Still more heavies

 Several more heavy and or oversize loads rolled out of the port area again today. I only caught a few of them.

Trucks from Transport D. Dumais are well known in Halifax, even though they hail from Dolbeau-Mistassini - way up north of Lac-St-Jean, Quebec. That is timber country, so it is no surprise that their Western Stars haul logging machinery, such as this Ponsse harvester, from Finland.

 Another familiar company is JNB Heavy Haul from Brodhagen, ON. I saw their Western Star with set-back front axle twice today, so it must have taken its first load to a staging area to await highway clearance. 

That load was a Sandvik TH545I, a 45 tonne capacity articulated mine dump truck.

Certainly an impressive load, and an unusual set-back axle truck. I saw it again as it came back to Pier 9C for another load - possibly another Sandvik.

JNB has it own pilot cars too, although I did not photo them. (As I have mentioned previously JRB calls the hamlet of Brodhagen home, but operates from the nerarby town of Mitchell. That is near to the home of some of my maternal ancestors.)

And not so heavy, but rugged...

 The European RVs continue to roll in too - I have missed most of them, but did happen to see one today. Its license plate indicates it is from Landshut, Bavaria, in southern Germany, not far from Munich. (They ought to go the the Brodhagen area - they might find some family connections there too.)

The Toyota Safari model 4x4 is likely to come with a guarantee of uncomfortablility, particularly in a high wind with that camper body! The Land Cruiser is no longer available in North America, bur may be making a comeback due to its reputation elsewhere in the world.

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EuroRV invasion

 The toursit season for European RVs is in full swing, and typically many unusual looking trucks (not to mention RV conversions) can be seem coming through the gates at the Fairview Cove terminal. The vehicles arrive on ships of the Atlantic Container Line and this week's ship, the Atlantic Sky probably had between 25 and 35 RVs from what I could see.

 Outside the gates this morning, after clearing Customs, there were about a dozen more of all shapes and sizes:

Fiat van with Rapido V55 camper conversion.

 

Toyota pickup and ExKab 5S "drop on"

 

Mercedes and Nova LaStrada conversion.

 

Iveco model 55S 17W with Bimobil expedition body.

 

Nissan extended cab pickup with Tisher drop in camper.

Citroen raised roof van conversion.

Some of these trucks may have dealer support in North America, but I suspect most are very far away from service. Many appear to be new, but warrantees don't stretch across the Atlantic. 

Some vehicles don't appear to be RVs exactly, but this Swiss offroader, equipped with a heavy skid plate, immense driving lights and high breather looks ready for some serious back road travel. I hope he finds someplace to ski.

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RVs on the way out

The hoards of European RVs are heading back home after their North American odysseys. A few linger for a day or two before shipping out, but most go directly into the terminals and I don't see them.


One particularly aged Volvo from France did hang about for a time earlier this month:
 

The FL6, Volvo's smallest truck, was produced between 1985 and 1997 in Europe, and a similar version called the FE6 was sold in North America for time, using the same cab, but with different engine specs.
FL stands for Forward cab Low level cab.

This one also has a very low level box body, with unusual skirting all round. The hydraulic ramp is likely intended to carry bicycles, and in fact the unit may only be a mobile bike repair shop and not an RV at all.

With the offshore RVs going there are still tons of domestic RVs on the road, but mostly the usual suspects, built on North American chassis. A few oddities do pop up however:

 The Toyota Townace van was available with a fibreglass RV body and pop top, built by A'm craft Co Ltd. Marketed as "European" and in RHD version only, the 4WD rig is still popular if the sales ads are any indication. There is also a busy market for imports from Japan.

This one, bearing British Columbia plates, is in "original" condition - at least on the  outside.

Another Japanese van (in original condition), with a high top on a standard van body, is this Mitsubishi Delica, with Utah plates.

Also a 4WD its is called a "Chamonix" model, built especially for skiers.

Just in case they decided to convert to water skiing, there is a breather extension mounted above the water line.

That may be a solar panel on the top - a recent add on.

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They're Back

They're back and so am I, at least partially. Since August vacation I have been traveling on business, so I have a backlog of photos to post. I will work away at them over the coming weeks.

By "them" I mean those prolific recreational vehicles from abroad, which stream in and out of Halifax by ship all summer long and well into the autumn. Most are from Europe, but last week I spotted a first- an Australian.

Plastered with souvenir license plates and carrying a large set of moose antlers on the roof, this Isuzu is certainly a rare sight too. I could not tell from a distance if it was right hand drive, which it should be, since Japan and Australia are among the few right hand drive countries in the world (and Britain of course.).

The vehicle advertises a web address, but I would not follow up on it as it shows as not secure.

More typical are European visitors, such as this sleek little Citroen with Possl van conversion. The occupants were airing a little laundry on the driver's side as they waited for the Fairview Cove terminal gates to open.

These vehicles fan out all over North America, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see several in Quebec this summer.

This odd  little Toyota Hilux pick-up chassis with camper body was a lot more basic than many of the European vehicles I have seen from Germany, although I did see a similar one in 2013. It does appear to have a pass through into the cab.

More big trucks to come...

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Merry Christmas

It will be a green Christmas in Halifax this year - no snow anywhere in sight. It will also be extremely green wherever this Toyota will be parked. But there is a Christmas wreath in the background as  a small reminder of the season.

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Bring out the 4x4s

They seem to be everywhere these days and 4x4s are pretty much a ho-hum sight on every road, but a few distinctive ones do show up from time to time.

1. This vintage Toyota Land Cruiser VX Limited (and Right Hand Drive at that) was receiving some TLC this afternoon.

[While I normally try to take serious pictures, I couldn't resist including the background and the advert for underwear - zoom in to see]

2. Mighty Dodge Ram with serious bumper also attracted my attention this afternoon.

All truck manufacturers seem to be offering downsized models now, none more so than Navistar International with its Terra Star, also offered in 4x4.

 Of course if you can't afford the 4x4 option-just take an energy drink and bull on through.

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More Mercs from across the pond (updated)

It in the tourist season, but the campers keep rolling in from Europe.
Recent arrivals include these two Mercs:

1. This Sprinter chassis camper looks more North American in its style, and certainly isn't as rugged looking as many of the expedition type campers we see. However there is lots of checker plate and other European features on the "bimobil" body.

It says "Alemania" on the hood, but I don't think it refers to someone who is mad about beer.

2. I've never seen a Mercedes Vario in North America before, so this was a surprise. Normally used as delivery vans, this one has been very capably transformed. It took some digging to discover the meaning of the name "Fuchur" on the sign. This is the German name for the flying dog Falkor, from the Neverending Story. Despite that there is a a seahorse superimposed on the world map.

3. The rear view reveals Swiss plates and symbols, including I believe, the "Arosa" plate, which is a region in Switzerland, It may also be the van converter's name, but I can find no reference to such a company. Update:This one is on the return leg to Europe, and will be leaving by sea next week.

Added September 19, not a Merc, but it is from Germany:

4. Well travelled Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 spotted on a city street.

5. This one has a sandwich/canopy type bike carrier under the rear overhang, and a strange bit of artificial greenery on its back window.