A U S T R A L I A’ S L E A D I N G T R U C K A N D T R A I L E R M A G A Z I N E
Incorporating
ISSUE 83 JUNE/JULY 2018 RRP: $8.95
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ISSUE 83 JUNE / JULY 2018
- LI N E R R E P U S K C A M E T TH E ULTI MA HIS C I V O T S I R M I J Y B OWNE D L
PAN E R O T O M N O T R A P P RE STORE D BY S H E
ISUZU READY-TO-WORK RANGE.
CARRY LOAD PAYING LOAD
Depending on which of Isuzu’s Ready-to-Work range you choose, you can carry up to a tonne-and-a-half (50% more than your average ute). But this massive gain in payload doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with an equally huge price tag. Gaining space won’t mean giving up any creature comforts, either. The Ready-to Work range is quick off the mark with an astonishingly car-like ride. And you only need a passenger car licence to drive one.* #Available most models. *Models up to 4,500kgs GVM. †Satellite navigation standard on Tradepack. FSA/ISZ11949
Other touches include a telematics and sat-nav† ready Digital Audio Visual Equipment (DAVE) unit. And to keep you safe, there are side intrusion bars, driver and passenger airbags and Isuzu Electronic Stability Control (IESC). Best of all, each truck in the Ready-to-Work range comes fitted with a body and is ready and waiting to drive away. So if it’s time to get serious, head to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer now.
S WITHOUT S.
TRAYPACK
VANPACK
Tipper
Tradepack
Servicepack
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AT THE WHEEL Warren Caves reports on the road ahead LEGAL COMMENT Gillian Bristow and Emily Ng make their determination on how to achieve Chain of Responsibility compliance OLIVER ABROAD Oliver Dixon reports on the State of the Nation for the US market
HEADING BUSH The EarthCruiser Explorer 440 Unimog
STAR OF THE SHOW Brenton O’Connor rates the top spec Actros 2663
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CAR CONNOISSEUR Mark Schipper and his latest IVECO Stralis CUSTOM AND CLASSIC Jim Ristovichis and his MACK Super Liner History CONCRETE SOLUTIONS DAF CF 8x4s are providing new solutions for the concrete industry TIME MANAGEMENT Stuart Martin reports on Adelaidebased Auscold
IT’S IN THE BAG Haire Truck and Bus Repairs finds solutions to suspension woes
TRIPLE TREAT Daltrans Bulk Haulage gets the grain moving
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SHAW X MANUFACTURING ShawX Manufacturing on the right path for the future
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TRAILERTORQUE NEWS The latest in trailer technology from around the world
POWERBANK Can your trailers generate electricity? ROCK SOLID Bruce Rock Engineering is a standout performer for trailer buyers
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FUEL MANAGEMENT The benefits of fleet refuelling options MAN TORQUE Ed Higginson takes the MAN D38 for a 10,000km extended drive HEAVY HAUL Norgate Haulage grows its presence in the heavy haul segment
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FUTURE TRENDS The UK Show provides an insight into the future of British trucking
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WORKING BEE IVECO’s Eurocargo finds the sweet spot with a honey of a cargo
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THE RISE OF THE PHOENIX The mighty 6x6 Tatra
STATESIDE WITH VOLVO’S HEAVY HITTERS The new VNX and VNL 760 come to market
WORKING SMART Smartphone Apps for the modern Truckie
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GROUND COVER Better spreading technology aligned with new all-terrain equipment
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GOING DUTCH DAF Trucks celebrates 90 years in its birthplace Eindhoven
For all editorial information and subscriptions please contact: Managing Editor - Chris Mullett Road Test Editors - Brenton O’Connor Ed Higginson Contributing Writers - Stuart Martin Warren Caves David Meredith Rob Randazzo Photography - Jonathan Wood Geoff Parrington Mark Bean Cristian Brunelli Warren Caves Designer - Steven Foster Account Manager - Maree Mullett Editorial Division, PO Box 271AB, Airlie Beach, Qld 4802 Telephone: +61 (0) 7 4946 4658 Email: edit@powertorque.com.au Website: www.powertorque.com.au
For advertising rates and information please contact: Motoring Matters Magazine Group National business development manager: Email: edit@motoringmatters.com.au Telephone: +61 (0) 7 4946 4658 website:www.motoringmatters.com.au Newsagency disitrbution by: Integrated Publications Solutions, A division of Fairfax Newspapers.
Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequence arising from the reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in PowerTorque are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher.
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Chris Mullett
FORWARD
TORQUE
Welcome to PowerTorque.
We live in interesting times, where technology continues to bring overall savings in the total cost of operating vehicles. Many of the advances made in reducing fuel consumption and minimising emissions levels have resulted from a genuine concern by governments about the rising levels of pollution leading to avoidable illness and premature death of their populations. Europe and parts of Asia have already introduced Euro 6 emissions levels, with the Obama administration responsible for funding developmental work amongst US truck makers to improve vehicle efficiency and match, or exceed, the advances made in Europe. When the investment stops, developmental advances slow down, unless financial constraints continue to force the need to find better solutions. Rising fuel prices is one such driver of research and development to reduce fuel consumption, government incentives is another. For the Australian operator, our government has not provided any incentive to replace an aging vehicle fleet, comprising of both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This lack of incentive misses the opportunity to improve air quality, reduce the effect of high pollution levels on the public, and slow down the rate of global warming. As long as fuel prices are low, there’s little interest amongst the car-owning public to buy more modern, fuel-efficient vehicles. Once fuel prices rise, the equation changes. That’s the position that we are now heading towards as the Trump administration disturbs the accord with the Middle Eastern oil producing countries. As the price of crude oil rises, so too does the cost per litre of fuel at the bowser. As our reports from Oliver Dixon in the US and Ed Higginson attending the UK Commercial Vehicle Show indicate clearly, as fuel prices rise the cost differential between running diesel-fuelled vehicles compared to operating electric-powered vehicles reduces, making the switch to electricity more interesting and within reach of universal introduction. City congestion is another driver of change. The introduction of electric-powered vehicles is gaining momentum through the relaxation of road charging in European cities and regulations that prevent truck access in the night because of noise concerns. Australia has yet to introduce road charging for access into inner city areas, but it will undoubtedly be a feasible solution to reduce congestion and pollution. The provision of incentives to reduce the age of Australia’s vehicle fleet could take several forms. 6
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Applying restrictions to access city centres by vehicles other than Euro 5 or Euro 6 compliant models is certainly the easiest, so too is the removal of fuel excise rebates for operators of pre-Euro 5 vehicles. Recent statistics indicate that accident rates are higher for older vehicles. This could be attributed to the lack in some states of annual roadworthy checks. Without an independent maintenance check, vehicle safety standards undoubtedly reduce, both in the efficiency of braking systems and in the performance of tyres through excessive wear. Night driving safety is also affected by discoloured headlamp lenses that reduce light performance, illustrated by the increasingly common sight of vehicles being on the road at night with one headlamp defective. Into this mix of reasons for the introduction of new technologies with reduced environmental pollution come the lobby groups that represent manufacturers intent on delaying introducing these technologies on the grounds of cost competitiveness. All vehicle makers could introduce Euro 6 equivalent vehicles immediately for the Australian market, but actively resist that option on the grounds of increased cost. Fuel companies could further improve fuel quality, in turn enabling gains to be made in reduced pollution, but again they resist the implementation on the grounds of cost, lobbying government to promote inaction. While cost is used as the excuse, behind the scenes the corporations are more concerned that shareholder dividends might be reduced. Remember that shareholding, or trading on the money market, is basically gambling. It’s unacceptable that the pandering to shareholders prevents the opportunity for Australia and other countries to improve climate quality and the liveability of today’s cities for their inhabitants. Electric vehicles are coming, whether by legislation or by cost of operation. Five years ago, this wasn’t even considered an option. We live in interesting times. Finally, our sincere thanks to all our readers for your support in making PowerTorque Australia’s leading heavy truck and trailer technology publication. This month we again increase the number of pages to bring you the best editorials on the industry. As always, stay safe and enjoy the drive. Chris Mullett, Managing Editor/Publisher.
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WHEEL
AT THE W A R R E N
C A V E S
L O O K S
I
hear a lot of chat on late-night talkback radio regarding speed and safety within roadwork zones. This is a serious issue, particularly from the point of view of the road workers and traffic controllers working within these sites who have vehicles small and large driving through their work place. I’m sure no one would like vehicles driving through their workspace too quickly with only the protection of small rubberised traffic cones and bollards. We, as drivers, deserve a safe place to work, by way of safe road conditions and surfaces, and with adequate signage and barriers where needed. It’s fair to say, road workers are no different in demanding a safe working environment. Unfortunately, road surfaces don’t stay in good condition forever, and suffer from vehicle damage, weather erosion and ground movement. Many from outside our industry will blame trucks for the road damage. I look at things a little differently. Without freight for the general public weighing the trucks down, the damage would be less significant, so consumerism is as much to blame.
T O
T H E
It really is a love/hate relationship we have with road works. We love the improved road conditions after they are completed, but hate the continual delays inflicted upon us day after day. The guys and girls who run the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane deserve a particular mention, with the delays encountered on that particular road over the last ten years or so being enough to try the patience of a saint. There really isn’t a good time to do these works. If they do them at night, the overnighters and shift workers get annoyed and delayed. If they do them during the day, traffic is greatly affected. So, we just need to grin and bear it, but I have a few problems with the way these sites operate and a certain amount of hypocrisy from some workers within the sites. I am regularly operating in the early morning hours on the M7 motorway in Sydney’s west, which frequently 8
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has reduced speed limits by way of electronic signage for road works and the like. This I do not have a problem with, AS LONG AS THEY ARE ACTUALLY WORKING. The vast majority of the time, when the speed limit has been reduced to 40 km/h for two or three kilometres or more, there is not a soul in sight nor a bollard or cone, it’s almost like the crew has gone home and is tucked up in bed and have forgotten to open up the speed limit again. This process of crying wolf, so to speak, creates a culture of, there’s never any road works going on anyway, so, I’ll hold it flat, generally backed up by a call on the UHF radio that there’s no one there. Unfortunately, regardless of whether there are workers there or not, if the signs are flashing 40 and you go through on the limiter (100), you could get knocked off for 60 km/h over the limit and lose your licence on the spot. This situation is not ideal as it virtually renders the signs useless, as they are ignored, and, when there are actual works being done, vehicles are travelling too fast.
“Surely they can monitor and adjust speed limits in real time.”
Regardless of how the roads are damaged, they require regular maintenance and up-keep. The “road works ahead” signage generally evokes at least a major sigh, or perhaps even an expletive or two from truck drivers, who may already be getting out late for their run.
R O A D
I have no problem adhering to roadwork limits, as these people out there are all fathers, brothers, sons, daughters and wives. They just want to get home safely to their loved ones.
Surely the electronic signage can be opened back up progressively in line with the set-up and packup progress within the work zone, instilling some confidence in drivers that do wish to do the right thing and slow down, that there is actually work going on. A smartphone can order fast food, turn on your air conditioner before you arrive home, and monitor your heart rate, surely they can monitor and adjust speed limits in real time. There is also nothing better than leading by example. On many occasions I have had the mirrors shaken by traffic control utes loaded to their GVM with all manner of signs, cones, bollards and sandbags, hurtling past at well above the reduced road work speed limit. You can’t request respect for the safety within your work place when you don’t even respect your colleagues when behind the wheel yourself. Realistic roadwork zones and speed limits will be respected by most road users including truck drivers; however, we have a job to do, and multiple road works can impact timeslots, scheduling and fatigue management, so unnecessary delays are generally not very well received. Safe trucking, Warren Caves
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For your nearest participating Dealer call 1800 4 IVECO or visit www.iveco.com.au
* Terms & Conditions apply. Offer available at participating Iveco Dealers only.All Eurocargo E5 and E6 models (excluding Eurocargo 4x4) purchased by 30th June, 2018 will come with a total factory warranty of 5 year / 300,000 km (3 year / 250,000 km new vehicle factory warranty plus an additional 2 year / 50,000 km extended factory warranty). Excludes Government, Motorhome and Fleet Buyers. For further information see full terms and conditions at www.iveco.com.au or contact your local Iveco Dealer. 05/2018 - IVEC1199
LEGAL COMMENT
Gillian Bristow and Emily Ng of leading law firm, Cooper Grace Ward, make their determination on how to achieve Chain of Responsibility compliance (CoR) within sensible financial constraints
T
he new CoR regime, expected to commence in July 2018, has certainly been the catalyst for plenty of activity on the compliance front. Many transport operators have purchased new technology (such as vehicle telematics) and engaged external consultants to help ‘ensure, so far is reasonably practicable, the safety of their transport activities’.
However, taking steps to improve safety outcomes need not always involve large monetary outlays. Here are some inexpensive ideas to help you comply with your CoR obligations: • Make use of the free educational materials available. The NHVR website at www.nhvr.gov.au has a large collection of fact sheets and videos you can use to educate your staff, subcontractors and customers about CoR. There is also a useful guide to risk management that you can download. • Involve your team in safety improvements. Establish a safety committee that meets regularly and documents concerns and actions taken to improve safety outcomes. • Keep accurate records and review them. Know what your safety performance looks like in terms of the number and types of incidents, and the trends captured in the data. Share these with your team and others in the chain of responsibility. • Make it easy for drivers and others in the chain of responsibility to let you know if there is a practice or procedure that can be improved. One way to do this might be to have an email address, monitored by your compliance officer, such as safety@jillstrucking.com.au. • Use your existing resources to check that your policies and procedures are being followed. For example, review work diary entries and crosscheck them for accuracy against documents like fuel receipts and toll dockets. • Make transport safety part of your overall business strategy. Have CoR and transport safety as an agenda item for your board or senior management meetings. 10
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• Use the free ‘Gap Assessment Tool’ on the NHVR website. This tool generates a report that indicates what areas of your operations need extra attention from a compliance perspective. • Remember – if you engage a subcontractor, you are still part of the chain of responsibility. Make sure you can justify why you selected a particular subcontractor and that you are satisfied they have appropriate work practices and procedures. • Ensure all drivers are inducted and trained in their CoR obligations and keep records of all training undertaken. Do not assume that just because someone has (or claims to have) experience as a heavy vehicle driver that they necessarily understand their obligations with respect to loading or load restraint. • Make sure you are kept ‘in the loop’. Drivers should be required to notify you of any accident or incident that occurs while they are providing services. You should also insist on being provided with copies of any warnings, infringement notices or court attendance notices received by drivers. You can then investigate in a timely way and determine what action should be taken to prevent similar scenarios in the future. There are plenty of other low-cost steps you can take to make your transport operations safer. Of course, this does not mean you should not implement technological solutions or engage external consultants. However, if you do utilise technology, it is important that the information produced by the technology is monitored and used proactively. And if you do engage external consultants to prepare policies and procedures, it is important that those policies and procedures are translated into practice. Make sure your staff are trained in those policies and procedures and measures are in place to monitor compliance with them. If you have any questions about the new CoR regime, you are welcome to contact Gillian Bristow (07 3231 2925) or Emily Ng (07 3231 2986).
