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Duncan, That is a great write up of your trip, the pictures are great also. In post #3 picture #679, what is this location?
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
-
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Tour of Eastern Europe
- Thread starter duncan
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I've we're on to the right pictures, it's the Transfagarasan road in Romania: Transf?g?r??an - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaDuncan, That is a great write up of your trip, the pictures are great also. In post #3 picture #679, what is this location?
Thanks for sharing.
Wolf.Dose
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Hey, great trip, great pics!
However, the smoke of the Diesel tells me, that the injection timing is not correct or the injection pressure is at the lower end. But I think, it is the timing, some 3 to 5 degrees late. Or the Spritzversteller (What the hac is that in English?) does not work propperly.
Wolf
However, the smoke of the Diesel tells me, that the injection timing is not correct or the injection pressure is at the lower end. But I think, it is the timing, some 3 to 5 degrees late. Or the Spritzversteller (What the hac is that in English?) does not work propperly.
Wolf
It's not too late very much, I was accelerating uphill using the fuel oversupply lever because I did not want to shift a gear down and loose all speed. Hitting the oversupply gives a boost of power, which in this case helped me get back from ~700rpm to something like ~1200. If I didnt use that, I'd have to go back a full gear (was already on the low split), which on this 20% gradient would lose me all my speed
You se it used a lot on truck trials and such. In normal conditions the smoke is... well like any eastern european truck.Attachments
Ah yes, there was noone at home to water my plant so I took it. I labelled it "Eco-Compensation", which got me a good laugh everywhere.
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Duncan THANKS for the pics and the telling of your adventure, AWESOME on both counts that Tatra is a truly amazing vehicle and its so great to see somebody actually USING it, I need to drive my Deuce a LOT more! Thanks again very mcuh for sharing and please keep it up its was great to see!
KK
KK
florin
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Hi Dunca!
Hello Mr. Duncan, Sir!
Absolutely a great adventure traveling in a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos. Hey man, I'm originally from Romania, and since you just traveled trough that country you probably remember going trough a city in the North East (Bucovina region) named Suceava. Well, that's where I was borne. My father drove a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos between the years of 1976 and 1989, as a heavy hauler for the, at that time, gov. owned ITA autobase 2 Suceava. I practically learned how to drive in the early '80s (and all my mechanical skills) on my dad's truck. I know the ins and outs of that T813 better then I know any other truck that I drove and owned here in North America (USA & Canada) where I lived for the past 20 some years. I'm very passionate about the Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos and my dream is to own one some day and restore it, (as close as possible), to the factory condition in every detail, even to the shade of OD Green that my dad's truck was factory painted. My dad kept that thing original over the years and in a very well mechanically maintained shape. In that picture where you was climbing the hill, you probably was pooling on that "chock" because your truck was poring out allot of black smoke. That's not a very good thing to do during normal operation. That's designed to facilitate only the cold starting. Besides the very bad fuel economy caused by the increased volume of fuel that goes in the combustion chamber, it also cause an increased sot content in the oil. Big and very abrasive particles of sot produced at rapid rate which causes damage to the engine components including the crank seal. The timing and volume of fuel on that engine can be tweaked to give you good performance, clean operation, good fuel mileage and really good engine component life. My dad's truck made hundreds of trips across the Carpathian Mountains loaded at around 85 metric tones GVW regularly. He had set that engine to pull hard and run smokeless. I understand from your story that you had a very bad experience with the Ukrainians. Yes, they're not exactly the friendliest people. Just like the Russians, the Ukrainians are still stuck in a "Cold War" mentality. Unfortunately most of the former Warsaw Pact countries suffer from that horrible piece of history. I hope that you had a good time in Romania. I know that, even now after more the 20 years of freedom, Romania has allot of catching up to do as far as getting with the times in every aspect, more so in the rural part of the country. After all, I don't think that Romania is a bad destination for on/of road expeditions. I hope that you found the Romanian people friendly and courteous, to the point that you can see a definitive distinction between Romanians (Latin roots) and the Slavic speaking people with the exception of the Czechoslovakians (which are far more civilized then the rest of the Slavs). You have to understand that Romania had close to 50 years of miserable existence under the boot of the communists which were sustained in power by the horrible soviets. It will take a couple of generations to bring the necessary changes in order to see a Romania more in line with the Western World. As a Romanian my self, I believe that some day my country of origin will rise to the standards of a civilized and orderly country to be proud of.
