it will begin selling electric bicycles in Europe in the second quarter. Two such bicycles, a compact bike and a foldable one, will launch first in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, markets where cycles powered by lithium-ion batteries are already popular, GM said in a statement Thursday. In Belgium and the Netherlands the compact e-bike would cost 2,800 euros ($3,165), while the folding one would cost 3,400 euros. In Germany, the prices would be 2,750 euros and 3,350 euros, respectively. GM first announced its e-bike plans in early November. It already has a presence in the electric car market through its Chevrolet Bolt vehicles, which start at roughly $36,000. The bikes will be sold under a new brand called Ariv (pronounced arrive). Riders can charge their bike batteries in about three and a half hours and get up to 40 miles of ride time with a single charge. GM has not announced any plans in the e-scooter market. Meanwhile, its U.S. rival Ford Motor made a reported $200 million investment in November to acquire Spin, an electric scooter rental firm based in San Francisco. GM sold its European Opel/Vauxhall car business to Peugeot maker PSA Group in 2017. .