OLIVER
ABROAD
O L I V E R D I X O N R E P O R T S O N T H E S TAT E O F T H E N AT I O N F O R T H E U S M A R K E T
T
his isn’t the place to debate the advisability – or otherwise – of Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, the agreement more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
Opinions are, as we well know, something that we all possess, and there’s no shortage of opinion about the actions of the 45th President of the United States. But we can, with absolute justification, mull one of the very obvious consequences of this decision, namely the impact upon oil prices. And while it may seem rather trite to focus upon something as mundane as the cost of a barrel of oil in the shadow of perhaps the most febrile geopolitical environment for many years, it is still a timely discussion to have. Even before the May 8th announcement, oil prices had been describing a pointedly upward trajectory. In the run up to the announcement, Brent crude hit $70 per barrel and oil was pricing at its highest point since 2014. It is pretty reasonable to assume that this trend will not be reversed by Trump’s decision, and thus we can also assume that the price of a barrel of oil – and thus of a gallon of diesel – is now headed in one direction only.
In truth, diesel is likely to continue to be the dominant source of propulsion. We saw this with the oil price spike and the rush to natural gas a few years ago in North America – as diesel gets more expensive, then so more attention moves to alternative fuels.
“Stand by for major oil price hikes if the Trump Administration continues to take aim at Iran”
The past few years have seen oil prices at a historically depressed level. As with interest rates, we can almost argue that we have – in the case of the price we pay for a barrel of oil – been living in an environment that lacks much by way of foundation in normality. That now – at least in the case of oil – looks set to change. For the OEMs and for the suppliers, this may create something of a strategic headache. A depressed oil price has done much to reassert diesel’s position as the dominant means of fuelling a heavy truck engine.
Add to this economic reality an increased regulatory interest in CO2 emissions – the European Union recently proposed its first ever CO2 targets for heavy trucks – and what has been a relatively peaceful era for diesel development may now be rather less so. If diesel continues to rise in price, then will this alter opinions in terms of an alternative? Given that Tesla – arguably the highest profile of the newcomers – is now rumoured to be backtracking on its electric truck project, this may on one level seem unlikely. But add the increasing cost of fuel to the increasing determination to reduce CO2 emissions through regulation and the OEMs find themselves – perhaps – in a position whereby they have to map a strategy that could – if needs be – take them through a transition away from near absolute dependence upon fossil fuels. Interest in electrification is growing and there seems to be no end to regulatory encouragement in this regard. But as diesel continues to increase in price, so OEMS will be not only challenged to pick up this baton, but also to redouble their efforts in terms of optimising the efficiency of their diesel offerings.
There is only so much R&D money in the pot, and so if more of it is going in one direction then less of it will be going in the other. This is zero sum economics and presents a strategic problem. Clearly diesel remains a potent source of energy for the global trucking industry, but it is not so potent as once before. The challenge facing the OEMs is now to be all things to all truck buyers. That’s not going to be easy. Oliver Dixon
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FEATURE
VOLVO’S HEAVY HITTERS
The US stays with conventional designs as the new VNX and VNL 760 come to market
N
orth American truck regulations could certainly do with a revamp that acknowledges efficiency and productivity when it comes to axle weights and payloads. But with a system that concerns itself with a general overall gross weight limit of 80,000 lb (36,287 kg) spread over 18 wheels (unless running on an oversize or overweight permit), the regulations are more prohibitive than they appear at first sight. With an average Class 7 long haul engine size of 450-475 hp, matched to 12-speed transmissions, rather than our more common 16-speed and 18-speed options, the prime mover wheelbase dimensions are often out to 6700 mm, with overall 6x4 prime mover and two-axled semitrailer combination lengths of 24.34 m. Front axle weights are 5445 kg with drive axle weights and trailer gross weights of 14,422 kg. Move up in weight to Class 8 and gross limits extend out to 27,215 kg.
It’s into this upper weight range that Volvo Trucks in North America has launched its new VNX series and also completed the transition from the legacy VNL 670 to commence full production of the VNL 760.
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The new VNX series is the latest step in Volvo’s revitalisation of its North American product range, complementing the new VNR series for regional haul and the new VNL series with 70-inch sleeper for long-haul operations. The Volvo VNX series is aimed squarely at demanding applications such as logging, heavy equipment transport and long combination vehicles. It’s available in three cab configurations, starting with the VNX 300 day cab for local heavy-haul applications. Next up comes the VNX 400 flat-roof regional sleeper built for occasional overnights. At the top of the trio is the VNX 740, which features a 70-inch sleeper and all of Volvo’s latest interior enhancements, making it perfect for heavy hauls over long distances. Approved gross combination weight ratings (GCWR) span from 57 tonnes to 72.5 tonnes. Ratings of up to 102 tonnes are available with application approval and appropriate components. Optional steer axles, lift axles, tridem drive axles, and longer fifth-wheel slides help meet a diverse range of weight distribution requirements. The VNX is available in 6x4 tandem, 8x4 tandem, and 8x6 tridem configurations utilising front axle ratings that range from 7.25 to 9.0 tonnes with parabolic springs and fitted
VOLVO’S HEAVY HITTERS
“The performance and reliability have been proven through billions of miles and on jobsites all around the world,”
with 445/65R22.5 tyres, each rated at 5800 kg, to match front axle load capacity. Available rear axles range from 20.8 tonnes to 25.0 tonnes and the premium rear heavy-haul suspension extends that figure up to 23.6 tonnes. Dual steering gears provide excellent manoeuvrability while under a heavy load. Compared to other models the VNX has an increased ride height to accommodate more articulation and front ramp angle, while the VNX bumper features a heavy-duty tow pin and centre tow frame that equalises forces to the chassis. The demise of the Volvo and MACK 16-litre engine availability in the North American market since January 2017 leaves Volvo looking at a standard powertrain package of the 13-litre Volvo D13 engine with 500 horsepower and 1850 lb-ft of torque, paired with the 13or 14-speed Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission with crawler gears. “The performance and reliability of the Volvo D13 engine have been proven through billions of miles and on jobsites all around the world,” said John Moore, Volvo Trucks North America’s product marketing manager of their powertrain division.
As a totally unique option for the North American market, Volvo’s new VNX series is also available with up to 605 horsepower and 2050 lb-ft of torque, provided by the Cummins X15 Performance Series engine and paired with an Eaton UltraShift Plus or manual transmission. Like all Volvo models, the new VNX series cab is built with high-strength steel and exceeds both the Volvo Swedish Cab Safety Test and ECE R-29 rollover requirements. A standard driver’s side airbag is now joined by an integrated, seat-mounted rollover airbag on the driver’s side. Designers of the new Volvo VNL 760 included swept-back headlights with daytime running lights and a new style Volvo grille and hood featuring redesigned and repositioned engine air intakes for less turbulent intake air delivery. Airflow up and around the cab has also been optimised with new chassis and roof fairings to benefit fuel economy. The new VNL 760 comes standard with the 13-litre Volvo D13 engine and Volvo I-Shift 12-speed automated manual transmission.
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FEATURE Optionally available is the Volvo D13 Turbo Compound (D13TC) engine, which features a mechanical waste heat recovery system to capture wasted energy from the engine’s exhaust. The result is an additional 50 horsepower gain fed back to the crankshaft and an improvement in fuel efficiency of up to 6.5 percent. When compared to a 2015 VNL model equipped with a GHG 2014 D13 engine, the claimed efficiency improvements provide up to a 7.5 percent reduction in fuel consumption. The 15-litre Cummins X15 is also available for the VNL 760. All models in the VNL range are equipped with Volvo’s smart steering wheel, putting controls for nearly all of the driver interface functions right at a driver’s fingertips. The smart steering wheel is attached to Volvo’s Perfect Position air-assisted, infinitely adjustable steering column, which enables drivers not only to tilt and telescope the steering column, but also tilt the steering wheel relative to the steering column. This lets drivers find the perfect steering wheel position for optimal comfort and an easy view of the instrument cluster. The VNL 760’s all-new 70-inch sleeper features curved cabinets that open toward the back to maximise space, as well as an integrated, reclining bunk, which is a trucking industry first in North America. LED interior lighting reduces power consumption and provides softer lighting. A redesigned sleeper control panel allows drivers to control heating and cooling, and adjust the audio system from a more ergonomic position on the bunk. In addition, drivers can lock the doors or activate a panic alarm if needed. Volvo Active Driver Assist (featuring Bendix Fusion) is standard on all Volvo VNL models. The camera and radar-based system combines forward collision mitigation warnings and active braking, even with stationary vehicles. The system features an industry-first heads up windshield display if a driver approaches too closely to an object in front of them. If no driver action is taken, the system can automatically apply the brakes to help mitigate a collision.
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Also standard is Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST). This electronic stability control system continually monitors operating parameters to detect imminent loss of control, jackknife, or rollover events. The system automatically reduces engine torque and selectively applies braking to help the driver keep the truck on course. LED headlights, automatic lighting and rain-sensing wipers are also available. Models for the North American market include Volvo’s factory-installed connectivity hardware for access to Remote Diagnostics. This provides proactive diagnostics and monitoring of critical engine, transmission and aftertreatment fault codes. The same hardware also allows customers to perform software and parameter updates over-the-air with Remote Programming, which helps improve uptime and vehicle efficiency, while reducing downtime costs. Support for Volvo trucks is provided by Volvo Action Service (VAS), a dedicated team of professionals available around the clock at Volvo’s world-class Uptime Centre in Greensboro, NC. VAS agents monitor critical vehicle codes and go beyond diagnostic technology to deliver actionable solutions. If an issue is detected, VAS agents will assess the severity and provide the vehicle’s designated contact with actionable information to determine whether to keep operating the truck or take it for immediate service. All details from the service process are captured and tracked through ASIST, Volvo’s online service management and communication platform. This gives the driver, customer contact and dealer real-time visibility to case status, repair scheduling, and parts and service bay availability. Remote Programming updates are also facilitated by VAS agents.
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DRIVEN
STAR OF THE SHOW
Brenton O’Connor rates the top-spec Actros 2663 – Images by Geoff Parrington
T
he simple answer to this article would be to say this truck is the best truck I’ve ever driven – but that wouldn’t provide the opportunity to delve into a deeper understanding of this truck, and both the driving experience and fuel economy encountered during the test drive.
The truck tested was Mercedes-Benz’s most powerful and top-of-the-line truck – the 2663. Drew Halloran, sales executive at Daimler Trucks Somerton, did a comprehensive handover of the truck, and it was very pleasing to meet a sales executive with such a thorough knowledge of the product he was selling. The truck was fitted was almost all items available on the official option lists, excluding a few details such as Bi-Xenon headlights, a transmission retarder, fully-automatic climate control, and an upper bunk. Compared with the 2653 tested in last month’s edition of PowerTorque Magazine, this truck was fitted with what Benz calls the “Style Line Pack,” which adds a number of luxury features to provide a visual lift both inside and outside of the truck.
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On the front grille exterior, the flick of a switch on the dashboard is the key to illuminating the large Mercedes star prominently mounted front and centre. This complements the other exterior fashion details such as the colour-coded mirror housings with chrome trim, more chrome trim across the slats of the grille, and yet further strips of chrome displayed on the exterior sunvisor. For the interior, the finishing touches include a leatherwrapped steering wheel and park brake lever, leather seats with the Mercedes star embossed into the headrests, and aluminium dash trim parts. Even the two main steering-wheel-mounted stalks are finished in an aluminium look, while, surprisingly, the surrounds of the radio head unit and the climate control switches don’t get the alloy trim treatment. A further enhancement comes in the form of the diamond-sewn seat finish in two-tone beige and charcoal, adding a luxurious feel to the cabin.
STAR OF THE SHOW Whilst on the topic of seats, the Grammar seats fitted in the Actros are the best seats I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in – in comparison to what’s available on today’s market. They are wider, offer a plethora of adjustment options, and they’re more reminiscent of a comfortable recliner in your home than a typical truck seat. The test truck had nearly 80,000 km on the odometer, and, while that is ‘hardly run in’ in the eyes of most truck owners, it was pleasing to experience zero rattles or squeaks from anywhere in the interior. While we would expect this of a truck with this few kilometres on it, unfortunately not all manufacturers build to standards that promote a rattle and squeak-free ride. The double DIN radio head unit that incorporates AM/FM radio, digital radio, navigation with truck specific routing, Bluetooth connectivity for both telephone functionality and also for Bluetooth audio streaming is a pleasant addition as standard equipment. One further improvement would be for Mercedes to add extra speakers into the rear wall of the cabin, as, the cab is so large, having sound just coming from the front of the cabin isn’t producing the maximum effect possible with modern sound systems. The main point of this test of the range-topping 2663 was to do a direct comparison against the 2653 tested last month, keeping as many factors as possible the same to do a fair comparison.
There’s always been an argument many truck buyers contend with – what is the trade off between larger capacity engines with higher horsepower versus fuel economy? As such, all of the European players except Scania offer 13-litre engines with greater than 500 hp capable of doing B-double work. The 13-litre D13 engine in the Volvo FH/FM range is further testimony to this suitability and has been the mainstay of Volvo’s sales in this country for many years. The drive programme consequently provided the perfect opportunity to question the theory that cubic inches and horsepower mean more fuel use. However, after testing both trucks, on identical routes, towing identical trailers at identical weights, the results were astounding. The 2663 is powered by the largest engine in Daimler’s HDEP arsenal, and with 15.6 litres in capacity it produces 460 kW (625 hp) and 3000 Nm of torque. This is the only engine in the new Benz range that is available in either Euro 5 or 6 emissions standards, with the benefit for Euro 6 adopters being the bonus of a dramatic reduction of AdBlue consumption. Further flow-on benefits from purchasing Euro 6 compliance earlier than mandated ensures the ability to future-proof your fleet with the latest emission standard, which will inevitably become standard in Australia as time progresses.
“The biggest surprise, has been fuel economy, and this was where the test truck outshone all trucks previously tested”
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DRIVEN
Also different when comparing the 2663 to the 2653 was the transmission. Rather than the G281 direct-drive 12-speed AMT in the 2653, the 2663 was fitted with the familiar G330-12 over-drive 12-speed AMT, reminiscent from the previous Actros range. The results were outstanding. I had found the G281 gearbox fitted to the 2653 to be indecisive and constantly hunting for ‘the right gear’, so much so that manual override had to be selected at times to stop the transmission from making constant changes back and forth between 9th and 10th gear. None of these problems were experienced with the G330 overdrive box, so much so, that I don’t believe it put a foot wrong during the duration of the test. Throughout the drive the transmission shifted ratios smoothly and was decisive about which gear it needed to select given the load, gradient and throttle input. Power Mode worked well, with an example of its capability being
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the stretch coming out of the CityLink tunnels in Melbourne, where, at a high gross weight of 68.5 tonnes, it both held gears longer before upshifting, and downshifting slightly earlier than in regular automatic mode. The biggest surprise, and the main impetus behind the success of the new Mercedes heavy truck range, has been fuel economy, and this was where the test truck outshone all trucks previously tested. In order to replicate the test completed in the smaller 2653, we covered an identical route while towing the same Hercules tri-tri B-double set. The overall route plan was set from Sale in Victoria’s east, through to Robe in South Australia, loaded 50 percent of the journey. At a tare weight of 24.5 tonnes (slightly heavier than the 2653, but including a bullbar) the trip headed west to Robe and achieved a fuel economy readout of 2.6 km/l,
STAR OF THE SHOW
which equates to 8.0 percent better than the smaller engine 2653. The proof of the pudding came on the return route home where the 16-litre Benz really strutted its stuff, with an amazing fuel figure recorded of 2.0 km/l at a gross weight of 68.5 tonnes.