Man! I wish that I had enough resources to be able to engage in an expedition like this with y'all in my own Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos. I'm sure, it'll be a blast!
I would probably go for broke if I could find a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos complete with everything that it came equipped from the factory,( including the tool set in sliding trays located in the driver side toolbox behind the cab. The hydraulic jack mounted in it's place right behind the stirring box in the compartment under the driver feet. The passenger side toolbox behind the cab should have the tactical headlight shades and a diesel lamp burner in it. In top of it should be the cylindrical shaped diesel reservoir for the cab heater unit, mounted under the bench seat, at the back of the cab. In between the toolboxes should be the box (right above the horizontally mounted muffler), which normally should house the cab air filtration system, connected trough a flex hose to the inlet at the top back side of the cab. All headlights and the reverse light should have their guards,.. etc) and if it has a rust and dents free body, it would make a very good restoration of original body components. I would love to restore one to it's brand new glory. I know that they had a few different capacity cooling turbines. I like the one that has a very loud distinctive high pitch sound audible even at very low engine RPM's. I'd love to have the truck equipped with a set of tires that has the thread pattern of the early to mid 1970's.(the pattern with the smaller and an extra row of square threads then the later late '70s to today, that has the bigger threads) I would also paint it with the OD Green that they used in the early to mid 1970's. (kinda like the one in my picture, a lighter olive drab, somewhere between green-yellow-brown) If I had the flex air hoses mounted inside the cab on the roof used to distribute the cab pressurized filtered air, well, that would be a bonus) I would probably look for a nice and cracks free stirring wheel with the red Tatra insignia sill intact, and a set of dashboard lights and switches that are unbleached by sunlight from one of those armored T813's with covers on the windows.
What can I say? Y'all probably think that I'm insane about the Tatra's T813 8X8 Kolos, but like the people that are absolutely gone bunkers about 1957 Chevrolet's and 1966-67 Mustang Shelby's and cars of the era, well I kinda feel the same way about the T813's, SR 131 Carpati, and the MAN F8/Roman Diesels of the 1970's, 1960's Dacia 1100, and ARO IMS57, the 1970's ARO 240S canvas top and early Dacia 1300. Well, those were the vehicles I grew up with and they remind me of my youth.
Happy trails!
Florin.
Hello Mr. Duncan, Sir!
Absolutely a great adventure traveling in a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos. Hey man, I'm originally from Romania, and since you just traveled trough that country you probably remember going trough a city in the North East (Bucovina region) named Suceava. Well, that's where I was borne. My father drove a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos between the years of 1976 and 1989, as a heavy hauler for the, at that time, gov. owned ITA autobase 2 Suceava. I practically learned how to drive in the early '80s (and all my mechanical skills) on my dad's truck. I know the ins and outs of that T813 better then I know any other truck that I drove and owned here in North America (USA & Canada) where I lived for the past 20 some years. I'm very passionate about the Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos and my dream is to own one some day and restore it, (as close as possible), to the factory condition in every detail, even to the shade of OD Green that my dad's truck was factory painted. My dad kept that thing original over the years and in a very well mechanically maintained shape. In that picture where you was climbing the hill, you probably was pooling on that "chock" because your truck was poring out allot of black smoke. That's not a very good thing to do during normal operation. That's designed to facilitate only the cold starting. Besides the very bad fuel economy caused by the increased volume of fuel that goes in the combustion chamber, it also cause an increased sot content in the oil. Big and very abrasive particles of sot produced at rapid rate which causes damage to the engine components including the crank seal. The timing and volume of fuel on that engine can be tweaked to give you good performance, clean operation, good fuel mileage and really good engine component life. My dad's truck made hundreds of trips across the Carpathian Mountains loaded at around 85 metric tones GVW regularly. He had set that engine to pull hard and run smokeless. I understand from your story that you had a very bad experience with the Ukrainians. Yes, they're not exactly the friendliest people. Just like the Russians, the Ukrainians are still stuck in a "Cold War" mentality. Unfortunately most of the former Warsaw Pact countries suffer from that horrible piece of history. I hope that you had a good time in Romania. I know that, even now after more the 20 years of freedom, Romania has allot of catching up to do as far as getting with the times in every aspect, more so in the rural part of the country. After all, I don't think that Romania is a bad destination for on/of road expeditions. I hope that you found the Romanian people friendly and courteous, to the point that you can see a definitive distinction between Romanians (Latin roots) and the Slavic speaking people with the exception of the Czechoslovakians (which are far more civilized then the rest of the Slavs). You have to understand that Romania had close to 50 years of miserable existence under the boot of the communists which were sustained in power by the horrible soviets. It will take a couple of generations to bring the necessary changes in order to see a Romania more in line with the Western World. As a Romanian my self, I believe that some day my country of origin will rise to the standards of a civilized and orderly country to be proud of.
