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GM Quadrasteer cheaper now
QUESTION:know it comes with "off" and "auto" (or something like that), but
can I manually select parking-4ws and crab-4ws regardless of speed?
More unlikely, can I force rear steering while the front wheels
remain straight?
The one
pictured there can choose crab, normal 4ws, and front only. Most are
like that. Yesterday I was running a Gradall which only has rear
wheel steering; I usually dislike it, but there are some situations
where it's helpful. I haven't seen one that offered all 4 modes.
After doing all sorts of amazing maneuvers fitting big machines into
little spaces, I'm slightly addicted to those 4ws options...
ANSWER: 4-wheel steering, 6-wheel drive, I was stunned and amazed the first
drive in this thing. This type of vehicle, a Gamma Goat, is what I
learned to 4-wheel in, through rice patties and mountains. Off road runs
in anything to date can't compare. I've never driven another off road
vehicle quite like this. It's amazing. The rear wheels steer to 50 % of
the fronts, in the opposite direction. It has bilge pumps, hi-lo range 4
speed trans. A Detroit Diesel with a 3/53 gear driven supercharger sits
right behind you. Music to my ears! Well, maybe you just had to be
there. :) Oh, that thing is technically a trailer on the rear and could
be converted into an RV
Looks cool. The rough-terrain forklifts I use are surprisingly bad
in deep muck; I'll bet a Gamma Goat is good for that.
Like I said, and as it relates to this thread, most of the forklifts
offer 100% steering both front and rear, selectable for front,
opposite, or same direction; and the Gradall brand that I'm running
on a job right now has only rear steering, with zero turning radius;
one front wheel stays in place and grinds the pavement as the
machine pivots on that wheel.
The Gradall doesn't have ranges or speeds, just slow and stop. The
other brands have 2 to 5 ranges/gears.
All these forklifts run Diesel, and most are terribly loud, as there
are no legal limits (of which I'm aware) to how loud they can be.
Skytrak, IIRC, is the quiet one.
50 years ago this summer I had a part-time job with Flying Tiger
Airlines at O'Hare Field. Night forklift races on the ramp were free
entertainment. They had one hangar about a half mile from the main one
and sometimes we'd have to transfer a load to or from it. If memory
serves the forklifts had 5 speeds in both forward and reverse. One flaw
I recall was that there were only lights on the front and if you had a
big load on the forks you couldn't see where you were going so you drove
in reverse with no lights. Good night vision was a definite asset.
The forklift shenanigans and drivers took a big hit when they started
taking the costs of damaged merchandise out of pay checks.
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