From this evaluation of Mercedes-Benz it’s clear the bigger engine is the way to go, particularly when towing high weights, indicating these factors really do influence the purchase decision when comparing the additional capital cost and tare weight of the bigger engined truck.
I’ve driven many different trucks at these weights and have never experienced anything near this figure. In the final analysis the average fuel across the test route was 2.3 km/l, compared with 2.0 km/l average tested in the 2653 – a huge 15 percent improvement.
The new Mercedes-Benz 2663 is outstanding, and apart from a few minor insignificant niggles, it is near perfect. At least for Mercedes-Benz it has solved the age-old question of whether larger engines and higher horsepower equate to inferior fuel economy. Through the way it drives, the comfort, the performance of the 16-litre engine, and with outstanding fuel economy, you would have to ask yourself the question – why would you buy anything else?
Not only was the bigger truck better on fuel, it obviously had significantly more power and torque, that both improved trip times and also helped it keep up easily with the flow of traffic.
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FEATURE
WORKING SMART
Ed Higginson reviews smartphone apps for the modern truckie
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he number of smartphone apps available to help the modern Australian truck driver has been increasing quickly in recent years, but how can you keep up to date with the essential ones and not waste your money with apps that may hinder or lead you astray? You also need to be wary of apps that may appear to be cheap but are often only the beginning of the costs, or front for sellers that want to gather your information.
Truck Branded Apps If you search through all the various truck brands that you can find in Australia, they all have an app available in the app store, but they are not all equal as they range from a full suite of functions to just sales brochures. I’m sure you wouldn’t purchase a truck based on how good the app is, but, if you own a Scania, Volvo or Mercedes, then you may be in luck.
Reviews on available apps have been run by various magazines, but, unfortunately, they are usually out of date by the time they hit the press due to the speed of development. The sample of apps outlined below is just a small portion of what you can find. To manage your own list worthy to download, you will need to understand what type of app will help run your business, if it’s appropriate for Australia, and, if you are still unsure, you can also check out the ratings offered by other users.
SCANIA leads the pack in functionality. Their Fleet Management App rivals many computer tracking systems, with the ability to track your fleet in real time on a map. It shows vehicle data from the ECU, plus how your driver is performing and their times. You can communicate with others in your company using the messaging function, and, importantly, the driver can also see how they are performing so they know what the office is seeing. Scania also offers training apps, plus more.
Many transport companies still prefer to stick with the GPS systems that have been developing over the years and offer much more functionality, such as work diaries, sign-on-glass, dashcams and more. But can apps offer similar functions at a much cheaper cost? As smartphones become the norm for society and trucks, maybe there is an alternative.
VOLVO has the Dynafleet App that has similar functions to that of Scania, being able to track your vehicles in real time to monitor the vehicle and driver performance. It also has a fuel-efficiency score that allows you to measure and compare drivers and trucks regardless of the types of work they are performing. MERCEDES also has a similar app that allows real-time monitoring of the trucks if they have the factoryfitted hardware, showing vehicle performance, status and location. Supplier Apps Most common named suppliers have apps that assist customers book in work, look for parts, hear news on products, offer training, plus more, but not all are available here in Australia. The apps below show a couple of examples, but it may be worth looking for items on your rig and whether an app would assist you or not in areas such as tyres, lubes, etc.
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SMARTPHONE APPS TCWA, (Truck Centre Western Australia) is a great example of how a smaller state-based business can develop apps that assist them and their customers. The TCWA is the WA dealer for Volvo and Mack, and its app helps drivers find the nearest dealer, book in work and send photos of issues to help the mechanics diagnose the problem before they arrive into the workshop. PALFINGER has a user app to assist drivers in their search for dealers and service locations, plus it can assist in helping to diagnose error codes and offer options to resolve them, possibly without having to take it to a workshop.
CHEVIN FLEET provides fleet management software and offers apps named FleetWave Forms. Here, you can send job cards to you drivers, gather fuel data, get driver trip reports, daily fleet checks, defect reports, accident reports plus more. They can even develop apps for you if you are looking to replace paper-based forms across your business, and with offices in Australia it helps to be able to speak directly with them. FLEETIO GO is a fleet management app that focuses on being convenient for fleet managers, drivers, mechanics and fleet administration. With the app, you can track trips, asset profiles, driver behaviour, service reminders, maintenance history, fuel log, plus much more.
THERMO KING has a good app that offers advice on your unit, tutorials on how to operate and service the fridge, link you into dealers to book for repairs, plus a few other functions that can assist in everyday operation. Fuel Apps There are a couple of apps that can assist with finding the next fuel stop, particularly helpful if you have a specific fuel card that you must use or are just wanting to look for somewhere to stop for the night with a few decent driver facilities. The BP Australia app allows you to pay for fuel and find the nearest location, and lets you filter for locations with specific facilities such as B-double access, parking, showers and driver’s lounge. The reviews only show a 1-star rating; however, as the apps are constantly getting updated, any issues may have been addressed. The BPme app arranges payment for fuel from inside the truck cab, removing the need to attend the cashier personally. CALTEX gets a 3.5-star rating on the App Store, helping you find the nearest store, pay for fuel on the app rather than having to walk inside, plus pre-order your coffee at selected locations. Truck Business Apps If you are looking for a smartphone-based system to replace your telematics system, there are many options in the App Store, but this is where you need to be careful. You may even have to pay for a few apps to trial them across the fleet for a while to see how each would work before investing across your entire fleet. For the more complex systems, you may have to look beyond the App Store though, and look for companies who develop apps specific to your needs.
CONNECT MOBILE CAPTURE is an app offering a range of applications for drivers, such as being able to submit trip, delivery, safety documents and driver documents from the point of service using their mobile device. Work-Finding Apps There are hundreds of apps for owner/drivers looking for loads in America, starting with UBER that you may have heard of, but with a long list of competitors; however, there doesn’t appear to be as many available for Australia. This is maybe testament to the strict Chain of Responsibility rules we have here to guarantee that consignors ensure that companies about to move a load meet a long list of requirements, but if you are a driver looking for work there are many more options. Trucking News The news industry has changed rapidly in recent years, with many readers now choosing to keep up to date with the newest stories as they happen through social media, or download the latest issue via the app. And, of course, PowerTorque and Delivery magazines offer all media streams, so our latest stories are easily accessible no matter where you may be. With so many apps being developed, it is impossible to keep up to speed with them all. So, maybe the key is to find businesses to work with you, so the app is integrated into your business software to reduce paperwork and wasted administration, and therefore costs. With smartphones being the norm across the workforce, using a flexible app software provider will enable you to have your own company apps, which would undoubtedly help gather information quicker, easier, and without the need for expensive hardware that you would have needed just a few years ago. PowerTorque ISSUE 83
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FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE.
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When you purchase a new T409 or T409SAR with a PACCAR MX-13 Engine and finance through PACCAR Financial you will receive a special interest rate of 4.09%.* In addition, eligible customers will also receive:* A payment holiday for the first three months of ownership A $500 PACCAR Parts Privileges Rewards Card A bonus Kenworth second year unlimited kilometre warranty
*Terms and conditions apply. Offer is available to retail customers who order trucks for production between 1 July and 31 August 2018, and take delivery in 2018. See kenworth.com.au/409 for full terms and conditions. Photos above for illustrative purposes only.
For more details contact your local Kenworth Dealer or visit kenworth.com.au/409
FEATURE
CAR CONNOISSEUR Warren Caves catches up with Mark Schipper and his latest IVECO Stralis – Images by Torque it Up
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P
IVECO STRALIS rior to its impending Australian launch, IVECO has a small number of Stralis ATi E6 models, with selected fleets around the country providing the manufacturer with performance data produced in real-world conditions.
Previewed at last year’s Brisbane Truck Show, the new Euro 6 models achieve compliance without the need for EGR engine technology, resulting in lower engine temperatures and removing the need for extra cooling capacity and reducing fan-on time. By achieving Euro 6 compliance in this fashion, in conjunction with a common-rail, high-pressure fuel delivery system, fuel economy has improved, albeit with a small increase in exhaust treatment fluid (AdBlue/DEF) usage.
The E6 model now benefits from a larger displacement 11.1-litre Cursor, with common-rail fuel-injected engine design, up from the previous 10-litre powerplant. While power remains the same at 460 hp, there is an increase in torque of 50 Nm up to 2150 Nm. Despite the higher displacement and moderate torque increase the engine benefits from a lower stress duty cycle. Also featured on the new engine are an electronically managed variable geometry turbocharger (EVGT) for improved efficiency and output, and IVECO’s new Hi SCR system, the same shared technology as in the recently released E6 Eurocargo models. The Hi SCR system is a single aftertreatment system featuring passive DPF (diesel particulate filter). Claimed to be simple, lightweight and efficient, it results in reduced tare weight and lower fuel consumption, while providing improved engine braking by a factor of up to 30 percent. Additionally the Hi SCR system does not require driverinitiated regeneration. For Ceva Logistics subcontractor, Mark Schipper, the purchase of one of the latest Stralis ATi E6 models has seen him clock up 180,000 km in 14 months on vehiclecarrying work through the east coast of Australia. The new Stralis, Mark’s fourth IVECO, has left a positive impression on him so far.
“It’s easily the best model I’ve had yet”
“It’s easily the best model I’ve had yet. The cabin is spacious enough for the few nights each week I spend in the truck, the high-roof option I’ve got allows me to stand upright inside the cabin and access to the sleeping area is good,” said Mark. “I’ve also fitted a cabin cooler for those warmer nights. The slide-out fridge/freezer beneath the bed is great, and there is barely any engine noise within the cab”. “I started in this job on a five-year plan, and, here I am, four trucks and 14 years later, still at it,” said Mark. Mark transports cars, trucks and bus chassis on his bogie trailer, from ports to holding yards and car dealerships at GCM weights up to 31 tonnes. The prime mover and trailer PowerTorque ISSUE 83
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FEATURE combination has disc brakes all-round, and the trailer was itself specifically designed for carrying larger vehicles such as prime movers, trucks and bus chassis, making use of the adjustable ramp deck that enables trucks to be transported while still remaining under 4.6 metres high. “This new model achieves considerably lower fuel consumption than my previous Stralis,” said Mark. “I estimate that the figures being returned are around 3.13.2 km/l, and we run loaded all the time. The downside is the increased AdBlue/DEF usage; however, this is still offset by the cost saving on the fuel. I have fitted the extra fuel tank to the near side, but I don’t have the proportionally larger AdBlue tank, so I need to top that up before I’ve used all my available fuel,” he added. Repairs and maintenance can really add up, so the 120,000 km oil drain intervals help keep that in check, and reduces the total cost of ownership. Mark says, “At 25,000 km intervals it goes in for a service check under the IVECO maintenance programme, and a download is carried out to evaluate the truck’s performance in realworld conditions”. The Cursor engine combined with IVECO’s Eurotronic II AMT (automated manual transmission) according to Mark is a great mix. “Why would you want to change gears if you don’t have to? I can be in this truck for as long as 14 hours a day, yet when I get out at the end of my shift I still feel fresh,” said Mark. Safety and technology have not been overlooked with the new Stralis either, with adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane departure warning system, active emergency braking (AEB) and daytime running lights. A dash-mounted touchscreen multimedia system, with satellite navigation, Bluetooth and steering-wheel-mounted controls are included. Mark said, “I have also added a 19-inch flatscreen TV in the bunk”. The 90-degree opening doors and three points of contact available meet requirements for safety of entry and exit. Unlike some earlier IVECO models, the batteries are located between the chassis rails to the rear of the differential, away from potential exhaust and engine heat, prolonging battery life. “My last Stralis clocked up 950,000 km in the four and a half years I had it. Towards the end it was getting a little tired and my timeframe for ownership was drawing near, so it was time to update. I admit I was looking toward another brand when I was approached by IVECO to see if I wanted to go with the new model. Part of the reason was that they wanted an operator that did a lot of kilometres to take one for evaluation purposes. I was happy with the last one, so that’s how I ended up with the latest Stralis ATi E6,” Mark explained. There have only been a couple of minor hiccups with the truck so far, according to Mark. One was while driving along, and a passing truck flicked up a piece of cardboard 28
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from the road, which impacted the front of the truck at the emergency braking sensor instigating a rapid automatic braking response, which Mark says, “Nearly scared the life out of me”. Upon reporting to IVECO an incident was logged and shortly after the truck was taken in for an adjustment to lessen the sensitivity of the sensor. The other incident saw a wayward Kangaroo impact the front of the truck resulting in damage to the front panels, which is why the Stralis now sports an aluminium bullbar for protection. Ceva logistics requires its subcontractors to run with satellite tracking systems in their trucks to ensure regulatory compliance. Overspeed alert systems are in place with the first speed warning coming on at 103 km/h, and the second activating at 105 km/h, at which point it allows seven seconds to rectify. Mark reports that the truck doesn’t really roll off hills as the engine retarder is so efficient, so much so that he said he has to be very careful if running without weight over the drive axle, and has to remember to turn the retarder off to avoid instability issues, particularly in the wet. “I really like the IVECO Stralis range, I have no problems with it at all, and this one is easily the best I’ve owned. The Stralis has really come of age,” concluded Mark.
Guaranteed buy back for your Actros. The Mercedes-Benz Financial Agility Programme offers you a guaranteed buy back+ amount across the Actros range, giving you additional peace of mind, assurance and support from the Mercedes-Benz brand. Agility is a finance solution that lets you take advantage of flexible terms, competitive rates and, best of all, the Agility guaranteed buy back+. Meaning when your agreement comes to an end, you have the option to trade, retain or return your Mercedes-Benz Actros for the guaranteed buy back amount+. Protecting your investment in a new generation Actros has never been easier*. To find out more about how Agility can put you in the driver’s seat, visit mercedes-benz.com.au/agilityfortrucks or contact your local authorised Mercedes-Benz Trucks Dealer.
*Agility Finance is restricted to approved customers of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd ABN 73 074 134 517 (MBFS), Australian credit licence 247271 and is subject to standard credit assessment and lending criteria. +Guaranteed Buy Back is subject to Fair Wear and Tear return conditions and Excess Kilometre charges. Please contact an authorised Mercedes-Benz Trucks Dealer for further details and full terms and conditions, including vehicle eligibility and vehicle return conditions.
M & O T S CU SIC S A L C
FEATURE
C A M 1 1 S E I R SE
R E N I L R E P U KS
Warren Caves joins Jim Ristovichis to celebrate Mack Super-Liner history – Images by Torque It Up Photography 30
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MACK SUPER-LINER
T
o some, trucks are just tools or equipment to carry out a job – random pieces of steel, plastic and material assembled together like a threedimensional jigsaw puzzle and put to work.
For others, they take a place in our hearts and harbour memories of distant places and times long passed that bring a nostalgic smile to the face when recalled. To those who sit on the nostalgic side of the fence, these memories and shared experiences can rekindle a youthful exuberance and set some on a quest to reignite a relationship with a truck, long since sold on. One such fellow is Jim Ristovichis of Kyabram, Victoria. Casting his mind back to the late 80’s, Jim fondly remembered his time with his Series 11, V8 Mack SuperLiner. Those days were spent carting produce from his own farm, and other Goulburn Valley growers, to the markets in Sydney. Jim, and Ristovichis Orchards, had seven R-Model Macks at the time, with the addition of a Series 11 Super-Liner soon to make an eight-Mack fleet. Jim’s 1986 Super-Liner was originally black and one of two trucks that had been produced for the Melbourne Truck Show of that year, the other being a cabover Ultra-Liner. The truck was purchased by Jim from Sydney, and, shortly thereafter, was painted in the company fleet colours. Before the truck was even registered, Jim was approached by Mack Trucks and invited to take the truck on a promotional tour circuit for four months to showcase the new model. Perhaps with the imminent arrival in 1987 of the Kenworth T600 “Anteater”, Mack Trucks was eager to lure as many buyers as possible to its revamped Series 11 model.