Man! I wish that I had enough resources to be able to engage in an expedition like this with y'all in my own Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos. I'm sure, it'll be a blast!
I would probably go for broke if I could find a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos complete with everything that it came equipped from the factory,( including the tool set in sliding trays located in the driver side toolbox behind the cab. The hydraulic jack mounted in it's place right behind the stirring box in the compartment under the driver feet. The passenger side toolbox behind the cab should have the tactical headlight shades and a diesel lamp burner in it. In top of it should be the cylindrical shaped diesel reservoir for the cab heater unit, mounted under the bench seat, at the back of the cab. In between the toolboxes should be the box (right above the horizontally mounted muffler), which normally should house the cab air filtration system, connected trough a flex hose to the inlet at the top back side of the cab. All headlights and the reverse light should have their guards,.. etc) and if it has a rust and dents free body, it would make a very good restoration of original body components. I would love to restore one to it's brand new glory. I know that they had a few different capacity cooling turbines. I like the one that has a very loud distinctive high pitch sound audible even at very low engine RPM's. I'd love to have the truck equipped with a set of tires that has the thread pattern of the early to mid 1970's.(the pattern with the smaller and an extra row of square threads then the later late '70s to today, that has the bigger threads) I would also paint it with the OD Green that they used in the early to mid 1970's. (kinda like the one in my picture, a lighter olive drab, somewhere between green-yellow-brown) If I had the flex air hoses mounted inside the cab on the roof used to distribute the cab pressurized filtered air, well, that would be a bonus) I would probably look for a nice and cracks free stirring wheel with the red Tatra insignia sill intact, and a set of dashboard lights and switches that are unbleached by sunlight from one of those armored T813's with covers on the windows.
What can I say? Y'all probably think that I'm insane about the Tatra's T813 8X8 Kolos, but like the people that are absolutely gone bunkers about 1957 Chevrolet's and 1966-67 Mustang Shelby's and cars of the era, well I kinda feel the same way about the T813's, SR 131 Carpati, and the MAN F8/Roman Diesels of the 1970's, 1960's Dacia 1100, and ARO IMS57, the 1970's ARO 240S canvas top and early Dacia 1300. Well, those were the vehicles I grew up with and they remind me of my youth.
Happy trails!
Florin.
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florin
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Well, Sir Duncan, there's even more negative consequences that can be attributed to the constant use of the "oversupply" on the Tatra engines. The increased carbon deposits on the injector tips can cause the engine to produce visibly dirtier exhaust at normal operation and also a decrease in power. I remember from back in the 1970s, my dad's colleagues driving the same Tatra T813's manage to burn up and destroy injectors and melted pistons when extensively using the "oversupply" on their trucks. It's a "catch 22" kinda thing. The more that you use it, the more crappy performance you get out of that engine, which in the end causes you to use the "oversupply" option even more. The only remedy for that is to replace all injectors with new ones, check the compression and replace any cylinders, cylinder heads and pistons if needed. Make sure that, the injection pump it's metered and properly adjusted, timing it's properly adjusted and don't over do the "oversupply" again. If you do take in consideration these things I'm saying, you'll find out that the Tatra will not blow any more smoke then any M.A.N. F8, Scania or Volvo from the era of the 1970s. The thing is that these tatra's can take a beating and still run even with a few pistons running. I'll give you that much, that the products build in Western Europe were of a better quality compared to the Eastern Europe ones. That said, I couldn't consider a Magirus Deutz air cooled engine build in Germany in the '60's and '70's much better then the Tatra engines of the same era. There's that little thing about compering "apples to oranges" to be taken in consideration when talking about air cooled vs. liquid cooled engines.
I hope that you'll not be offended by the things I've said, and I look forward to have a pleasant conversation with you about the Tatra trucks.
