TRACTORS The front part of the tractor trailer truck is called a tractor The driver sits inside the cab at the front of the tractor From here the driver can steer the trucks along the road Some cabs may even have beds in the back where drivers can sleep see pages 16 17 Beneath the cab is the engine The engine needs to be very powerful to drive the tractor and pull its load This engine is as strong as the engines of ten small cars E ORD BOBTAILING When a tractor trailer drives without its trailer above it is called bobtailing Fifth wheel skid plate Behind the cab is a device called the fifth wheel skid plate that connects the tractor to a trailer This special link lets the truck bend in the middle allowing the truck to turn very tight corners Axle seal The axle seal keeps oil in the gears that turn the wheel to help it move smoothly It also keeps dirt and debris out of the gear Fuel tank The fuel tank holds the fuel for the tractor s engine It can hold up to 300 gallons 1 136 liters Shock absorber Trucks need shock absorbers to prevent any bumps or holes in the road from causing damage to the truck Wheels A tractor has two or more sets of els The front set steers the tractor The rear sets push the tractor along and carry the weight of the trai
Horn Exhaust Fumes are created by the engine as it converts fuel into energy They are then carried out of the truck by the exhaust pipe A loud horn warns other drivers of any danger Radiator grill This is where cool air can enter the truck to help keep all the hard working parts from overheating Engine When the engine has trouble the whole cab is then tilted forward to let the mechanic reach the engine to fix
ALL SHAPES AND SIZES Trucks come in all shapes and sizes OO STEAM POWERED TRUCK Steam powered trucks were smaller Early trucks used steam than today's trucks since steam isn't as powerful as the fuel we use today engines instead of diesel engines In steam Modern engines allow trucks to be Funnel Boiler much larger and carry more cargo O powered trucks water Similar to anThe boiler is where water was heated in a boiler to exhaust pipe is heated to create Controls Container make steam that gave the steam to move the Levers and valves are used Where the cargo is the power to operate the allowes smoke engine to control how much steam 0 held that the truck is truck to leave the enters the engine transporting boiler Linkage The steam created in the boiler pushes the linkage bar causing the wheel to move Brake The brake is also powered by steam from the boiler DOOOOOOOOO
TATE LYLE TATE LYLE O PICKUP TRUCK DNE PIECE TRUCK One of the most popular types of truck is the pickup truck above Behind the cab is a flat bed where the load is carried Some trucks come in one piece above At the front of the truck is the cab where the driver sits Behind this the truck is fitted with a body unit This could be a trash compactor a crane or a container TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCI Some trucks have trailers that are pulled by a tractor below Between the tractor and the trailer is a special device that allows the truck to bend Sometimes a tractor may pull more than one trailer The longest truck in the world was an Australian road train Pulling five trailers this truck was as long as 15 cars weighed as much as 150 cars and had 110 wheels an