Jim and his wife travelled to all manner of show events as guests of Mack Trucks Australia, taking out numerous awards along the way in Brisbane, Newcastle and twice in Tasmania. With promotional duties concluded, Jim went about working the truck for the next four years, recalling many a trip to Sydney with a friend driving a Kenworth fitted with a Detroit Diesel V12 twin-turbo. “He would always be quicker than me on the flat, but couldn’t get near me on the hills,” said Jim. As many drivers would understand only too well, it wasn’t long before Jim rectified this speed indifference with a little tweaking of the V8 engine, conducted with the help of Nick Moran (who did all of Jim’s maintenance work). The Super-Liner and Jim were not destined to be together much longer, with a tragic incident that led to the passing of Jim’s nephew whilst out on a load, resulting in Jim selling all of his trucks. “I pulled the pin on all the trucks, selling them all off in a matter of weeks,” said Jim. Upon retirement and some 31 years after selling the SuperLiner, Jim found himself at a loose end, wondering what to do with himself. The solution came when Jim decided to try and track down the old truck and buy it back. Through digging into historical records and with some fine detective work put into action, Jim discovered that since the time he sold the Super-Liner, it had passed through the hands of five different owners and was subsequently in Queensland under the custodianship of Bob Kirby. Negotiations were had, a deal was done and before long the truck was finally back in Jim hands. Like many stories of truck restorations, this saga was only the beginning.
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FEATURE “The truck was just about a total wreck. It now had a 12-speed gearbox, not the original nine-speed, the original custom four-spoke leather steering wheel was gone and the original turntable was also missing. It looked a real mess,” Jim recalls. Not deterred by the gravity of the restoration, Jim was determined to see it through. Having discovered the original steering wheel hanging on the wall in Bob Kirby’s shed, the original nine-speed gearbox was also tracked down with some help from Bob. The original turntable was located in a backyard in Newcastle, thanks to the assistance of Glen Beutel (Mack Trucks). This was a particular win and easily verified as Jim had his turntables made by an engineering company and it had his name stamped on it. The job of restoration went to Shepparton Motor Panel & Engineering (SMP), which was commissioned to do the job. More specifically, the responsibility for completing the restoration was handed to SMP’s tradesman, Logan Few. Interestingly, at the time of this truck being manufactured Logan was not even close to being born. The long restoration process began with the 48” Keith sleeper removed, followed shortly by the cabin and anything else that needed attention. This saw the vehicle stripped down to bare chassis rails and driveline. The twin-rail chassis design resulted in rust accumulation between the two sections, and one side of the chassis was removed at a time to be cleaned, repaired and painted before being reassembled with a urethane seal to prevent a repeat occurrence, followed by the application of a final coat of grey paint.
“Jim had his turntables made by an engineering company and it had his name stamped on it”
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SCANIA MAINTENANCE WITH FLEXIBLE PLANS Increased Profitability Maximise your Uptime Tailored plan via Operating Data
89%~
5.7%~
1,550KMS~
61 TONNE~
Servicing when required
Scania Maintenance with Flexible Plans sets servicing timeframes to meet the precise needs of each truck, based on distance travelled, loads transported, the type of roads and driver efficiency. It can mean fewer or faster workshop visits, reducing downtime, boosting profitability.
Contact your local branch to find out how a Scania Total Transport Solution can work for your business. VICTORIA Scania Campbellfield Tel: (03) 9217 3300 Scania Dandenong Tel: (03) 9217 3600 Scania Laverton Tel: (03) 9369 8666
SOUTH AUSTRALIA Scania Wingfield Tel: (08) 8406 0200 NEW SOUTH WALES Scania Prestons Tel: (02) 9825 7900
Scania Newcastle Tel: (02) 9825 7940
Scania Pinkenba Tel: (07) 3712 7900
K&J Trucks, Coffs Harbour Tel: (02) 6652 7218
Wideland, Toowoomba Tel: (07) 4633 1150
QUEENSLAND
RSC Diesels, Cairns Tel: (07) 4054 5440
Scania Richlands Tel: (07) 3712 8500
~ These figures are for illustrative purposes only and represent a snapshot of a Scania R620 6X4 prime mover travelling Melbourne to Adelaide on the 25/09/2017.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Scania Kewdale Tel: (08) 9360 8500
DRIVEN The sleeper and the cabin itself were in a bad way with a few dodgy repairs and reinforcement jobs having been carried out through the years. Some areas of the framework required new aluminium sections to be fabricated by a local engineering company. The bonnet was also re-fibreglassed, due to evidence of fatigue and cracking. The front wheel spiders were completely chromed, then the infill areas were etched out and painted red, revealing just the chrome highlights on the lip edges. All new brakes and S-cams were fitted, together with new electrical cabling, clamps, fasteners and replacement air hoses. “The use of new parts wherever possible made the reassembly part of the job a little easier,” said Jim. Kyzer Kustoms of Shepparton fabricated new deck plates, cab door step treads and the battery box, all in stainless steel, while the addition of four polished aluminium fuel tanks providing a capacity of 2000 litres added their own impact to the final visual appearance. The cab interior was sent to Brisbane for refurbishing and “Bull Dog” embossing was added to the trim panels as well as on the custom seats. The centre gauge panel was replaced with a new unit; however, the main speedo panel could not be sourced.
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MACK SUPER-LINER “We repaired the main speedo panel and then arranged for a local signwriter to have the front face recovered and the holes cut out to accommodate the new gauges we fitted,” said Logan. “The engine and gearbox work was done by Nick Moran, whom we mentioned earlier did all of Jim’s maintenance work. Nick previously worked for Mack Trucks and is a wealth of knowledge on these models”, said Jim. Jim also credits, Glen Beutel of Mack Trucks in Toowoomba who played a major role in the project, using his local and international contacts to source as many new parts as possible from Australia and the USA. While there are many who made this project possible, Jim acknowledges Logan Few as the major contributor. “He (Logan), would be in most mornings at 4:00 a.m. working on my truck. He is a great young bloke and deserves a good deal of credit. He put his heart and soul into this truck,” said Jim. The recent Kyabram Mack Muster saw the newly-completed Super-Liner back out on the road in as good as, or better than, new condition, after a mammoth two-year restoration, standing proudly amongst others of her breed for all to admire. I asked Jim how he went at the muster. He proudly grinned and replied, “We stole the show!”
“After a mammoth two-year restoration, standing proudly amongst others of her breed for all to admire” PowerTorque ISSUE 83
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PROFILE
DAF CF 8x4s are providing new solutions for servicing the concrete industry In the year that Dutch manufacturer DAF celebrates its 90th anniversary, it’s great to find new applications for this award-winning European brand that are unique to the Australian market.
The opportunity to add local Australian assembly to the DAF CF range will result in shorter lead times when ordering new models, and greater flexibility in being able to satisfy specific product requests from customers.
DAF has always been an innovator and can proudly claim to have produced the first range of turbocharged diesel engines in line-haul transport. This year also marks an important step forwards for the brand with PACCAR Australia, the parent company of DAF and Kenworth, announcing that local production will commence this year for selected models in the CF range as a new assembly line opens at the company’s Bayswater, Victoria, manufacturing centre.
The DAF brand consequently forms an important part of its product portfolio for the LF, CF and XF models in weight ranges from 12 tonnes through to 70 tonnes GCM. The latest developments as described by Ed Higginson in his report on the UK Commercial Vehicle Show in this issue include the European release Euro 6 models with revised cab designs and interiors. Cavanagh Cranes and Transport company of Camden, NSW, recently took delivery of two specialised 8x4 CF85 rigid trucks to create a unique supply solution for its customer, Reinforced Concrete Products Australia (RCPA).
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CAVANAGH CRANES “We wanted to find a better way to service the requirements of RCPA when delivering concrete pipes and products for RCPA at building sites and other destination,” said Sam Cavanagh, managing director of Cavanagh Cranes and Transport.
“I love the DAF product. It looks tough, it drives really well and it offers all the sophistication of the best of the European products. With two of these DAF CF combinations already commissioned in our fleet, it’s proving so successful that we already have a third unit on order.
“In working with Gilbert & Roach’s DAF salesman, Ray Casley, we developed a tray-backed rigid 8x4 DAF CF85 that could increase productivity by adding a super quad dog trailer while at the same time enabling us to mount a demountable forklift truck between the truck and trailer. This new development is unique in the market, and with the forklift occupying space over the drawbar there is no impact on overall length,” said Sam.
“Our operating rationale is that everything we do is for the customer. We try to service the customer requirements to the highest level possible, and by working with them we can create unique solutions that fit their business requirements better.
“The result is a combination with a payload potential of 30 tonnes that is self-sufficient when it comes to loading and delivery of products.
“We founded our company in 2006 and have been expanding ever since, both with rigid trucks carrying forklifts and prime movers with semitrailers or rigid trucks carrying cranes. I started with one truck, and with me as the driver, but I soon realised that to grow the business I needed to be running the business and be able to monitor and develop its growth.
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PROFILE “I like working with Gilbert & Roach. They are proactive and solutions based. The relationship we have has reinforced our position in the market,” added Sam. With a GVM of 37,000 kg and a GCM of up to 58,000 kg the DAF CF85 SR1360T is powered by the 13-litre, PACCAR MX six-cylinder, in-line turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine that produces 510 hp (375 kW) at 1500-1900rpm. Peak torque of up to 1850 lb-ft (2500 Nm) is rated at 1000-1410 rpm. The transmission is a 12-speed overdrive ZF-AS Tronic automated gearbox. Complying with Euro 5 emissions requirements, the MX 13-litre uses SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology with AdBlue. The rear suspension is the DAF eight-bag ECAS design rated at 21,000 kg while the front suspension uses parabolic springs to ensure a smooth and comfortable ride. From a safety perspective the DAF CF85 incorporates anti-lock braking systems (ABS), anti-slip control (ASR), hill start aid (HSA) drag torque control and brake assist. Also available is a range of driver assistance systems including adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, forward collision warning system and axle load monitoring. Airbag and seatbelt pretensioners are also optionally available. Having the right equipment is an important part of being able to provide the correct level of customer service. The customer in this instance is Reinforced Concrete Pipes Australia (RCPA), a leader in the Australian pipe and precast concrete products market and the national supplier of steel reinforced concrete pipe that is wholly Australian owned.
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Concrete pipes have been an integral part of most civil contracts since the late 1800’s. Production of these pipes has progressed from early hand-tamped concrete, through spinning techniques, to the latest vertically cast, bi-directional machines as installed and operated by RCPA. By working with a transport provider such as Cavanagh Cranes and Transport, RCPA is confident their products will be handled efficiently and arrive on site in the same condition as they left our factory. The specialist equipment such as the DAF and its ability to self-load and unload through the truck-mounted forklift adds to high levels of service that RCPA provide their customers.
BUILT READY for heavy duty jobs. Fuso. all day.
The new Built Ready Fighter Tipper. If your business is growing and you’ve got no time to waste, our new Built Ready Tipper has you covered. From construction and excavation to building and landscaping, Fuso’s Built Ready Tipper is a medium duty truck with heavy duty features – so whatever the job, your answer’s always yes. To view the entire Built Ready range, visit fuso.com.au or contact your local authorised Fuso dealer.
fuso.com.au Warranty terms and conditions apply. See an authorised Fuso dealer or our warranty policy at www.fuso.com.au/service for full details. Fuso is distributed by Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific Pty Ltd ABN 86 618 413 282.
PROFILE
TIME MANAGEMENT Delays and late arrivals are simply not an option when you’re carrying perishable goods. Stuart Martin reports on Adelaidebased Auscold – Images by Cristian Brunelli
G
etting any goods from A to B in pristine condition requires careful handling in general transport, but, add refrigeration and cold storage aspects to the equation, then there’s even more to consider.
The company still has plenty of Volvos on its 40-plus truck fleet, but has recently put two Mercedes-Benz trucks into B-double service, with the German brand so far living up to its promises.
Breakdowns are not an option – whether it relates to the prime mover or the cooling systems on the trailers – when it comes to transporting perishables.
“I guess we’ve had long-term association for many years with Adtrans (now Daimler Trucks’ Adelaide). When these new models came out, the information and what people were saying about the trucks pointed us in that direction, so we thought we’d give them a try,” he said.
Few would know that better than the crew of Adelaide logistics and transport company, Auscold, founded in 1981 and still run by the Andary family today. David Andary Snr’s background was in the South Australian fruit industry, forming, among other things, the Berri Fruit Juice Cooperative Incorporated (now known as Daily Juice) in 1961. Two decades later, upon retiring from the fruit industry, he formed DWN Distributors, now known as Auscold Logistics, run by his sons Bill and David. Bill Andary, now managing director, said the company was born out of a need to manage the transport of goods the company was storing for both local and interstate customers. “The transport side came when we set up in Adelaide, we had cold storage and local distribution, in 1981,” said Bill. “It was in addition to what we were doing for our customers, value-adding. Many of our customers in Adelaide were also shipping interstate, plus we were storing a lot for interstate customers. It made sense to control what they were doing, hence we bought our first truck – a Volvo – and here we are today,” he said.
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More than half of the company’s fleet is Swedish, with Hino and Kenworth vehicles also among the line-up. The German marque’s safety and fuel use promises (numbers that have been replicated in real-world running) were key among the factors for change, with the new 13-litre engine boasting horsepower normally found in 15-litre power plants, but with better fuel economy. “We normally run Volvos, but we thought we’d give the Mercedes a try and see what happens. “Cost of running was a major part of the decision, especially the fuel economy that Mercedes said they could provide, which they have,” Mr. Andary said. Auscold Logistics lays claim to a solid reputation for “delivering frozen, chilled and temperature sensitive goods such as produce, confectionary and pharmaceutical products to the right place at the right time”. Cold storage, dry storage, frozen, chilled and dry distribution and storage (both in carton and on pallet),
TIME MANAGEMENT medical supplies distribution, confectionary storage and distribution, fruit and vegetable storage and distribution, interstate transport, container handling and transport and cross docking are also among its services. “You need to have a reliable vehicle, especially when you’re spending all your time out on the open highway. We take a lot of produce to the Melbourne Markets every day, so we need reliable vehicles to do that. We’re also doing Sydney and Brisbane with the Benz duties being with B-double combinations. The drivers are happy with them as well,” he added. Bill Andary, also a board member and South Australian representative of the Refrigerated Warehouse and Transport Association, said the company was keen on sustainable ‘organic’ growth alongside its customer base. “We’re growing every day. We specialise in smaller manufacturers and growers and we’re growing with them, and that’s the good way to go, organic growth,” he said. The company has its own workshop facilities – staffed by four mechanics – to take care of much of the maintenance on its 40-truck fleet, although major vehicle services are performed off-site by the respective dealerships. Among the appealing aspects of the Mercedes-Benz prime mover was the extensive safety features list, both the standard equipment and the availability of features like active cruise control.
