Stealth RV

 Scores of European RVs are rolling off the ship at Fairview Cove every weee. They were lines of them last week and more arrived today.

Today's "stealth" unit didn't fool me for a minute.

 

These giants M.A.N.s, Mercs and other makes seem to be very popular, but must cost a fortune to run.

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RVs keep on rolling

 European RVs are rolling in to Halifax in record numbers. Whether it is arriving en route to spend the winter in the warmer part of the continent or heading back to Europe after a summer of roving, it is hard to tell, sincd I rarely see any people nearby. Here is a sampling of this week's crop:

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M.A.N. from all over

 This large M.A.N. is wearing an Italian licence plate. From what I have been able to determine the letters "EY" signify a 2014 vehicle.

Confusingly however there are French flags posted on the cab front and doors.

 The RV body has corner castings like a shipping container, so presumably can be lifted off. I am not sure how the cab tilts without spilling the contents of the roof rack.

In looking for Italian license plate information on line I discovered a photo of the same vehicle taken in March 2022 in Montreal. Perhaps the rig is headed back to Europe.

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MArch MAN

Lots of truck brands start with M, including M.A.N. (or MAN as its now called). This venerable German manufacturer is little seen in Canada, although I have posted a few on this site before.
1. Mack has its bulldog, M.A.N. has its lion.

2. One of three MAN model TGS 33,400 that arrived in Halifax by ship in December 2011. They left town on Fastrax trucks, likely for conversion work.

3. The shipping labels didn't tell me much but might be of interest.

One M.A.N. that was actually based in Halifax - and the only one on the road here, was a small single screw tractor operated by Kitchen City a seller of European style kitchen furnishings.

4. Taken on August 16, 1989, this little semi named "Annemarie" was active for a few years. It was nicely fitted with headlight screens, fog lamps and a typical Euro type cab sleeper. A pretty little rig.

It was certainly a unique sight but did not last long, as I think the company went out of business.

The only other MANs in the areas are a pair of prime movers, operated by Leil, which I have shown before.
MAN SE as it is now known, was taken over by Volkswagen last year and it is expected that there will be some combining of operations with their Scania truck line. MAN is a world wide company with truck, bus and diesel engine manufacturing as their primary activities. So far they have not attempted to crack the North American truck market. Will that change?

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Export and Import

Trucks and machinery are imported and exported through the port of Halifax. Today's examples:
1. International lives up to its name as it is headed for the port of Mersin, Turkey. Eventual destinaiton is not known.

2. One of a pair fitted with National Crane booms.

3. This Valmet logging vehicle comes from Finland. I like the custom wheel well under the large tire-was it made to order? The Volvo carries Quebec plates.

4. Another Mills heavy haul is this Komatsu crawler backhoe. Its boom and bucket will arrive on another truck. It is bound overseas.

5. M.A.N. seems to be popular with the European camper set. This is quite a luxurious model by Phoenix.

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More arrivals by ship

Two more ship arrivals yesterday, a pair of campers:

1. Dalanuma is Swiss couple headed for Alaska as far as I can tell, after a test trip to Morocco. There are some technical issues with their blog, but it is here:
http://dalanuma.blogspot.com/
Their camper is built on a European Ford Transit - quite nice looking unit.

2.The impressive crew cab M.A.N. "Tembo" is presumably from Germany, but I can find no references on the web. This guy could go anywhere, and has enough spare tires to last for quite a while. His infinitely adjustable levelling system must have been a treat to set up. Hope he doesn't have to do that every night. [No it is from France -see comments below]

3. The rear overhang probably exceeds the usual four foot requirement for red flags, but would allow for some pretty steep hill climbs!

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Waterfront Heavy

A.W.Leil, the crane and heavy lift specialists, are still running this venerable German built M.A.N. and transporter trailers. This is one of two similar tractors imported from Dubai in 1990 (they were not new then) and they have found work over the years carrying many heavy objects around Halifax and farther afield. The ballast body on the tractor carries some huge concrete weights to assist in traction.

The transporter trailers have powered steering axles, and can be assembled in different combinations depending on the size of object to be carried.

The photo was taken through the fence at pier 29 where the rig has been parked for a week or so.

The blue tarped object in the background is a gangway used for passenger ships.