Am interested to find out about the G series Volvos found in Australia.Where were they made and are they in any other countries ?
Good morning Dallan,
The only differance between the F and the G series was that the G had the front axle further forward to comply with legislation in Sweden regarding overall lengh (road train) and the spacing between the axles to achieve that.
Advantage was taken with that to add extra fuel etc.
To my knowledge, “limited at my age”, they were all produced in Sweden and exported.
I sold Volvo trucks from 1975 and 1986, Harvey
iirc didnt Hays have some ?. I seem to remember some at the Dagenham Warehouse used as shunters at the time.
Harvey pretty much sums it up the only real difference was the front axle was moved forward.
They were sold in Europe as well as Australia and probably in Asia etc.
I have read different versions of how the early ones arrived in Australia. Some people say they were
originally sent to Australia in knock down kits like alot of truck manufacturers did in the 1970’s when
exporting trucks. But i have also read that the whole vehicle was exported already built. I dont know
which one is true or it may be that both are correct ?
Volvo built a factory in Wacol,Queensland in 1972 and starting building trucks there.I am pretty sure
that they were fitted with rockwell back axles as this is what the Australian hauliers wanted. I also
understand that they were lighter than most European axles fitted,and other European makes also
fitted rockwell axles.
Trucky Mc truckface:
iirc didnt Hays have some ?. I seem to remember some at the Dagenham Warehouse used as shunters at the time.
I also did see them at Hays Dagenham, and last one’s defiently ended up being used as shunters…
Would anyone know if the 12 litre engine could be supplied in a G89 with right hand drive set up, was this possible because the front axle being set forward by about 12".
Thanks Dave…
dave docwra, Volvo didn’t make a R/H drive G or F88 due to having to lean that 12ltr engine to the right to get it to fit under the
cab because of it’s height, I read somewhere it was too
complicated to fit the gear change.
Apparently the reason they uprated the 9.6ltr to 290bhp for the GB market seeing as at that time Britain was Volvo’s biggest market.
Seems odd that the right hand drive G89 was not used in the UK
I came to Aus in 1979.Had been driving Volvo trucks in UK.In Brisbane ended up driving a G88.On my first trip needed to buy light bulbs for the trailer.Tried at a lot of garages for 24 volt bulbs,in the end found some.On fitting them found out the truck was only 12 volt ?
Dallan:
Seems odd that the right hand drive G89 was not used in the UK
RHD 89s were a local-to-Oz speciality. Somewhere in this forum, there is a whole load of discussion on why Volvo did not develop an RHD version themselves.
Morning all,
My brain is like a 180 Gardner, needs time to worm up before it can be used.
Because hauliers wanted the F89 in the uk because of the extra power ( dont forget it was only Left hand drive) they uprated the F88 240 to 290 to give the extra power ( with its problems in the early days).
The F88 was primarily a Uk vehicle RHD.
As the uk was mainly an artic user, Germany for instance, a draw bar user, the Volvo dealer council in the uk said we do not need the G series so it was not “officially” type aproved for the uk. Some did come in though.
The Uk haulage truck specifications will allways be controled by bridges and thier size and weight capability, Going back to bed now !!! Harvey.
One G 89 in France which was at first was used for test in USA in the 70th. But Volvo had no network there at this period and didn’t success to sell the trucks. A French customer , now one of the most important in the country with 3000 tractors mostly Iveco (!) bought 4 tractors from USA with Eaton rear tandem.
One G 89 with hub reduction in forest haulage in Norway.
For those interested in Volvo’s in Australia take a look at oldaussievolvos.com
The highlights seem to be that they opened up in 1969 and imported 4 F86’s, the only fully built vehicles they ever sent to Oz, thereafter they were knockdown kits assembled in Woolongoing, bearing in mind that Australian vehicle import duties are eyewatering better now but 100% sticks in my mind. Woolongong is a steel town on the NSW coast about an hour south of Sydney. As an unrelated aside there used to be a headbanger, (no other description will do) who was giving joy rides for a fee from the private airfield there in a Mig with bald tyres which leaked fuel, until he got caught, then he stopped.
In 1973 they started offering the G89 in addition to both F and G88, I can only assume that the set forward front axle made room for the TD120, maybe somebody from down under can offer enlightenment.
The front axle location has nothing to do with be able to convert the G89 to R/H drive. The Aussies converted them by moving the air cleaner to the back of the cab,which gave them enough room to fit the gear linkages down the r/h side of the engine. Simple.
They had to convert them or they wouldn’t have been able to sell them as you cant sell L/H dive trucks in Aus.
dave docwra:
Trucky Mc truckface:
iirc didnt Hays have some ?. I seem to remember some at the Dagenham Warehouse used as shunters at the time.I also did see them at Hays Dagenham, and last one’s defiently ended up being used as shunters…
I believe that the G88 and its set forward axle allowed you to meet the outer axle spread regs and gross 32ton with a short neck 20’ skelly, there were lots of weird configurations around to conform with the 32ton laws and still use older trailers, the Chinese 6 being another example.
newmercman:
dave docwra:
Trucky Mc truckface:
iirc didnt Hays have some ?. I seem to remember some at the Dagenham Warehouse used as shunters at the time.I also did see them at Hays Dagenham, and last one’s defiently ended up being used as shunters…
I believe that the G88 and its set forward axle allowed you to meet the outer axle spread regs and gross 32ton with a short neck 20’ skelly…
Used to see the odd one doing containers out of Liverpool.
Here’s a G88 that could be seen quite frequently in the Wigan area during the early seventies. Driven by Ray Smyth for a period, it operated out of Connal’s Wigan depot, on the former North Western station goods yard, where this photograph was taken.
Shell Oil had at least one G88 operating around Southampton in the early '70’s