Mr. Andary said the brand’s safety features list was one of the deciding factors in giving the Mercedes-Benz trucks a go. “They are high-tech, as are most of the truck brands coming out of Europe. The majority of them have all these safety features. My GM went to Brisbane (truck show) and was impressed with the safety side of the Mercedes trucks,” he said. The full safety package was incorporated into its build, which means it has disc brakes with Electronic Braking System (EBS) with anti-lock, and traction control functions, as well as independent trailer brake and high-performance engine braking. Stability Control Assist is among the features available on selected models, with the ability to brake individual wheels as well as reducing engine power, a feature that has long been a passenger-car safety feature and is considered by the company as a vital key in reducing single vehicle accidents by almost half. Other safety features include the heavy-braking warning system (using fast-flashing hazard lights) when full braking is applied above 50 km/h. A reinforced cab that exceeds industry standards and a driver’s airbag are standard on all models. One of the extras selected by Auscold was the optional Safety Pack that includes Lane Keeping Assist, Proximity Control Assist, Attention Assist and Active Brake Assist.
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PROFILE Lane Keeping Assist warns the driver if the truck leaves the lane (without an indicator in use) at more than 60 km/h; Proximity Control Assist helps the driver maintain a suitable distance to the vehicle in front; while Attention Assist monitors the driver’s attentiveness based on steering behaviour, lane keeping and driver activity. Active Brake Assist can perform emergency braking when it senses a road hazard, with the ability to perform full emergency braking for stationary objects. It can also begin partial braking to avoid pedestrians. Mr. Andary said the safety systems only have to save the truck and driver once to be worth the inclusion. “Pretty well what the cars have got they have put in the trucks, which is great,” he said. Auscold took delivery of two 6x4 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2653 LS with Stream Space cab, the latter being 2500 mm wide. While maintaining decent aerodynamics these units are still delivering useful interior sleeping and storage space. The new Auscold trucks are running the 12.8-litre 530 hp/1918 lb-ft single (asymmetric) turbodiesel straight sixes, the most powerful of the updated OM 471 range of engines from Mercedes-Benz, with 1600 of its 2600 Nm of torque available just above idle speed. When the new-generation Actros was launched, the brand claimed a 7.0 percent drop in fuel consumption and a 40 percent reduction in the AdBlue consumption within the SCR emissions control system. The engine is Euro-VI-compliant and uses variable injection, selective catalytic reduction, exhaust gas recirculation and diesel particulate filter systems to reduce emissions. Fuel capacity is 860 litres with the standard left and righthand-side tanks, with 110 litres of AdBlue, plus the option of increasing to 1100 litres of fuel.
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Bill and David Andary
The Auscold trucks are fitted with a direct-drive 12-speed PowerShift transmission, with a dual-plate clutch and a 2.733 rear axle ratio for B-double duties. Sitting on an 8.0 t offset axle with 8.0 t three-leaf springs up front and a 13.0 t Hypoid rear axle with diff locks, there’s an eight-bag rear air suspension to deal with a 26,000 kg GVM with up to 70,000 kg GCM. The big Benz rolls 8.25” x 22.5” steel wheels with 295/80 R22.5 Michelin Multiway 3D XZE steer tyres and 295/80 R22.5 Michelin Multiway 3D XDE drive tyres. Also part of the Auscold trucks’ features list is a Kentworld bullbar with integrated light bars, Viesa electric refrigerated air conditioners and Auscold’s unique blue chassis, which complements the graphics fitted to the truck by Dispex Signs.
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FEATURE
FUEL MANAGMENT
T
ime-poor, time-critical and time management are evermore common phrases in today’s world, and, when it comes to dealing with big machinery, not much happens quickly for the sake of safety as much as the mechanical limitations.
Primary producers running 24/7 to beat the weather in harvesting machinery can’t stop for long when there are crops that need to be cut, particularly if unseasonable rain is on the horizon. Road crews and building sites can’t afford the time it takes to move and refuel heavy-duty machinery. The nearby service station is rarely an option – a 10-minute trip in the site ute could take ten times as long at the snail’s pace of a 20-tonne grader, which represents downtime as well as opportunities for theft or fraud. Refuelling Solutions Australia offers a broad range of options for on-site refuelling through its Maxi-Tankers and Mini-Tankers, but it’s the former that’s running a new flagship vehicle to good effect.
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Stuart Martin reviews the benefits of fleet refuelling options
Rob Tims, national fleet and compliance manager, said, “When RFS launched the Maxi-Tankers brand we looked at our target customers, their fuel requirement cycles, operations, and the locality of their businesses, and drew a conclusion that we needed a robust truck platform that could deliver results profitably, was reliable, and if needed could be repaired in rural areas. “Kenworth fulfilled these requirements and then some. As a business we wanted to support locally made products and equipment, and our first major Maxi-Tankers fleet purchases were the SAR T409 EGR prime movers with locally built ATE (Australian Tank Engineering) tri and bogie trailers. “Last year Kenworth released the all-new Australian designed T610 SAR, which had all of the robustness of our original SAR 409’s but with the almost European ride quality and ergonomics that we need to keep our operators in top shape when travelling for many hours on rural and dirt roads. Our initial order of five 610s have done sterling service in our fleet and are now slowly replacing our current five to six-year-old 409s”. The Maxi-Tanker Kenworth 610 is supplied with the 550 hp Cummins X15 Euro 5 engine, and an Eaton/Fuller
“These Kenworths seem to handle the dirt and rough stuff a lot better … to jump into one of these is a gift from God”
FUEL MANAGEMENT UltraShift Plus 18-speed automated manual transmission. A company spokesperson confirmed the new T610 also had standard Kenworth leaf-spring front suspension and the optional Kenworth Airglide 460 under the rear, with a Meritor MF 66 front axle and rear Meritor RT46-160GP, and is road train rated at 97,000 kg GCM/ATM. The trailer is an ATE (Australian Tank Engineering) tri-axle with a capacity of 43,000 litres; however, legal payload on mass is around 29 tonnes, which equates to a mixed load of 34,000 litres. The Maxi-Tanker fleet ranges from a rigid tanker with a capacity of 18,000 litres through to the B-doubles that can carry as much as 55,000 litres. SA operations support officer, David Martin, sounds envious of his drivers when he talks about the company’s newest purchases from Kenworth and believes the new T610 is one of the best rigs he’s seen. “The T610s are definitely a step up – the T610 is a lot quieter, the motor runs a lot cooler, the ride is better – it’s just an all-round better truck,” he said. Mr. Martin said they have other Kenworth models in the fleet but the new T610 offers bigger square fuel tanks, with better and more useable cabin space among its many attributes that have endeared the new T610 trucks to the drivers. “Some of the crew are so fond of the new Kenworth and trailer combination that they might need to be physically restrained if you took their keys,” he half-joked. “It might be a bit longer in the chassis, the cab is a bit shorter inside, but it more than makes up for it with the width of the cab,” he said.
“These Kenworths seem to handle the dirt and rough stuff a lot better, they’re not as super-smooth as the European trucks, but there’s less plumbing and sensors … to jump into one of these is a gift from God. “The drivers like them. Rodney, the guy that normally drives this truck, he reckons it steers better, goes better, is quieter and runs cooler, and the transmission seems a lot more civil, so maybe the software is a lot better. “The new Kenworth prime mover and ATE trailer set-up has one pump that’s computer-controlled, the others have two pumps and it’s older technology and they are heavy,” Mr. Martin added. Among the smart fuel delivery systems RFS is using within its 40-plus fleet of trucks is the PreciPURE pumping system, which has proven popular with those who use it. David Martin has much to do with the system and locally trains operators in its use, and stated it’s an impressive single-pump unit, lighter than other set-ups as well as being robust.
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FEATURE
“When I first saw the PreciPURE pumping system I thought that it wouldn’t last five minutes on a dirt road, but it’s been on the road now for two or three years and it has never stopped, we’ve never had a problem.
“We recognised a long time ago that the future was making sure that information technology is there and that we can provide data in a way that makes sense, and that they get the reports that they want,” said Nathon.
“It seems to be easier on the hydraulics and PTO on the truck too, which reduces wear and tear as well, plus the lower weight – it’s half the weight of a dual-pump system and you get more payload on,” he said.
“Every truck has on-board computers, we have various devices that we sell with iFUEL®, that we put in the marketplace for fuel management that all goes to the cloud.
The pump system, a product of Alfons Haar, is accurate to 0.5 of a litre. “With these you dial up the quantity and it just drops it out and stops it right on the money, they are pretty bloody good,” Mr. Martin added. But it’s not just getting the fuel on site that RFS sees as its strengths – it’s the company’s ability to accurately deliver, manage and report on the fuel supply, giving clients the ability to monitor their fuel use for each machine every time it’s fuelled through the iFUEL® reporting system. Refuelling Solutions’ monitoring systems also offer realtime remote access to fleet fuel data. RFS national business development manager, Nathon Jones, said the company, which started with the MiniTankers and expanded with its Maxi-Tanker division, has held true to the Mini-Tankers’ mantra. “It’s a service provision to provide a refuelling solution. It’s the name of the company. We’ve positioned ourselves in the market in that way, plus we come up with solutions that work,” said Mr. Jones. The adoption of new technology to deliver accurate fuel loads and be able to monitor fuel use has been a key to the strong growth – the company has tripled in volumes since Maxi-Tankers was established. Mr. Jones said the business revolves around “servicing the pants off” their clients, as there was little to be done beyond the terminal gate price, and the high-tech delivery and reporting systems have proven to be a worthwhile point of difference. 46
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“We recognised many years ago that’s the future, whoever could provide the data would get these kind of gigs,” he said. The company is now targeting growth in the rural areas of NSW and Victoria – supplying transport and agricultural sectors – and that has required the company to add a number of new trucks to the fleet, according to Mr. Jones. “In the last six months I think we’ve put eight or nine new trucks into the fleet. “The T610 is certainly much more comfortable than the previous trucks, it is very popular. “They hold very well on some of the rough terrain, the trucks don’t seem to bog in sandy conditions much either, they have more space in them too,” he said. “The fleet and compliance national team is looking forward to the delivery of the next four trouble-free units from Kenworth, and at the end of this month I’m certain all of our MXT operators will be hoping to score a seat in one of these great workhorses!”
WE’RE PROUD, TO BE AN AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURER.
At a time when the car brands have closed local manufacturing facilities and other industries have seen manufacturing go overseas, we are PROUD to still be here. As part of the massive CNH Industrial organisation we have the flexibility to manufacture in numerous plants around the globe, however we’re proudly continuing to make certain IVECO Truck models in Australia for several very good reasons. Creating top trucks for down under Australian trucking conditions are among the toughest in the world, so having the ability to test, design and make trucks specifically for local conditions simply makes good sense. IVECO Trucks Australia’s Dandenong manufacturing plant is home to a large product engineering department that features a dedicated facility for building and testing prototypes designed for Australian conditions. Expertise and solutions, right here and right now Local research, development and production means the level of local technical expertise is second to none - which also means our dealers and customers get the benefit of the right answers and solutions, right away. Built local to benefit local We are passionate about all the local communities we operate in around the globe and we know that industrial areas of Victoria need manufacturing investment to protect jobs. Through our IVECO plant in Dandenong we not only provide local employment but also provide business for the many component and services providers that we partner with. In our hugely popular Acco, for example, 85% of the components are sourced from local suppliers. A strong history in Australia IVECO Trucks Australia has a long and proud history of local truck manufacturing in this country, which began with the opening of our Dandenong manufacturing plant in 1952. Since then, over 230,000 trucks have been manufactured at Dandenong - more than any other truck manufacturer in Australia – and today the plant continues to build trucks, including ACCO and Stralis models, along with the Metro and Delta bus chassis. IVECO Trucks is proudly and successfully building a good product in Australia for the Australian market – and with production of even more models set to commence in our Dandenong plant throughout 2018, we look forward to building an even brighter future for Australian truck manufacturing. Thanks to those who support local manufacturers.
THAT’S COMMITMENT. THAT’S AUSTRALIAN JOBS. THAT’S IVECO. www.iveco.com.au/manufacturing
DRIVEN
W
ith on-highway truck testing, it takes time out on the road to fully appreciate the good points, but also to discover the not so good points. PowerTorque recently enjoyed the opportunity to run a longterm evaluation of the MAN TGX D38, providing 10,000 km of travel and several nights away. The current model MAN TGX D38 was launched back in late 2016, featuring the brand new 15.2-litre, in-line sixcylinder engine with 560 hp of power and an impressive 2700 Nm of torque. It was one of the first Euro 6 compliant engines available in Australia, using MAN’s two-stage turbos with EGR and SCR plus CRT (Continuously Regenerating Trap), and it was the first truck in Australia to come with the 12-speed ZF TraXon AMT and Intarder offering 3500 Nm of braking force, which combined to give a smooth drive, both up and down hills.
on the ISRI seat fitted with dual armrests. The XLX cab appears to be set high from the outside, but, with the low-set windscreen, large door windows and slits of glass behind the doors, they all combine to give good vision from behind the wheel and a sense of space. While the technology is new, the interior cab layout is starting to show its age, with gear selector, handbrake and fridge all taking up floor space between the seats. A new interior launched recently in Europe appears to address these points, so we will hopefully see those updates arrive here soon too.
Why choose the MAN TGX? Purchase price is obviously a key factor for a small operator, and there are few that could compare for the same price in terms of safety features, Euro 6, high roof double-bunk sleeper, B-double specification, and high torque rating. In this category the alternatives include maybe an Iveco, the outgoing Scania model, Argosy or DAF, the saving up to a further $30,000 for an ex-demo Volvo FH, Mack or new-shape Mercedes, or saving up a bit more and going for many owner/driver’s dream, the shiny Kenworth. But after experiencing most of the above as a driver and fleet operator, we went for the MAN as the best value for money option for what we needed. Jumping into the updated model TGX is a familiar space as its design has evolved simply over the years, so turning the key and heading south from Brisbane was easy with controls being easy to find and use. Even if it was your first time in a MAN, it would only take a few minutes to get going, which is one of the reasons many like the TGX as a fleet truck, particularly in Europe. With the new Euro 6 plant under the cab the TGX D38 is noticeably quiet, plus it’s also a very comfortable ride
MAN TORQUE
Ed Higginson takes the MAN D38 for a 10,000 km extended drive 48
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MAN TORQUE Back in early 2017, PowerTorque’s first evaluation found that the demo trucks achieved 1.97 km/l and 1.90 km/l respectively, when hauling a B-double curtainsider loaded to a gross weight of 61.5 tonnes. While it’s obviously hard to compare figures without using the same trailers, weights and routes, the average fuel consumption returns have been impressive and certainly better than alternative figures obtained with the Euro 5 trucks from other brands. In typical B-double format and running at a gross weight of 63-tonne we achieved a respectable average fuel figure of 1.95 km/l.
