Who hates Auckland

[Motu]

Motu, finally worked out your avatar - commer TS3

Well done - I figured it'd be over the heads of 99.9% of those here,I tried to use a moving picture of it running but couldn't do it,that would of raised a few questions.My father worked a lot on TS3s,I grew up with the noise - didn't they sound great!! The Fodens weren't half bad either,I served my time under an ex Fodens mechanic.

[Hitcher]

Well done - I figured it'd be over the heads of 99.9% of those here,I tried to use a moving picture of it running but couldn't do it,that would of raised a few questions.My father worked a lot on TS3s,I grew up with the noise - didn't they sound great!! The Fodens weren't half bad either,I served my time under an ex Fodens mechanic.

My Dad used to a be a supplier of the then Ngaere Dairy Company. They bought two Commer TS3s for milk tankers back in the days when most other dairy companies were running TK Bedfords...

[Badcat]

I don't hate Auckland! If I did I would move away. Lived here all of my life and have no intention of moving elsewhere in the near future - just bought a house in Hobsonville you see.

Yes, traffic is bad, living is expensive, blah blah...but there are other things in life that can make where you live quite pleasant and enjoyable, like friends and family for instance!

I still like to travel around NZ when I can, but not be away from home for more than two weeks at a time. I love my country!

Ps. Sorry to hear of your demise greenhorn. I hope things improve for you.

i'm with zed here.
i LOVE auckland.
i'm not covered in cash - just bought a little house on the north shore and my beautiful wife and i have a 6 month old baby.
no offence meant to anyone - but if you all dislike it soooo much...

why not leave?
maybe if all the people having such a crap time left, the place wouldn't be so congested, depressing etc etc etc.

i've lived in melbourne, hong kong and san fransisco, and NZ (even auckland) is a paradise.

of course, my humble opinion.
i prefer my cup half full, sorry if that's a pain in the ass.
ken

[jrandom]

How young middle income familys do it is beyond me.

Being the titular head of and bacon-bringer for a young middle income (singular) family myself, I have to say, it's beyond me too.

My main problem is that the only jobs for me in NZ are in Auckland and Christchurch, with a smattering of stuff in Wellytown. My esteemed employer has an orifice in Christchurch, and I'll probably consider heading down there at some stage.

I think I need to hurry up and do a PhD, weasel my way into a tenured associate professor spot up at the uni, and go to sleep under my desk for the next 40 years.

I have no particular loyalty to any place in NZ; I can't say I particularly dislike Auckland. Shrug.

[pete376403]

Well done - I figured it'd be over the heads of 99.9% of those here,I tried to use a moving picture of it running but couldn't do it,that would of raised a few questions.My father worked a lot on TS3s,I grew up with the noise - didn't they sound great!! The Fodens weren't half bad either,I served my time under an ex Fodens mechanic.

The Commers had a unique sound, thats for sure. Even with my crap hearing I reckon I could pick one by the noise. The website below describes the layout of the Junkers Jumo engine - it wouldn't surprise me if this is where Rootes got the desigh from

Another engine that I'd like to experience would be the Napier Deltic. 18 cylinders, 3 crankshafts, 36 pistons.
http://www.lexcie.zetnet.co.uk/delticengine.htm

[Motu]

Yeah,let's highjack this Auckland thread that's full of misery.Some say the original TS3 design came from the US,some say it was developed for landing craft.Actualy the Foden 2 stroke was made long after it stopped being used in the trucks,the final form was a V12 with twin blowers and twin turbos,they were used in landing craft,apparently it was the only engine the RN found could handle the job.Those delta engines are interesting to study - I'd love to see one in real life,it'd keep me amused for days.Here's the TS3 running - I hope.

[toads]

Yeah,let's highjack this Auckland thread that's full of misery.Some say the original TS3 design came from the US,some say it was developed for landing craft.Actualy the Foden 2 stroke was made long after it stopped being used in the trucks,the final form was a V12 with twin blowers and twin turbos,they were used in landing craft,apparently it was the only engine the RN found could handle the job.Those delta engines are interesting to study - I'd love to see one in real life,it'd keep me amused for days.Here's the TS3 running - I hope.

that is the wierdest engine I've ever seen Motu, what are the advantages of such an engine, ie fuel economy,torque?, I spose I should just go look it up for myself, and not be so bloody lazy! LOL

[kerryg]

no offence meant to anyone - but if you all dislike it soooo much...

why not leave?
maybe if all the people having such a crap time left, the place wouldn't be so congested, depressing etc etc etc.

It's a fair point. Auckland's not without its redeeming features and there are bound to a lot who like it, love it :love2: even. Be surprising if life wasn't blissful living on the shore with your beautiful wife and baby....sigh (swap you for living out west by my black self....but still funding my ex-wife's lifestyle on beautiful Waiheke Island...guess her experience of Auckland might be different from mine too). But when you have kids it's not easy to pick up and leave a place...so you stay and gripe ...

[pete376403]

that is the wierdest engine I've ever seen Motu, what are the advantages of such an engine, ie fuel economy,torque?, I spose I should just go look it up for myself, and not be so bloody lazy! LOL

Compression ignition (diesel) engine use the heat of compression to ignite the fuel (no spark plugs). The faster the compression rise, the higher the temperature. Two opposed pistons gives the effect of a high piston speed (fast temperature rise) without a high crankshaft speed. Biggish diesels don't spin very fast. It also makes for a low engine profile, which is important if you are putting the engine under the floor of, say, a bus or a railcar.
And another reason, probably the most important. During the twenties and the thirties, designers experimented with weird stuff like this, because they could if they thought there was an advantage. Todays designers tend to stick to the orthodox, merely refining what has gone before. When was the last, really new idea (that worked) in engine design?

