Is this an optical illusion, or is that rear axle on the trailer a steerer?
And here’s another spready to start the week! Robert
Great picture Robert. Dodds Brown of England as he was affectionately known.
Excellent chap, sadly missed.
David
I reckon that is a steering bogie Robert, looks like both axles have moved towards the center of the bogie from my peepers. I love that LPS Merc too, looks to be the big V10 with the G cab, my favourite lorry of the period.
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Cheers David and NMM! Robert 
ERF-NGC-European:
Is this an optical illusion, or is that rear axle on the trailer a steerer?1
It is a steerer. I think Germany had turntable-type steering axles on some vehicles in the 1970s. The driver is showing it off, by the look of things.
Thanks Zbanorak!
Below is some more on the steery spreadies here. Hans Witte, a Dutch ex-driver, transport historian, master modeller, transport artist and a valuable contributor to my forthcoming ERF book has just contacted me with some insights into these trailers.
With regard to the two pictures below, he says:
Two examples of steered tandems, behind the Fiat is a Hulo spoorloper, the FTF pulls a Floor brick trailer which has a cable steered rearmost axle.
The Floor trailer pivoted around the first tandem axle, you can imagine how sharp it would manoever it tight spots.
More to come… Robert
Further to the above, Hans Witte had this to say:
You are right, these classic 12 metre wide spread tilt trailers are a joy to look at.
They also feel so balanced behind the time period tractors.
When observing them, even more when on the move, they seem to live their own live and have their own character.
Well up to the job and offering the haulier the best payload to gross weight and economics too.
I always get the same feeling with the heavy three axle drawbar trailers.
In the beginning of my driving career I had the pleasure to drive a Scania LB 110 Super from a good friend of mine, who let me drive during a week I went with him.
It was a very early 110, with two gear sticks and an open exhaust 0hhh …), pulling a DAF 3-axle drawbar.
Fully loaded with potatoes, you could really feel that drawbar pulling at the coupling, every moment he would let you know that he was still there!
In the mirrors you could see it slowly swinging a bit, one moment in the left mirror, the other moment he showed you the sheetet corner in the other mirror.
What a joy and what a memory.
Happy days …
This is accompanied by the following pictures and cuttings, including examples from DAF (who started out building trailers - the F stands for Floor) and Groenewegen. Hover mouse over pics to read captions. Robert
newmercman:
Am I the only one here
Not quite! 
PCB 878J Atkinson Borderer T3246XB by Chris Gardner, on Flickr
KBU 391P Seddon Atkinson 400 Series by Chris Gardner, on Flickr
I had more correspondence with Hans Witte regarding ERFs today. However, he also had further contributions to make to this thread as follows. Some of this stuff is a gift to would-be modellers, by the way! Robert
Yesterday I was at an oldtimer event in Den Helder.
There I saw this nice restored Volvo F10 with a Burg trailer.
Burg used another tandem axle constructions then most other manufacturers.
The bellytank is for water, because the trailer has a build-inn living compartment.
Cheers,
Hans
That is a work of art.
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A short-pin job by the look of it, though we often ran with huge gaps in those days, especially when tag-axles became popular to meet the new 38-tonne rules! robert
That’s a long wheelbase day cab too, which makes the gap look even bigger.
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newmercman:
That’s a long wheelbase day cab too, which makes the gap look even bigger.Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
The perfect proportions must be adhered to! Also, the trailer must be level, for perfection. The ASG Scania in the previous post is correct, as is the Partrick/Tracto Volvo. The Hayward F10 is superb, IMO.
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anorak:newmercman:
That’s a long wheelbase day cab too, which makes the gap look even bigger.Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
The perfect proportions must be adhered to! Also, the trailer must be level, for perfection. The ASG Scania in the previous post is correct, as is the Partrick/Tracto Volvo. The Hayward F10 is superb, IMO.
Yes indeed! I do appreciate an even ride-height and good ‘trim’. I always think a 3.8m wheelbase on a 4x2 suits a well-built TIR-tilt. Van Hool tilts rode well, perhaps because they were heavy and handled well when empty. Robert