In terms of pulling power, the 2700 Nm of torque works really well. The 12-speed ZF TraXon AMT changes quickly, especially in the top three gears, so it keeps up momentum on the hills without the need to interfere, but the knock-down option is there with a press of the accelerator if needed. The MAN has some great safety features, such as lane departure assist, adaptive cruise control, hill start assist, emergency braking assist, emergency stopping signalling, sat/nav, and park brake alarms. Some features, like the EBS, ESP and traction control you may not notice until the ice arrives in winter, but I wouldn’t buy a truck without them these days. Also, the Bluetooth works really well, which is another essential safety item. Some trucks advertise this, but they don’t always work, whereas they do in the case of the MAN. Options like the lane departure warning and collision warning (emergency stopping signalling) are benefits when a driver begins to feel tired, but nothing beats pulling up for a quick rest. When travelling down narrow twisty lanes these systems can become confused, and in these circumstances I prefer to turn them off, reselecting them when back on the freeway. Adaptive cruise control is becoming more common, but some of the ones that I’ve tried recently haven’t worked too well, especially as it slows the truck down when cars pull in front of you. The application may be quite subtle, meaning you need to keep a close eye on the speedo to register small changes of speed and to compensate for the action to maintain your preferred cruise speed. After living with the MAN for a few weeks I’ve learnt to appreciate it in areas such as roadworks, or through towns, and started to respect its benefits. The MAN actually tells you the speed of the vehicle in front before it starts to slow, so you can intervene, then the system speeds up again as the vehicle in front moves away, unlike some of the others on the market. It’s a good example of where automatic systems still require driver intervention, proving that autonomous trucks are not yet infallible.
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DRIVEN It’s hard on relatively short trips to review how they are to sleep in for a week. And, from comments drivers post on our Facebook page, it’s an area many of you discuss, especially in the good old American vs. European debate. Here the MAN wins in some areas and falls short in others. First, the good. It’s a very quiet cab so you can easily get a peaceful sleep even in a busy truckstop like Yass, plus the XLX extra height is spacious, so getting changed is easy. It has plenty of storage with three large lockers over the windscreen, a 36-litre fridge and useful pockets on the rear wall to store items at night, like glasses and phones. The foam bed is reasonably comfy and compares well to other Europeans like the DAF and Volvo. It would benefit from a proper innerspring mattress and certainly can’t compare to the bonneted trucks like the new T610, which I slept in last year. In terms of bad, this is where the age of the MAN cab starts to show, with a narrow bunk and no nifty party tricks like the new Scania for moving the seats forward and widening the bunk. It sounds trivial, but it also lacks a netting over the sunroof, so you have a choice of closing it at night to stop the mosquitoes, or keeping it open for some air. And now to a major pet hate of mine. Despite millions spent on R&D to introduce major advancements in technology and safety, truck makers still struggle to make curtains that slide easily and block out the sunlight when sleeping during the day. The MAN definitely fails here, as its curtains struggle to slide, the tracks won’t meet in the middle, the stoppers fall out so they slide off the tracks, they don’t fit the contours of the dash and aren’t even long enough to cover the slits of glass behind the doors. This is an easy fix by the manufacturer, but remains annoying for the driver.
The MAN and Western Star dealer network is going through a transition at the moment with the Penske Corporation shaking things up. As a customer, you get to see a couple of cracks when not all of the workshops offer the same level of parts and trained technicians, especially for a new model D38. But I’ve experienced similar issues with numerous brands, and I’m confident that Penske Corporation is heading in the right direction. Its plans appear to be bearing fruit too, with recent increases in the sales numbers and successful army contracts that will inevitably help as higher sales volumes result in more accessible resources for all. On the initial trip from Brisbane to Melbourne, the Newell Highway was certainly a good workout for any truck, new or old, and I got to notice a couple of niggling vibrations, such as a creaking from the cab mount and an AdBlue error. These faults were easily fixed under warranty by the Westar Dealership in Derrimut, Western Melbourne, and it’s been running great since. You could say at 100,000 km, it’s just run in. Another area where the MAN D38 engine and driveline wins is with the service intervals. Being told that the next oil change is not due for another 70,000 km can be a great bonus for a small operator. The MAN TGX D38 fitted with the Euro 6 engine with 560 hp and the auto ZF is a great truck, and possibly currently under-appreciated here in Australia. There are a few features that I would like to change, but many of these would be incorporated in the next cab design upgrade when released onto our market. I’ll continue to monitor the performance of the MAN D38 as only time will tell if it’s been a wise decision, especially long after the warranty ends, so I’ll keep you posted.
GOOD:
BAD:
• Driveline for power and the impressive Intarder
• The curtains are one of the worst I’ve used recently, so new aftermarket ones have already been ordered.
• Comfortable drive, great ISRI seats and very quiet cab • Good dash layout, which is simple to use • Long list of safety features • Value for money
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• Only two air vents in the middle of the dash, positioned behind the coffee cup holder, so it’s slow to cool the cab in summer, but quick to cool your coffee. • Only one USB point for your phone and one 12-volt charge point for your dashcam, but nothing else.
HEAVY HAUL FEATURE
It’s top quality all the way for Norgate Haulage as the company grows its presence in the heavy haul segment.
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NORGATE HAULAGE
H
aving worked in the heavy haulage sector of the transport industry for a number of years, brothers Mitch and Tom Norgate took the plunge into establishing their own company some three and half years ago.
“We had both worked together for another company and thought that we would like to have a go ourselves and form our own company,” said Mitch. “This was a mutual interest within the family, and as we started specialising in float and heavy haul work we were joined by another of our brothers (Jack) who now runs the yard and organises the pilot and escort support for exceptional load movements. My partner, Nadine, also joined the business to look after all the administration,
and our father Dave Norgate is actually employed by us as a subcontractor. “That was three and a half years ago, and in that time we’ve progressed from a couple of secondhand trucks, one of which was a K108 Big Cab, to today where we have two brand-new K200s that have recently joined the fleet. “We have also been adding plant and equipment to our fleet, and purchased two brand-new Barker drop-deck trailers with ramps, then added a Drake 4x4 followed by a Drake 2x4 dolly. We then purchased a 3x8 float from Drake, followed by a Drake 2x8 dolly and a Drake triaxle float.
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FEATURE “We have kept the original K108 in service and will be employing an additional driver for that unit to handle the more local transport requirements, but it was obvious that to cover the longer distances we needed new equipment. We could not afford to risk unnecessary downtime through equipment that was other than 100 percent reliable,” he added. “In our dealings with our local Kenworth dealership, Gilbert & Roach of Huntingwood, we worked with Bill Anderson who proved to have a great knowledge about producing the right specification for our type of work. “I am happy to give Bill a wrap. He is very good on heavy haulage and knows his stuff. You can always catch him on the phone when you need him and the aftersales support is also good. Our previous employer bought their trucks from G&R, and Bill Anderson’s name is the one that everyone knows. It makes it so much easier when the salesman you are dealing with knows what he is doing,” said Mitch. Both the two new Kenworth K200s share similar drivetrains using the latest Cummins X15 SCR engines at 600 hp, 18-speed manual Eaton Roadranger transmissions and 4.56:1 drive axle ratios. The first K200 features six-rod suspension with Dana 52-190 drive axles and is a slightly heavier spec than the second unit that runs on Neway airbag suspension with Meritor 50-160 drive axles. Both are running with 7.2-tonne rated front axles.
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NORGATE HAULAGE
“We went with a spec that we know and understand, plus we prefer the cabover because it removes overall length concerns when coupling. It’s also much easier to manoeuvre when in the city,” said Mitch. “Custom Air in Melbourne did a great job installing the auxiliary cab air conditioning systems, which are mounted between the chassis rails just ahead of the rear closing member. We also added Alemlube automatic greasers on both units. “Service schedules are handled more on a kilometre basis than fuel burn, and having started off with an initial oil drain at 10,000 km, the second oil drain was after an additional 30,000. Subject to advice from Gilbert & Roach,
there is potential to extend oil drain intervals, and we will investigate the options of extending these intervals further through evaluating oil-sampling results. We specify Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme oil in all our trucks and expect annual distances to be in the region of 120,000 km per unit. “Although it’s been suggested that oil drain intervals of 60,000 km are attainable for our type of highway work, we may prefer to standardise on 40,000 km intervals as our normal operating procedure,” said Mitch. “Business is building up and going 100 percent. We try to give an all-round service, and it’s based on our aim to supply everything we can to our client.
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FEATURE “We arrive on time, come hail or shine, and being a family business everything we do is on a more personal basis. We will move heaven and earth to ensure they get what they need, when they need it,” added Mitch. Both Tom and Mitch prefer the latest Cummins X15 to the performance of the previous EGR Cummins engines, with Tom also commenting that the X15 feels torquier down low in the rev range. “The X15 is a more driver friendly motor with constant power delivery that is much more linear, and smoother in its performance, right from idle speed. We have also been impressed with the improved fuel economy,” said Tom. “We also had an airbag upgrade kit from Haire Bag suspension at Wodonga that uses a larger airbag, and we have found it works extremely well and gives a very good ride”. Although both new K200s have stayed with the Kenworth pure white paintwork, additional detail work has been completed by A & I Auto Electrics, Custom Chrome and Fabrication, of Wetherill Park in Sydney. The fabrication work is beautifully completed to a very high standard with stainless steel tank wrapping and additional stainless steel accessories. Selected areas such as the tank end caps have been painted in red as an eye-catching contrast to the stainless steel. Electrical work includes a new fabricated taillight assembly plus LED lighting on the rear of the cab structures with the inclusion of a King Bars bullbar.
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In conjunction with the Clarendon Classic Rally, we are proud to announce the 2018 Clarendon Kenworth Klassic. You are invited to display your Kenworth, new or old, working or retired, restored or original, and be part of the largest gathering of the Kenworth product that we have seen in Australia. Entry is free for exhibitors and this is a family day. There will be free fun rides for the kids, tractor pulls, food and collectors stalls, along with historic trucks, cars, steam powered vehicles and trade stands
No Judging, No Trophies, No problems.
Join the Clarendon Kenworth Klassic Facebook site for updated details. Contact Bruce via email: bruce@prodrivecompliance.com.au
FEATURE
FUTURE TRENDS
C
ommercial Vehicle (CV) Show is the largest in the UK and provides an annual showcase of the latest offerings from truck and trailer suppliers.
Held every April in Birmingham, England, the CV Show brings together around 460 exhibitors from across Europe to display the latest trends and welcomes similar visitor numbers to those attending our own Brisbane Truck Show. I’ve been attending the show since I was knee high to my old man, so I always love getting back to explore what’s
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Ed Higginson treks to the UK Show for an insight into the future of British trucking
on offer. Although it’s worlds away from our own market, there are many similarities. The UK sells around 135,000 trucks a year, so around four times the truck volumes of Australia, but its focus is clearly on the increasing emission targets, future fuels, pedestrian safety and the maximisation of trailer volume capacity. Max weights are limited to 44 tonnes, as they can only pull single trailers, but, with an overall height of 4.9 metres, trailers are often double-deck arrangements.
UK TRUCK SHOW
In terms of emission targets, the UK has been buying Euro 6 specced trucks since 2014, so operators have embraced the new technology. But with changes planned to truck road charging due in February 2019, the industry is expecting many to change over their fleets much quicker. The government will offer a 10 percent reduction in annual road charges to all Euro 6 trucks, but increase charges for older Euro 5 and below by 20 percent, which will provide considerable impetus to the increase in new truck sales. As the largest European truck show is just a few months away in Hanover, some brands skipped the UK this year, but MAN took centre stage with its new TGX D38 15.2-litre, six-cylinder engine rated at 640 hp to meet Euro 6. With the XXL super-high-roof sleeper, MAN has made a few interior tweaks to improve the living space to keep it in the running with other European brands. Some of the issues found in our D38 test in the latest issue of PowerTorque seem to have been addressed, like the repositioning of the gear selector from alongside the seat to the dash, plus other interior improvements. Surprisingly, though, the old-style handbrake remains on the floor next to the driver, so MAN has missed an opportunity to free up floor space. When enquiring with the engineers on the stand, they admitted that they would need to wait until the completely new cab arrives in the near future to reposition the brake lever. MAN also showcased its EfficentCruise that uses GPS positioning to read the road ahead. When used in conjunction with EfficentRoll, MAN claims up to a 9.0
percent fuel saving to bring it in line with others like Volvo, Scania and Mercedes. Renault isn’t a brand of truck we’d likely see Down Under, but, for those of you who may have driven the old Magnum rebadged as a MACK, the debut of the right-hand-drive Renault T High marks the return of the Magnum to the UK. The new truck offers high levels of performance and comfort, available in three core variants – International, Driver and Driver Lux – with engine choices of 440 hp, 480 hp and 520 hp. It’s ideal for long haul operators and still has a strong owner/driver following in the UK. Given the clear definition of Mack as a bonneted truck, with Volvo as a cabover in the Australian market, it is unlikely that it will re-emerge through the VGA Group in our area as a rebadged MACK. As Euro 6 has been available in Europe for nearly five years, manufacturers have been looking to the next improvement, such as natural gas that claims to improve air quality further (-70% NOx, -99% PM, -90% NMHC vs EURO 6 limits). It also significantly reduces CO2 emissions, around -15% compared to a diesel equivalent and up to -95% when using biomethane, plus the sound emission is substantially quieter than that of a diesel engine, making alternative-fuelled options preferred for late-night deliveries into city centres. IVECO had its Stralis NP on display equipped with a 460 hp natural gas engine, which, if running a GCM of around 38 tons, claims to have a range up to 1600 km, enabling it to travel from Madrid to Frankfurt (or Adelaide to Sydney), without refuelling.
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FEATURE
Using the new Curser 13 engine, IVECO claims it can achieve a 40 percent energy efficiency output from max torque to max power, with 460 hp on a 300 rpm band and 2000 Nm on a wide 600 rpm band in order to limit gear changes, helping to reduce fuel use. An added bonus with switching to natural gas is that there is no need for AdBlue, plus service intervals are extended to 90,000 km. So, combined with the fact that natural gas is much cheaper than diesel fuel in Europe, it helps with IVECO’s claims that the Stralis NP has a much lower total cost of ownership than equivalent diesel-fuelled trucks when running over 130,000 km a year. Considering Australia is one of the world’s leading producers of natural gas, it’s disappointing that we haven’t been able to address the early issues of gas trucks here and grow their numbers. To address some of the issues in Europe, the authorities are supporting a rapid development of the gas distribution network, claiming, by the year 2025, that the maximum distance between filling stations will be reduced to 150 km for CNG and 400 km for LNG. So, as many cities look to totally ban diesel by 2040 or sooner, gas and electric alternatives need to be ready. Natural gas is the eco-friendliest fuel for internal combustion engines when running at high weights, and understandably that has resulted in many environmentallyfriendly companies buying 100 percent gas fleets already, such as high-street retailers John Lewis and Waitrose in the UK, both of whom had Euro 6 Scania gas trucks on display.
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Waitrose has 44 dual-fuel/gas-fuelled Scania trucks working in its fleet across the UK, and recently added two dedicated gas-fuelled trucks that operate at a range of 560 km. The two Scania dedicated gas truck models are P340LA 4x2 prime movers rated at 31 tons. They have the 9.0-litre Euro 6 engine designed to only operate on gas (compressed or liquefied) delivering 340 hp at 1900 rpm, which Scania claims to reduce CO2 by up to 90 percent. Another interesting vehicle at the CV Show was a Mercedes in police livery, which is used by the transport police for filming truck, van and car drivers while they are distracted. As a truck driver, you often see people in Australia with phones on their laps texting, thinking no one will see them so maybe the UK Police Department has the answer. Terberg had a new low-entry yard shunter on display, the DT183LE, which is powered by a Cummins QSB 6.7-190 Tier 4 Final diesel engine matched to an Allison gearbox. Designed for yard operations where the driver needs to get down every time they hook up the trailer, say for closing rear doors, the new cab was ideal. With large windows, full-height doors and just two steps to access the cab, it provides a much safer and quicker yard tug. In terms of trailers, a recent entrant to the Australian market, Cartwright Trailers, had the largest stand at the whole of the CV show, which isn’t surprising for the largest UK builder.