BTW, you want weird, check out this: same principle as Motus Commer, but so much more of it

[riffer]

Being the titular head of and bacon-bringer for a young middle income (singular) family myself, I have to say, it's beyond me too.

It's not any easier in Welly either. Gini and I sold our house in Johnsonville and bought out in Upper Hutt a year ago as the mortgage payments at $1600 a month were just not going to happen for us.

Once I take out child support payments for the kids that my ex won't hardly let me talk to, let alone see, I have a salary about the same as Greenhorn.

Then I have to feed, clothe and house the three of us (Gini, Tim, me and one on the way) and its not easy. Especially when you add horrendous lawyers bills to the mix. Hence why I ride an old shitter of a sports bike.

However, I get home at 4.30 each afternoon and get to spend much more time with the family. I used to have a job that paid $85,000 a year, plus carparking, medical, life insurance, lunches and other expenses. But I started work at 8 in the morning and very rarely got out before 8 at night. And it was stressful. So I took a nearly 50% cut in pay, lost my perks, and now I sleep at night. And life is simpler and much more fun.

Yeah, I'd like more money - who wouldn't? But I value my time more.

[Motu]

TS3 stood for Two S troke 3 cyl,there were 3 horizontal cyls inline,made a square box of a motor.The output of the 2 stroke diesels was pretty good - the TS3 was 3.3 liters,or 202cu in,same as an HQ Holden,but could pull loads of 4 stroke engines more than twice the size,they were fitted to a typical dump truck,stock truck or 3 yrd mixer bowl.The Foden 2 stroke was 250cu in,same as an XA Falcon and was a muscle heavy hauler,they had them pulling 3 trailers in the forests,and we had them as quarry trucks at the Winstone quarry.

Here's a story for the old truckers - (this is in Auckland OK?) We were in a Commer mixer truck,getting a load from the city bulk suppler,this was in Grafton gully,straight down off the left side of the Symonds st off ramp - way down,this was really deep in the gully.Climbing up out loaded in 1st gear the driver (a real genuine gypsy) opened his door and told me to open mine - 'I'm going to change up in the Eaton 2 speed,if if doesn't go in,jump out!) anyone who's ever used an Eaton diff knows they have more neutrals than a Triumph 650.I didn't mind being sent out to help out on a pour,but getting filled in the city was scary shit.

Ah,the city life...

[Hitcher]

anyone who's ever used an Eaton diff knows they have more neutrals than a Triumph 650.

The worst were the vacuum operated ones. I drove many miles in a TK Bedford with a vacuum Eaton and many more in a Ford F800 with an electric Eaton. Had several anxious moments in the Beddie after missing Eaton changes on long uphill grades. 25 years later I can still remember the Ford's shift sequence (2L, 2H, 3L, 3H, 4L, 5L, 4H, 5H).

[Motu]

I thought the vacuum one were quite good,if you took your time on an upshift,the air shifters were fastest,I never perfected the engine braking downshift - coming into corners with the diff rattling away with no gears! That shift pattern was the same on the Cummins 504 D series I had as a company car.They changed the Roadranger shift patterns in the Fuso's we had at RFL,you never knew what one you had until you shifted into 4th,which was really 3rd,and it stood on it's nose.

[pete376403]

It's not any easier in Welly either. Gini and I sold our house in Johnsonville and bought out in Upper Hutt a year ago as the mortgage payments at $1600 a month were just not going to happen for us.

Once I take out child support payments for the kids that my ex won't hardly let me talk to, let alone see, I have a salary about the same as Greenhorn.

Then I have to feed, clothe and house the three of us (Gini, Tim, me and one on the way) and its not easy. Especially when you add horrendous lawyers bills to the mix. Hence why I ride an old shitter of a sports bike.

However, I get home at 4.30 each afternoon and get to spend much more time with the family. I used to have a job that paid $85,000 a year, plus carparking, medical, life insurance, lunches and other expenses. But I started work at 8 in the morning and very rarely got out before 8 at night. And it was stressful. So I took a nearly 50% cut in pay, lost my perks, and now I sleep at night. And life is simpler and much more fun.

Yeah, I'd like more money - who wouldn't? But I value my time more.

I had a similar deal with IBM, and I agree that the stress is not really commensurate with the income. I didn't jump, but was pushed (redundancy) and I'm pretty sure that if that hadn't happened, I too wouold have been one of the many who said the company initials stood for "I've Been Married".
Sure twas hard getting used to the pay cut, though. :disapint:
Incidentally, what came first, the divorce or the job cut, if you don't mind me asking

[badlieutenant]

a slight diversion from the thread direction. The thing that most annoys me about auckland would have to the town planning. 30-40 yrs of weak mayors have helped make aucks what it is. welly would be the same except they ecountered all the probs auck has now a long time ago and tackled the problem early, some might argue even they havnt done enough. But back to aucks, I dont really like living here, but then Im from the Bay of Islands so I have a good excuse, but imagine if aucks was or could sort its transport problem out (both public and motorways) and actually paid some more attention to parks and the like. Which brings me to back what really annoys me about auckland, it should/could have been the best city in the southern hemisphere. With a hell of a lot of nice coastline which you barely ever see and all acess to it is restricted to some degree by roading or suburbia. maybe they might get it sorted one day.

diesel two strokes...........make sweet sounds. Used to work at sea tuna long lining and our boat had a 2stroke 8L v8. Used to wake the boys up in the morning by cranking throttle 3/4 full to clear the injectors after idling all night.
Fuel bill was horrendous though