FAO: R420 - Truck Accessories

ashrobbo

ashrobbo

ashrobbo

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Joined
3 May 2009
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805
As a Trucker you will probably know this straight away,

My dad has just started a job truck driving, 5 nights out a week. He hasnt driven trucks for this period in 20 or so years and I was wondering what accessories are around so he can cook?

He drives a scania topline (not sure which Model) and so far his diet consists of crisps sausage rolls etc,

ANy must have accessories??

I did find

http://www.roadking.co.uk/mobile-12v-and-24v-microwave-ovens/24-volt-small-truck-oven.html

Are all trucks 24v power?
 
Cost is far too high for that, plus where do you park a huge lorry when your all over the country?

He tends to be around industrial estates and farm businesses mainly.
 
Must haves

Inverter,Kettle, Laptop & Internet dongle (for google maps),porn & large knife for murdering prostitutes..... ;)

99% run 24V, yes.

He'll need a decent inverter, ideally hard wired to the batteries.

Then he can use a small home microwave - 24V ones are very overpriced imo.

A good 1500w inverter should do you fine.

I have a 600w one in my Scania, it'll run my laptop & even run a small kettle quite happily - £5 kettles from Asda are far better than £25 24V ones from South Mimms truckstop that die after 6 months!

One word of warning, use the inverter too much and the truck won't want to start in the morning, I tend to run mine at a fast idle when I'm boiling a kettle etc, better that than a flat in the morning.

More often than not, I'll find a Chinese for something warm to eat, or grasp the chance to use a canteen on a site I may be delivering to.

A case of grab hot food when you can as opposed to worrying about food after your stopped in a layby in the middle of nowhere!

Any questions, fire away. :)

Jez said:
Would you not just eat in restaurants if you are staying away on business? :confused:
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Most restaurants don't take kindly to a dirty trucker wandering in wanting grub, especially if the car park is taken up by his rig!

Not to mention, eating out 4 - 5 nights per week? - we stay away all week for the extra money, spending it eating out defeats the object of being whats known as a "Tramper" :)

ESL pay me £13 per day tax free as a "Meal allowance", thus, I make sure I use this and not my "own" money to eat where possible.

Motorway service areas are handy, £19 to park up overnight £21 with a £10 meal voucher, I can claim the £19 back but not the extra for the voucher as I'm already given a meal allowance, the services voucher scheme works well but you soon tire of McDonalds or the crap "Moto mush" that they serve.
 
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Just make up a big vat of pasta with veg and meat and keep it cold, eat it during the week instead of the services slush thats on offer!
 
Damn you know so much @R420LA6X2/4MNA You a tramper? :o. I envy you. Perhaps a gas camping stove and take it outside with a couple of small saucepans, he can take some Soup with him (Y)
 
R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
Must haves

He'll need a decent inverter, ideally hard wired to the batteries.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Although i'm not sure how happy the company will be for him to do this, are the 24v cigarette plug ones really no good?

He ordered a takeaway to his truck the other day so thats his new favourite trick, haha.

Hes got a kettle but its a cig lighter one, not sure how long it'll last.

Gas camping stove is a good idea, ill pass the info on!
 
Not sure on the idea of a camping stove, If you use it outside it's going to be pretty cold soon and I'd like to be locked up in my cab in some of the places I see lorries pulled over.

Inverter seems the best idea.
 
Be VERY wary of gas camping stoves, I know of a number of incidents of in cab explosions caused by leaking gas from stoves and an ignition source - lighting a cigarette, plugging something into the lighter plug etc etc etc

For this reason, ESL forbid any gas equipment in their vehicles.

The Cigarette socket on most Scanias is rated @ 120W max, not wise to overload it!

Re: the inverter, he speaks to his employer and offers to pay to have it correctly fitted. This keeps the owner happy as his insurance is not invalidated in event of a fire.

Stobart expressly forbid any wiring modifications in their trucks for this reason.

Hyburnate said:
Damn you know so much @R420LA6X2/4MNA You a tramper? :o. I envy you.
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I've done this job for around 15years - I'm hardly the font of all knowledge mind you.

Yes, I'm a tramper, I live the life of a vagrant but with a nice shiny Scania......

Envy me? - My job is along way from that TV series, trust me. ;)
 
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R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
The Cigarette socket on most Scanias is rated @ 120W max, not wise to overload it!

Re: the inverter, he speaks to his employer and offers to pay to have it correctly fitted. This keeps the owner happy as his insurance is not invalidated in event of a fire.
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This sounds wise.

13 years ago I did work experience in an auto electric garage when they had an Elddis lorry come in with a knackered transformer. Apparently the driver didn't know how it happened...

The guy who worked on it said they keep seeing lorries coming in like this usually because the driver has used a kettle or something that drew too many amps through the transformer.
 
fire1.jpg


Nuff said.

(It WAS a Scania :( )
 
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