UK TRUCK SHOW
The company displayed a new prototype double-deck ‘lifting roof’ trailer to accommodate 95 cages rather than the 75 of other trailers. As the UK parcel service is one of the company’s oldest clients, the trailer has been designed to load a full deck of rollcages, similar to those in use by supermarkets. The lifting roof is operationally very simple, involving one mechanism and one pump. The moveable roof lifts, along with the upper deck, allowing enough head room while the lower deck is being loaded. Both then drop down once loading is complete, reducing the height of the trailer from 4.88 m to 4.5 m for easier access.
Also on the Cartwright display were an IVECO Daily box van with a 3500 kg payload and an IVECO Eurocargo with a 10-pallet refrigerated body, both showing the typical aerodynamic details that the Europeans expect. Transdek is another trailer builder offering a full doubledeck solution, this time for the well-known Eddie Stobart transport company, whom many would know from the TV series. What is interesting here is the tail-lift that lifts half the height of the trailer in order to unload the top deck, which may be a little disconcerting, especially for drivers who may be scared of heights.
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SDC was showcasing a new hydraulic lifting deck curtainsider. With many Australian businesses now refusing to use forklifts to adjust tautliner decks, the hydraulic system on offer looked very interesting and would be useful for meeting ever-increasing safety regulations. As well as vehicles and suppliers on show, there was an Innovation Conference covering the latest technological innovations from the industry, highlighting advances in design, engineering and manufacturing, as well as previewing concepts for the products of tomorrow. The content had been drawn from different government departments, research organisations, CV manufacturers, automotive suppliers and fleet operators, so there was a broad range of views and opinions. Topics covered included air quality, electric vehicle safety, autonomous
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vehicles and their impact on the CV sector, block chain in logistics, and fuel innovations and alternative fuels. Overall, the show had several interesting vehicles and trailers on display that were well worth a look, but it clearly shows that the governments and local councils in Europe are shifting towards forcing diesel vehicles out of the cities. It may take some time for the effects to flow to Australia, especially with the challenge of establishing a new fuel infrastructure, and the need to cater for the much higher weights and longer distances our vehicles run. These solutions do need to be considered, and it may become inevitable that, because manufacturers will be catering for the mass volumes in Europe and America, Australia needs to start preparing for eventual change.
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FEATURE
GROUND COVER
Pasture improvement results from better spreading technology aligned with new all-terrain equipment – words by Brenton O’Connor, images by Graeme Neander.
The agricultural revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries changed the way that farms operated by introducing crop rotation, new machinery, increased capital investment, scientific breeding and land reclamation. These days the advances are made by the clever use of technology, developing higher crop yields, disease resistant stock and improved breeding techniques. Southern Spreaders is a family owned manufacturer of equipment for the fertiliser spreading industry throughout Australia. Founded by Jeff and Jo Keyte, the company relies on Australian ingenuity and its personal experience to build a high quality product that is designed specifically for the unique needs of Australian lime and fertiliser contractors, as well as for large-scale farmers.
Jeff and Jo Keyte originally operated a successful lime and fertiliser spreading business in northwest Tasmania for many years, providing them with a unique understanding of the demands of the industry, both as user of fertiliser spreading equipment as well as a manufacturer.
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GROUND COVER While spreading lime and fertiliser in their home state of Tasmania, Jeff began building equipment for his own use in the early 90s. By 2003 Jeff and Jo were building fertiliser spreaders for themselves and several local spreading contractors, including Circular Head Spreading Service and Calcimo Lime. This development resulted in Jeff and Jo selling their fertiliser spreading business to focus their time and energy on the manufacturing of spreading equipment, moving to a workshop in Ballan in 2006 and beginning full-scale production to customers across Australia Soon outgrowing the premises at Ballan, new facilities were acquired in Ballarat, which gave the Keyte’s 4000 square metres to further develop their business and the room to install their own laser-cutting machine to speed up the build time of the spreaders and to better customise the build to each customer’s unique requirements. As the company expanded, Jeff and Jo’s sons Jarrod and Mitch joined the business, taking on key roles within the company. Jeff is the general manager, Jo takes care of the administration as administration manager, Jarrod, as a qualified engineer, heads up sales and engineering, and Mitch manages Southern Engineering, which is a division of the company that manages the laser cutting, and CNC pressing for Southern Spreaders as well as to other manufacturers in the area. Southern Spreaders manufactures a wide range of equipment specifically designed for the fertiliser spreading industry. Available in three specific versions, the range
includes a truck-mounted bin, a trailing spreader that can to be towed by a tractor, and, finally, a three-point-linkage mounted spreader that fits onto a tractor. In addition to the fertiliser spreaders, Southern manufactures two unique types of trailers designed to reload the fertiliser spreader in the paddock. These two trailers are known as a ‘side-tipper’ and an ‘automat’, respectively. As such, they will improve the payload of a typical 4x4 truck spreader from 8 tonnes to 18 tonnes, which ultimately means less time spent travelling between the depot and the farm where the fertiliser is being applied. Southern Spreaders also manufactures machinery floats, typically designed to be towed by the fertiliser spreader to a large-volume job and carry a front-end loader to reload the product on site. Due to having qualified engineers employed full-time in the business, Southern also carries out chassis stretching and shortening on both JCB Fastrac’s and other trucks in order to gain the right wheelbase to suit the bin required by the customer. While there are many fertiliser spreaders imported into Australia from both Europe and the United States, few have been able to make significant inroads into the market in Australia, and the locally produced bodies continue to be the preferred choice for Australian operators due to their robustness and design strengths.
L-R John & Colin Crossling PowerTorque ISSUE 83
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FEATURE
Due to the highly corrosive nature of fertiliser, the majority of the spreader bodies and trailers built by Southern Spreaders are constructed using high quality stainless steel. In addition to being corrosion free, it negates the need to paint the body (unless the customer wants a specific colour to suit their fleet livery). Southern Spreaders builds its spreader bodies on a variety of both Japanese and European 4x4 and 6x6 trucks; with the most popular vehicles customers choose being MAN, Mercedes-Benz and Scania. These vehicles are typically ordered from their respective factories in Europe with a wheelbase of 3900-4200 mm (for the 4x4) and also with a live-drive PTO (driven off the flywheel of the engine) so that Southern can mount a double hydraulic pump to provide the hydraulic power required to operate the spreader. Transmission PTOs were used in the past; however, when the clutch is operated to change gears, the hydraulic pump stops pumping and the output of fertiliser through the spreader stops momentarily. The live-drive PTO alleviates this problem, as the PTO and hydraulic pump continue to operate irrespective of gear changes. In its construction process, Southern Spreaders specifies high quality components such as BPW axles for trailers, with hydraulic pumps, valves, and control blocks supplied by Whitelaw Hydraulics and Brevini. Southern Spreaders is also an agent for Topcon GPS systems, which incorporates electronic control of the
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spreader body for the required application rate, as well an auto-steer function that results in perfect application of the product. The auto-steer function steers the vehicle in the paddock, and, as a result, removes the human element of overlapping or underlapping the fertiliser being applied. Jarrod Keyte puts the success of their business down to their continual product development and improvements with the help of Jeff’s many years in the industry and Jarrod’s engineering expertise with the assistance of CAD design. Southern Spreaders has for many years been the industry leader for innovation of spreader bodies, and has pushed the boundaries on machine design. As an example of continued product improvement, only ten years ago a widely used nitrogen fertiliser known as urea was spread at an application width of 20 metres. Today, due to the design of the Southern Spreader units, urea can be applied at an application width of 36 metres – a performance gain of 75 percent and a major boost for performance and productivity. In addition to its unique designs, Southern Spreaders prides itself on its product support, holding a large-scale spare parts stock that is available for dispatch to the customer anywhere in the country on the day it’s ordered. As testimony to the customer satisfaction levels of companies operating Southern Spreaders equipment, PowerTorque spoke with Crossling Contractors, a family business based in Naracoorte in South Australia.
FEATURE Established 40 years ago by Colin Crossling, Crossling Contractors is the first company in Australia to use the 4x4 bonneted Mercedes-Benz Zetros 1833 to spread fertiliser, gypsum, lime and other soil improvers. The company employs seven full-time staff, increasing at peak times, with Colin Crossling joined in the business by his sons John and Damien, who now manage the day-today operations. “Damien and I took over the business about 17 years ago, and now Dad works for us,” said John Crossling. “We all get on really well, which is really good. We could not run Crossling Contractors with just one of us, we have to work together,” added John. The decision to purchase the Zetros resulted from a very positive experience with a cabover Axor, which shares some common parts with the Zetros. “The Axor was our first four-wheel-drive spreader. We had that for seven years and I drove it for the first five. Spreading is tough on the trucks given they are exposed to fertiliser, which can be highly corrosive, so they have a tough time. It was a good truck and ended up doing 8500 hours,” said John. “As a bonneted truck the Zetros is more comfortable and its performance off-road on steep hills is better as the transmission features a two-speed transfer case compared with the single speed of the Axor. “The Zetros runs on wide tractor tyres designed for slippery conditions, and the ride comfort is excellent, helped by the long wheelbase and through being a bonneted truck,” said John. “The spacious and well-laid out cabin is also a big plus and it has the same interior as the Axor, so that is good,” he added. Crossling Contractors runs a mixed fleet of vehicles used for spreading operations. After trying out a different make of off-road spreader, the Crossling family was tempted back to the Mercedes-Benz brand by Daimler Trucks Adelaide salesman, Brian Phillips, to consider the Zetros. Although its name might sound like a cold and flu capsule, there’s no doubt the Zetros is a tough, all-round off-road performer. Zetros first appeared in 2008 at the Eurosatory Defence Industry Trade Show in Paris. Manufactured in Worth, Germany, its overall dimensions link it to defence force application through it being designed to be carried long distances by rail, as it fits within the confines of a standard German rail carriage, plus it can be transported by air as it also fits within the cargo space of a Hercules C-130 transport. PowerTorque is not suggesting that Australian buyers are going to see their new Zetros parachuted in on a sled from a passing Hercules, but there’s no doubt this model is gaining traction with other defence forces around the world. A brief analysis of global sales sees the Zetros on duty in Bulgaria with 365 units, in Chile with 330 units, in Algeria 68
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GROUND COVER with 2000 units, some carrying self-propelled artillery systems, and in Argentina where it is replacing the current fleet of Unimog and B 1114 vehicles. In its range of applications suited for Australian buyers, the Zetros is aimed at the public service sector where a high payload capacity and serious off-road ability are part of the job description, such as with the emergency services in the fire and rescue sector as well as in the mineral resource sector for use in the maintenance of power generation lines for the electricity grid. In the agricultural sector Zetros is particularly suited for use as a fertiliser spreader, specifically because of its immense ability off-road and on steeply sloped terrain. Dependent on the intended application, the Zetros 1833 can be ordered as a 4x4 with a wheelbase of 4800 mm or in 6x6 format as the Zetros 2733 with a wheelbase of 4750 mm to the second axle, plus 1450 mm to the third. The in-line, six-cylinder, 7.2-litre OM926 engine produces 326 hp (240 kW) and with peak torque of 1300 Nm rated from 1200-1600 rpm. Transmission options range from a six-speed Allison automatic to a nine-speed synchronised Mercedes-Benz manual gearbox. There are optional power increases to 428 hp (314 kW) with GVWs of 36 tonnes for prime mover application and 40 tonnes for rigid truck work, running out to a GCM of 116 tonnes. Its exceptional off-road ability comes from a drivetrain that runs through a two-speed transfer case with ratios of 1:1 and 1.69:1, with planetary hub reduction drive and cross and inter-axle diff locks as standard throughout. Power distribution comes in the form of a 40/60 split front to rear axles, ground clearance comes in at 428 mm under the diff housing, and all axles are located on parabolic springs, with three-leaf on the front and four on the rear. GVM for the 4x4 version, which weighs in at 8.1 tonnes, is 16,000-18,000 kg, with the 6x6 version weighing in at 10.5 tonnes and expanding its GVM to 25,000-27,000 kg.
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GOING DUTCH
DAF Trucks celebrates 90 years in its birthplace Eindhoven – Report by Sven-Erik Lindstrand 70
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90 YEARS
T
hink of Holland, and, if you have a European background, you’ll probably be thinking of daffodils, canals and a national dress that includes wooden clogs as footwear. If you have a transport background, you’ll probably be thinking of DAF Trucks, a success story for European trucking that includes innovation and plenty of reasons to celebrate as the brand reaches its 90th anniversary.
1949 - DAF Chassis - No Cab
On April 1, 1928, Dutchmen Hub and Vim van Doorne initiated a small mechanical workshop in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. History has it that Hub was the innovator while his brother Vim was the bookkeeper. Initially, its work involved welding and forging for the city of Eindhoven and local companies such as Philips, the light globe and radio manufacturer, in a small workshop that was established in a corner of the local Coolen brewery.
1950 - DAF T60 - First DAF with cab
The DAF Museum contains parts of the original workshop as well as a collection of vehicles that illustrates the diversity of the DAF brand through the years. It’s one of the best trucking museums that PowerTorque has ever visited, and well worth a detour for any Australians heading through Europe. From a humble introduction 90 years ago, DAF has evolved into a global truck manufacturer, since 1996 owned by American PACCAR. During the great depression of the 1930s, the two brothers began to manufacture drawbar trailers and semitrailers that stood out from the crowd due to the use of a welded chassis, a relatively unique feature for the time that enabled higher than normal payloads
1959 - DAF A1800 - ‘the Frog’
In 1932 the company name was changed to Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Factory, which in turn was shortened to DAF. Trailer production continued, with the debut of a container trailer in 1936, which was designed to quickly load and unload containers from railway wagons. This made DAF an early supplier of container vehicles. By 1948, it was time for a new focus and the company name was changed to Van Doornes Automobile Factory, still retaining its DAF abbreviation.
1960 - DAF 2600 - Charles Burki
On July 28, 1949, the first truck rolled off the assembly line. One year later, a special truck factory was built and production started with 3.0, 5.0 and 6.0-ton trucks. The first DAF trucks in the early 1950s left the factory as a chassis with a bonnet and a temporary driver’s seat, often consisting of just a wooden box. The chassis were driven to a bodybuilder for installation of locally manufactured cabs and fitted with bodywork such as flatbeds and dump trucks. During the reconstruction of a Europe devastated by World War II, the 1950s saw a strong development of international freight transport by road. Dutch transport companies were on the alert and took the lead.
1964 - DAF 16 series - ‘DAF Torpedo’
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TRUCK OF THE YEAR
1988 - DAF 95
DAF Founders Hub (l) and Wim (r) van Doorne (mid sixties)
1998 - DAF 95XF DAF trucks on the assembly line of the Eindhoven factory in the early 1950s. Photo: DAF
2002 - DAF LF
In 1951, DAF introduced its own truck cab with round corners and an oblique grill for better aerodynamics. Driver comfort was improved with a suspended seat, and within six years DAF was introducing its heavy DO series with sleeper cabs.