And oh, I almost forgot. The diesel today contains almost no sulfur. The diesel of the old days had allot more sulfur which burned better in the old engines and also "old days diesel" had allot more lubricity then the diesel fuel today. It is imperative to use lubricity additives in today's diesel fuel when used in the old trucks. The old injectors and injection pumps were not designed to be used with the "dry" diesel fuel of the present day.
And live that mushroom shaped plastic button located under the dashboard to the right of the steering column alone from now one!
You also, probably know by now, that the pedal that looks just like a second accelerator pedal located just above the accelerator pedal, it's a pedal that activates a 'co centric' shaft to the shaft that turns the injection pump. The idea was: if in case the injection pump regulator goes bad and the engine goes into an uncontrollable high RPM mode without the possibility to shut it off, then by stepping on that pedal, the little shaft that the pedal activates will push the injection pump connector which allows the timing setting to a disengaged position, which will disable the injection pump, thus shutting off the engine.
A few more important things to always remember about the T813's 8X8. When going to cross a shallow river or lake trough the water, remember to pressurize the entire "back bone tube" drive train. It could cause very expensive repairs if not. Also when you start up the truck, with the engine at idle, listen for any "knock-knock" noise between the cab and cargo box. If you hear any of that, then check the U joints on the drive shaft that runs from the clutch housing to the transmission input shaft. If that thing brakes loose, well the mess it's incredible. The U joint at the front of the trany is the one that usually goes first. If that ever happens, it destroys the gear selector component and its solenoid valve that controls the airflow to the shifter servo. It also bends and brakes other stuff in it's way. A complete new drive shaft including the input to the trany, a gear selector assembly, solenoid valve, air lines and fittings will be required for a proper fix. It can ad up to allot of $$$ and allot of time. To replace an U joint it woul take me aprox half hour if I don't have anything in the front of the cargo box obstructing the floor hatch right above the transmission.
The parking brake on the T813's is very crappy. If it takes too many pulls on the lever to engage the parking brake, there's some adjustments that can be done regularly to ensure proper functioning. All though with proper parking brake functioning, I would sill put the transmission in the first gear (engine shut off
) when parking the truck. The compression does a better job ensuring that the truck will be in the same place in the morning as where you left it the previous night. It's just an Eastern European way to compensate.... .
I hope that this info will be helpful to the Tatra T813's owners on this site.
Happy trails!
Florin.
I hope that you'll not be offended by the things I've said, and I look forward to have a pleasant conversation with you about the Tatra trucks.
And oh, I almost forgot. The diesel today contains almost no sulfur. The diesel of the old days had allot more sulfur which burned better in the old engines and also "old days diesel" had allot more lubricity then the diesel fuel today. It is imperative to use lubricity additives in today's diesel fuel when used in the old trucks. The old injectors and injection pumps were not designed to be used with the "dry" diesel fuel of the present day.
And live that mushroom shaped plastic button located under the dashboard to the right of the steering column alone from now one!
You also, probably know by now, that the pedal that looks just like a second accelerator pedal located just above the accelerator pedal, it's a pedal that activates a 'co centric' shaft to the shaft that turns the injection pump. The idea was: if in case the injection pump regulator goes bad and the engine goes into an uncontrollable high RPM mode without the possibility to shut it off, then by stepping on that pedal, the little shaft that the pedal activates will push the injection pump connector which allows the timing setting to a disengaged position, which will disable the injection pump, thus shutting off the engine.
A few more important things to always remember about the T813's 8X8. When going to cross a shallow river or lake trough the water, remember to pressurize the entire "back bone tube" drive train. It could cause very expensive repairs if not. Also when you start up the truck, with the engine at idle, listen for any "knock-knock" noise between the cab and cargo box. If you hear any of that, then check the U joints on the drive shaft that runs from the clutch housing to the transmission input shaft. If that thing brakes loose, well the mess it's incredible. The U joint at the front of the trany is the one that usually goes first. If that ever happens, it destroys the gear selector component and its solenoid valve that controls the airflow to the shifter servo. It also bends and brakes other stuff in it's way. A complete new drive shaft including the input to the trany, a gear selector assembly, solenoid valve, air lines and fittings will be required for a proper fix. It can ad up to allot of $$$ and allot of time. To replace an U joint it woul take me aprox half hour if I don't have anything in the front of the cargo box obstructing the floor hatch right above the transmission.
The parking brake on the T813's is very crappy. If it takes too many pulls on the lever to engage the parking brake, there's some adjustments that can be done regularly to ensure proper functioning. All though with proper parking brake functioning, I would sill put the transmission in the first gear (engine shut off
) when parking the truck. The compression does a better job ensuring that the truck will be in the same place in the morning as where you left it the previous night. It's just an Eastern European way to compensate.... . I hope that this info will be helpful to the Tatra T813's owners on this site.
Happy trails!
Florin.
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Atomic
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You sir are "the man" with a well executed plan!
I need to do one of these, ....................................big time. Awsome photos, write ups and please feel free to share more photos from the trip.
Cool truck too...!
I need to do one of these, ....................................big time. Awsome photos, write ups and please feel free to share more photos from the trip.
Cool truck too...!
florin
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Here are a few good pictures of the Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos.
Note that the second picture tatra has the tire thread pattern of the early 1970's vr. the one in the first picture with the tires that future the bigger tread pattern. You can also see the difference in the two tire thread patterns in the third picture(first front steer wheel vs. second steer wheel on the driver side)
The fourth picture it's a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos that was imported from the former East Germany to the USA by a gentleman from California. The Ford Explorer can be seen in the background.
Note that the second picture tatra has the tire thread pattern of the early 1970's vr. the one in the first picture with the tires that future the bigger tread pattern. You can also see the difference in the two tire thread patterns in the third picture(first front steer wheel vs. second steer wheel on the driver side)
The fourth picture it's a Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos that was imported from the former East Germany to the USA by a gentleman from California. The Ford Explorer can be seen in the background.
Attachments
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florin
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Some pictures of the Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos still in use in Romania.
Attachments
Yeah we tried to cross the border at Sitras first, and drove through Suceava on the way there.
The oversupply was used on that hill because we were really low on power. This later turned out to be because of low fuel levels, but on a 20% grade with small road like this, you dont really want to stop, get out and check for problems. This was ofcourse later forced upon us by the diesel completely running out
The toolboxes behind the cabin are removed because they were rusted beyond repair. The original tools were long gone ofcourse. Plans to restore them are in place.
The injection pump and nozzles will be replaced this month too. Having the current pump adjusted here is more expensive than buying a new pre-adjusted one from tatra
and the same goes for injector nozzles.Thanks for the kind words and tips, please hang around the tatra side of this forum. We are in need of someone knowledgeable of these trucks.
Since last month we also run with the incredibly cool (and heavy, and big) p50 trailer. Now all we need is a tank!
Attachments
spicergear
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AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!! Thank you much for sharing the story and pics!!!!!!!
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Duncan, I really enjoyed reading about your trip. Thank you for sharing the story. I'm glad you had a good time and made it home safely.
florin
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Mr. Duncan, Sir!
Yes Sir! No doubt, that's just about the right trailer for your Harley Davidson! I would've recommended it to you if you didn't have one already. I love that pic! Man! I love this kinda crazy! It's my kinda crazy!
Yeah, about the attempt to cross into Ukraine.....that would've been from the Suceava County city of Siret. From there you had to backtrack on H-way 2 to 17A and go towards Vatra Dornei via Radauti. Well, you probably went right parallel to the border (via Vicovu De Sus, Straja, Brodina) to atempt crossing at Nisipitu. well, I don't remember that place being an official border crossing ever. From there you probably found your way on dirt mountain roads across to the county of Maramures, towards the town of Sighetul Marmatiei if you kept close to the border, or towards the city of Baia Mare via Borsa. Man, I tell you! That region it's specially created by God for "OFF ROAD 4X4 and ofcourse 8X8 trailing". There's a club ARO 4X4 (Romanian build ARO 4X4) from Czech and Slovak republics that every once on a while does an expedition in the Romanian mountain regions around the counties of Suceava, Maramures and Neamt. Absolutely crazy awesome.
Well, I don't think you had any more luck crossing at Halmeu and you went and cross into Hungary aether at Dorolt via Satul Mare or at Bors (main commercial crossing) via Oradea in the county of Bihor. You could've tried at Valea Lui Mihai to cross going towards Debrecen Hungary.
It'll be insanely fun to start a Tatra T813 club and go 8X8, well, 8 wheeling in those mountains in Romania.
Yeah, the narrow and winding 20% grades of the Trans Fagarasan it's fun, but it's paved. Going on "forestier" dirt narow and winding 20% grade roads and drive cross and trough rivers, would be where the Tatra trucks would feel at home. Just make sure to have 300-400 gallons of diesel with you, and some spare belts, alternator, and tires. That be crazy awesome!
Yes Sir! No doubt, that's just about the right trailer for your Harley Davidson!
I would've recommended it to you if you didn't have one already. I love that pic! Man! I love this kinda crazy! It's my kinda crazy! Yeah, about the attempt to cross into Ukraine.....that would've been from the Suceava County city of Siret. From there you had to backtrack on H-way 2 to 17A and go towards Vatra Dornei via Radauti. Well, you probably went right parallel to the border (via Vicovu De Sus, Straja, Brodina) to atempt crossing at Nisipitu. well, I don't remember that place being an official border crossing ever. From there you probably found your way on dirt mountain roads across to the county of Maramures, towards the town of Sighetul Marmatiei if you kept close to the border, or towards the city of Baia Mare via Borsa. Man, I tell you! That region it's specially created by God for "OFF ROAD 4X4 and ofcourse 8X8 trailing". There's a club ARO 4X4 (Romanian build ARO 4X4) from Czech and Slovak republics that every once on a while does an expedition in the Romanian mountain regions around the counties of Suceava, Maramures and Neamt. Absolutely crazy awesome.
Well, I don't think you had any more luck crossing at Halmeu and you went and cross into Hungary aether at Dorolt via Satul Mare or at Bors (main commercial crossing) via Oradea in the county of Bihor. You could've tried at Valea Lui Mihai to cross going towards Debrecen Hungary.
It'll be insanely fun to start a Tatra T813 club and go 8X8, well, 8 wheeling in those mountains in Romania.
Yeah, the narrow and winding 20% grades of the Trans Fagarasan it's fun, but it's paved. Going on "forestier" dirt narow and winding 20% grade roads and drive cross and trough rivers, would be where the Tatra trucks would feel at home.
Just make sure to have 300-400 gallons of diesel with you, and some spare belts, alternator, and tires. That be crazy awesome!
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davidkroberts
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awesome trip, glad you took the time to post the photos are up for us. Im envious of your trucks.
You know your geography
We took exactly that route, except we went straight from Sighetul to the Hungarian border at Satul Mare.Ofcourse, this let-down of Ukraine will not stop us. I'm hoping to find the time to try again, but this time in winter. We have seen the country in the summer, so now its time for something different. So I have found a new set of tires where the thread is not completely gone, will probably need to find or make some snow chains, and fix the central tire pressure regulation system. Specific plans for this trip are still being discussed over some beers.
florin
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Sir, Yes Sir! (they say, "once a Marine, always a Marine!")
Well, I think that you could have tons of fun with your tatra in the snow. The tatras are at home on just about any surface.
Sir, I'd sugest that you would do an extensive and very serious preparation if you decide to do an expedition in the far East/Northeast during the winter season. I suggest that you forget the "somewhat good" tires and spend the $$$ and get a set of brand new fresh tires from Czech republic. Install 4 on your steer axles since those axles are the permanent traction engaged wheels on the T813s. Kip 4 with tubes and have a couple of extra tubes in your cargo box. You can use 4 of the better used tires on the rear 2 axles. The reason is that in places like Ukraine you can expect the narrow roads to have all sorts of crap all over near and on the roads, that can cut the tires beyond repair. In the winter when everything is covered with snow things like that are impossible to see and thus ruining tires is a possibility that can happen to the most experienced of us. About the traction chains: I suggest to you Sir, that you forget about them too. Since your clearance between the cab wheel wells and the tires at the highest point of suspension travel is just a couple of centimetres, you would run the risk to cause allot of damage to the truck's structure. The tatras are not designed to operate with traction chains. Just make sure that you've got good tires and the winch that the truck is equipped from the factory is in proper functioning condition. Make sure that the 100 Meter cable is good, and the outlets guides at the rear and front of the truck are good for use. Should also have that intermediary winch pulley handy and in good order too. You'll need it for sure. Make sure that you carry allot of diesel fuel and diesel fuel anti gelling additives. Well, -30s C in northern Romania, and -40s C in Ukraine and further in those parts of the world it's something normal in the winter. I would install a good and tested high BTUs Webasto cab heater too, since the tatra ones did not function properly for more then 3 to 4 years since brand new.
Guys, if you'll be successful crossing into Ukraine on your next expedition, just kip in mind that Ukraine and the Ural Mountains are not a joke in the winter. Nothing like Holland winters. Believe you, me!
Do not go there and become a short story in the papers, "(a couple of guys from holland in a tatra truck got stuck in the middle of nowhere BF Ukraine in the middle of winter and was fownd frozen stiff some 5 weeks after they run into trouble.).
Remember, there's no rescue teams or road service in that country on the roads that you might be running, (seeing the last trip you made).There's hardly any service to talk about on the main international highways in those countries.
If you decide to do it, prepare the truck and yourself like you were going into space travel. "BF" Ukraine might just be outer space when it comes to little mountain trails and outback roads.
I don't know much of anything, but what I know and if it might be helpful info to anyone, then I like shearing that knowledge. If you have any questions and think that I could help in any way then just ask. I'd be glad to help.
Since you travel more often trough the Czech republic, maybe you can tell me about a good shape Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos for sale. I think I saw one in one of your photos. It looked pretty original and in good shape too. I wonder if you can give me some info about that one or any other that you know about that's in as good shape as possible. Thank you in advance!
Anyway, kip me posted please. I would like very much to know about your progress getting there with your expedition.
Happy trails!
Florin.
Well, I think that you could have tons of fun with your tatra in the snow. The tatras are at home on just about any surface.
Sir, I'd sugest that you would do an extensive and very serious preparation if you decide to do an expedition in the far East/Northeast during the winter season. I suggest that you forget the "somewhat good" tires and spend the $$$ and get a set of brand new fresh tires from Czech republic. Install 4 on your steer axles since those axles are the permanent traction engaged wheels on the T813s. Kip 4 with tubes and have a couple of extra tubes in your cargo box. You can use 4 of the better used tires on the rear 2 axles. The reason is that in places like Ukraine you can expect the narrow roads to have all sorts of crap all over near and on the roads, that can cut the tires beyond repair. In the winter when everything is covered with snow things like that are impossible to see and thus ruining tires is a possibility that can happen to the most experienced of us. About the traction chains: I suggest to you Sir, that you forget about them too. Since your clearance between the cab wheel wells and the tires at the highest point of suspension travel is just a couple of centimetres, you would run the risk to cause allot of damage to the truck's structure. The tatras are not designed to operate with traction chains. Just make sure that you've got good tires and the winch that the truck is equipped from the factory is in proper functioning condition. Make sure that the 100 Meter cable is good, and the outlets guides at the rear and front of the truck are good for use. Should also have that intermediary winch pulley handy and in good order too. You'll need it for sure. Make sure that you carry allot of diesel fuel and diesel fuel anti gelling additives. Well, -30s C in northern Romania, and -40s C in Ukraine and further in those parts of the world it's something normal in the winter. I would install a good and tested high BTUs Webasto cab heater too, since the tatra ones did not function properly for more then 3 to 4 years since brand new.
Guys, if you'll be successful crossing into Ukraine on your next expedition, just kip in mind that Ukraine and the Ural Mountains are not a joke in the winter. Nothing like Holland winters. Believe you, me!
Do not go there and become a short story in the papers, "(a couple of guys from holland in a tatra truck got stuck in the middle of nowhere BF Ukraine in the middle of winter and was fownd frozen stiff some 5 weeks after they run into trouble.).
Remember, there's no rescue teams or road service in that country on the roads that you might be running, (seeing the last trip you made).
There's hardly any service to talk about on the main international highways in those countries.If you decide to do it, prepare the truck and yourself like you were going into space travel. "BF" Ukraine might just be outer space when it comes to little mountain trails and outback roads.
I don't know much of anything, but what I know and if it might be helpful info to anyone, then I like shearing that knowledge. If you have any questions and think that I could help in any way then just ask. I'd be glad to help.
Since you travel more often trough the Czech republic, maybe you can tell me about a good shape Tatra T813 8X8 Kolos for sale. I think I saw one in one of your photos. It looked pretty original and in good shape too. I wonder if you can give me some info about that one or any other that you know about that's in as good shape as possible. Thank you in advance!
Anyway, kip me posted please. I would like very much to know about your progress getting there with your expedition.
Happy trails!
Florin.
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Titanium
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Just found this topic. Great trip, nice writing and good photos! Hope you enjoyed Romania!