2007 - XF105
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2018 - CF and XF
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In 1958, DAF started production of small passenger cars. They were characterised by a stepless automatic transmission with belts, called Variomatic, which was considered to be the first CVT or continuously variable transmission. Volvo bought the car business in the 1970s and the DAF 66 became the Volvo 66. A derivative of the transmission also made it onto the race circuit in Formula 3, and the concept remains in production with the system now manufactured by Bosch. In 1962, the 2600 truck model was presented at the RAI truck show in Amsterdam, setting a new standard for international long-distance hauling. The cab could accommodate two beds and was perceived by many as second to none. Power brakes and power steering were other features that facilitated the driver’s demanding job. In 1969, DAF was one of the earliest manufacturers to introduce a tilting mechanism for the cabover engine model, which greatly improved maintenance access
90 YEARS
In 1948, the logo came with leaf suspension that for a long time adorned the DAF front. Photo: DAF DAF DO 2000 on the market in Alkmaar with traditionally dressed Edamer cheese carriers. Photo: DAF
The DAF Museum houses an impressive collection of fine vintage cars. Photo: J. Christensen The 90th anniversary celebrations included the opportunity to test drive both old and new models. Photo: DAF
DAF experimented for a while with one-person three-wheelers.
In 1984, the famous “Space Cab” was introduced with its raised roof, which made life a little more comfortable for the driver. In 1994, DAF presented its “Super Space Cab”, which was even more generous in terms of driver comfort and interior design. Today’s top model XF105 continues the tradition and is considered to have one of the most spacious cabs on the market. Initially, Hercules and Perkins petrol and diesel engines were used, but in 1957 the first original DAF-labelled engines were constructed. Two years later, in 1959, the performance was improved with turbocharging, and, in 1973, an intercooler was added to the turbo to make history as the first in the truck world to feature turbocharging and intercooling. The technology was developed to give higher power, and at the same time lower fuel consumption. Soon air cooling was found to be indispensable for cleaner exhaust emissions. In the early 1990s, after the first Gulf War, the world economy worsened and truck sales fell dramatically in all markets. In 1993, the DAF brand became insolvent and the company entered receivership. The turnaround came
The 90th anniversary programme included a visit to the DAF Museum. Shown here is the DAF 1600 from 1959. PowerTorque ISSUE 83 73
FEATURE
With a historical perspective, Ron Borsboom gave the invited press party a look into the future. He is head of engineering and member of DAF’s top management.Photo: J. Christensen
in 1996 when the company was acquired by PACCAR in USA, joining the same stable that includes Kenworth and Peterbilt. With the purchase of DAF, PACCAR also got access to a separate engine programme of its own. In 2005, the DAF engines went through a name change to become classified under the collective group of PACCAR MX. This engine range now features in all three brands and in different power and torque capabilities, manufactured in Eindhoven for the European market and in Columbus, Mississippi, for installation in Kenworth and Peterbilt products in North America. Today, MX11 and MX13 engines are installed in 40 percent of Kenworths and Peterbilts, also giving economies of scale. From 2007 to 2017, some 600,000 MX engines have been manufactured. Of these, about 420,000 were for DAF and 180,000 for the two North American brands. DAF launched the new LF, CF and XF series in 2001 and 2002, the award-winning XF105 model in 2005, and the Euro 4 and 5 programme in 2006. A full range of new, ultra-clean Euro 6 models entered production in 2013. And, in 2017, the New CF and New XF were named International Truck of the Year 2018 for their class-leading transport efficiency and impressive fuel efficiency gain of 7.0 percent. Also in 2017, in the United Kingdom, the New LF was awarded Commercial Fleet Truck of the Year. 74
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Preston Feight was previously a senior executive at Kenworth before becoming president of DAF Trucks on April 1, 2016. Seen here with the Truck of the Year 2018 award. Photo: DAF
In terms of this year’s total market in Europe, DAF president and CEO, Preston Feight, expects it to increase a few percent to over 300,000 heavy units. Feight also says that this year has started well for DAF. After two months, the overall market share was 16.3 percent, already an increase when compared to the full year of 2017. Preston Feight was appointed president of DAF Trucks on April 1, 2016. He had then been with PACCAR for 18 years, with his most recent assignment as PACCAR vice-president and general manager of Kenworth Trucks. He succeeded Harrie Schippers, who was promoted to PACCAR senior vice-president with responsibility for DAF Trucks and PACCAR Parts at the corporate office in Seattle, USA. DAF trucks are manufactured in the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and Brazil. A total of 1100 resellers are located on five continents, including Australia.
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THE RISE OF THE PHOENIX FEATURE
David Meredith takes on the mighty 6x6 Tatra
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n the corner of Miller Street and Pacific Highway in North Sydney is a tower that cloaks an immense underground car park. I know, because I used to peer into the deepening hole nearly every day when it was being built in the early 70s.
Restricted space meant the design had to be deep rather than wide, which meant a steep slope for the rigid tippers to get the dirt out. As the hole neared its base, the trucks couldn’t handle the gradient – not enough reduction and not enough traction. To solve the problem the contractor plonked a CAT D8 down the hole for the sole purpose of pushing the trucks up the ramp to the street. The building practices have fortunately changed since then, but, around Australia, tippers, log trucks, drill rigs, service trucks, concrete pumpers and similar applications
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still demand a more agile truck chassis, traction trickery and deep reduction to get the job done. That skill set is even more adaptable when it’s embedded in a prime mover, unlocking the additional payload or cubic capacity that a combination allows. The configuration of a 6x6 prime mover remains rare in the Australian market, but Czech Republic truck manufacturer, Tatra, believes there is a future for this all-wheel-drive option Down Under. The result is the Phoenix, a 6x6 prime mover destined for those work roles where a single truck can do its job in the most adverse and testing conditions – all the while, pulling a trailer. It’s obvious that the market segment for all-wheel-drive prime movers is not large, with the current bogie or tri-drive
TATRA PHOENIX
alternatives with diff and inter-axle locks being highly capable. Steering precision in this configuration, particularly with a lot of weight on the drives and while traversing soft surfaces, is another matter, especially when casually dropping a wheel on one side into a large hole pretty much stuffs your day. Tatra’s unique driveline, with either six or eight axles – or more if you wish – is aimed at those specific tasks where a single truck needs to handle all of the above, and still cruise at 100 km/h on the highway. The new Phoenix 6x6 was released last month at a quiet and understated event in Perth by the factory’s Australasian distributor – Offroad Trucks Australia. It packages latest Euro 6 emissions systems, a bullet-proof driveline, and traction ability that is an undisputed market leader throughout those specialised global markets. While not so well known within Australian circles, the Tatra chassis is the largest-selling truck chassis to the military in Europe, as well as a large chunk of Middle-East and North African forces. It’s not unlikely that wherever the arena of conflict exists, Tatra carted both the victors and the vanquished, plus the occasional rocket, to and from the battlefield. The Phoenix isn’t the rebirth that the name implies, rather an expansion. The current Tatra cabs are by no means advanced, and, as far as styling is concerned, the word ‘functional’ comes to mind, but they are designed for
toughness and durability. When looking for an alternative that was already in existence, Tatra turned for assistance to PACCAR, which just happened to have a cab package that sports the latest technology electronics, with styling that gives the impression of something other than a mobile machine gun emplacement. The ex-DAF CF-series cab brings all the comforts, ergonomics and technology of a top-of-line European cab with a CAN bus that includes embedded upgradeability, critical over the next 10 years of development. It’s set higher than it is in its native environment on PACCAR products, but that’s largely because of Tatra’s central chassis tube that extends from front to back, that supports each of the independent swing axle suspension units. In Tatra’s Phoenix the air-cooled Euro V V8 is displaced by PACCAR’s Euro 6 MX-13 engine with 510 hp and 2600 Nm of torque. ZF’s 16S2530TO 16-speed manual gearboxes or the AS TRONIC 16-speed AMTs handle the power distribution. Phoenix serves to cloak the bulletproof Tatra chassis and driveline in civility. Driving the rig with 25-tonnes of low-loader plus a 6x6 fire engine on the back for a couple of hours around Perth’s forest and dam environs clearly illustrated the Phoenix was capable of a seamless transition between working manoeuvres and onhighway cruising.
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The DAF cab is recognised as one of the best, and with its current driveline the combination made for a comfortable ride. Tare weight, however, is not a strong point for the Tatra. The 110-tonne GCM version weighs a solid 10.2-tonnes, and the front axle is just over 6.5-tonnes. But recent legislative changes in WA that took place in October 2016 raised steer axle weight limits to 7.0-tonnes when fitted with 375 mm tyres, effectively making the Phoenix more attractive for introduction to Australia in specific applications. Most Tatras with auto transmissions use the everfaithful Allison unit. Manuals have either a ZF or Tatras own 14-speed unit, which puts the range and splitter components outside the gearbox. The Phoenix, with its Euro 6 engine and electronics, merges seamlessly with ZF gearboxes. The 16-speed AS TRONIC in the test truck is a fast-changing specialist, and delivered a smooth progression of torque exiting roundabouts and narrow, twisting forest roads. The test truck only had the engine brake activated, and, although ZF’s superb intarder is available optionally, it hadn’t been specified on the unit driven. Options are also available for drum or disc brake systems. Although the Phoenix 6x6 as tested featured drums all round, back home Tatra
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now delivers its fire trucks with discs, as the Czech fire authorities seem determined to set Grand Prix times when they’re heading for an emergency. The drums weren’t adequate in that application. For Aussie Phoenixes, the engine brake would make the drums adequate for most tasks, but I’m an intarder fan, so I’d always tick that option box. Adam Lockhart is Tatra’s product engineer and spends a few weeks each year in the Czech Republic with service personnel from key customers. He was my co-driver for the day and was able to outline the way Tatra has established a base of product support that is way more sophisticated than the volume suggests. Offroad Trucks Australia logically focuses its attention on the key mining and construction states of Queensland and WA. There are two distributor branches, one in Maddington in Perth’s eastern suburbs, and another in Mackay, close enough to access the mine site infrastructure where Tatra trucks can find a foothold in the market. A network of around 25 service dealers – a combination of dealers and CJD points for the MX connection – also back up the main distributor. I recently visited the head office parts department in Maddington, located a few hundred
TATRA PHOENIX
metres away from the company’s head office, joining owner Larry Gill who drove me over – with the key. As Larry unlocked it and disarmed the security, I asked why it was unattended? Stupid question! “We only come over when someone needs something,” he said. “And that’s not often enough to have someone sitting gazing out the window most of the day.” For trucks that spend their lives on the hard edge of hard work, that’s an impressive performance. Inside I walked around a complete inventory of parts for every Tatra truck sold in Australia since inception. It’s a measure of how seldom new model cycles evolve at Tatra, but also the level of support on which a customer can rely. Complete suspension/axle units were stored alongside body panels, cab trim items, chassis components, transmissions, and complete engines, the latter being both Tatra’s air-cooled V8 and, surprisingly, the PACCAR MX-13. “Why do you have an MX when the Kenworth/DAF dealer is just up the road,” I asked. “I don’t like being dependent on anyone else,” was Larry’s reply. As I wheeled the rig back into the depot, Adam noted that certification for the 8x8 Phoenix is already underway. The potential market for this highly specialised prime mover is about to expand.
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F
or one of the smallest farmed creatures in pastoral care, the average bee actually requires an amazing amount of investment in both time and resources to keep the little flying honey makers productive.
When living in a beehive, the average bee has a home to come back to each evening, but, if the workers have been hard at it during the day, they soon run out of flowers and crops to pollinate. That calls for investment, and while per head of population of each hive can vary from 30,000 to 70,000 bees, when you manage a large number of hives you need to invest in a suitable truck to manage the movement of the hives to new areas to keep up the pollen count. For the bee(n) counters of the finance industry, it makes for interesting statistics, as the investment in the cost of a new truck to move 1000 hives each carrying up to 70,000 bees can be amortised over no less than 70 million travellers, all hitching a ride to new pastures. Third-generation apiarists, Ashley Smith and his father Eric from Lakeside Honey, have grown their business over several years to now own and manage almost 1000 hives, providing their produce to leading brands including Capilano and Archibald honey.
Based in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, the father and son duo are regularly on the road moving hives to chase flower blooms – the purchase of their new Euro 6 ML180 IVECO with sleeper cab makes this task easier and more efficient, with the higher capacity 18 tonnes GVM rated Eurocargo having replaced a smaller 8 tonnes GVM truck. “Typically, the hives need to be relocated every six to eight weeks to keep the bees from running out of nectar,” Ashley said. “With around 1000 hives to manage, this sees us regularly travelling to different locations in search of flowering trees and plants, we’re also called upon by agricultural companies to help pollinate their commercial crops, particularly the almond industry, which is very reliant on bees to produce the nuts. These requests see us driving to a lot of areas in regional Victoria. “During the day the bees are away from the hives collecting nectar, so we normally work at night to shift the hives to different areas. This means I often need to sleep away from home and the large sleeper is just the right size to sleep in the truck. The high roof and compact transmission tunnel also allows easy movement around the cab,” said Ashley.
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IVECO EUROCARGO The truck is fitted with a 28-foot tray, providing sufficient space for up to 98 beehives, and is fitted with an ‘Ezyloader 125’ crane to ensure efficient loading and unloading of the hives, which can weigh 90 kg when full of honey. To minimise damage from animal strikes when driving in rural areas, the Eurocargo is fitted with a steel bumper to protect the front of the vehicle. Given the time spent out on the road, Ashley also plans to equip the Eurocargo with a few more creature comforts of home in the near future, including DVD player and fridge. Three cab variants are on offer to Eurocargo buyers, with a standard day cab, low-roof sleeper, and high-roof sleeper cabs. The standard fitout for all sleeper cabs includes full curtains, a reading lamp in the bunk and plenty of extra storage space, including an external toolbox-style compartment.
Lakeside Honey›s Ashley Smith is regularly on the road in his Eurocargo, moving beehives around regional Victoria.
The Eurocargo spans the 12-18 tonnes GVM range, and in more common applications it specifically caters for the 10 to 14-pallet market with three models, all powered by the 6.7-litre, Tector six-cylinder turbocharged diesel. The 12-tonne ML120 offers 185 kW and 850 Nm of torque, while the ML160 and ML180 (16-18 tonnes) share the same higher power output of 206 kW and 1000 Nm of torque. There’s a choice of transmissions between the five-speed Allison automatic for inner city urban operation and the nine-speed manual ZF transmission, as selected by Ashley and his father Eric for their Eurocargo. Thanks to the four-airbag equipped rear ECAS air suspension, the high quality of the ride comfort of the ML160 means no bruised bees at the end of their travels.
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The Eurocargo’s high roof, generous sleeper and compact transmission tunnel allow for easy movement around the cabin, while providing good space for nights on the road.
Ashley said that the truck is both easy and very comfortable to drive, but even more important to him is the model’s unique ‘HI-SCR’ emission control system. The HI-SCR system works through fresh and clean air intake rather than exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and uses selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and AdBlue injection to keep exhaust gas temperatures low and minimise nitrous oxide production within the exhaust emissions. The Euro 6 emissions rating for the ML160 is the cleanest rated exhaust system in trucks currently available in the Australian market. “We’re often out driving in paddocks and reserves amongst really long grass, so it’s comforting to know we’re not going to set the place alight,” said Ashley. The standard safety equipment available on the Eurocargo includes disc brakes all around, with ABS, ASR (traction control), ESP (stability control) and active emergency braking. Lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control are also available as an option across the model range. The driver also gets an airbag, and daytime running lights are fitted as standard.
Ashley uses a specialised ‘Ezyloader 125’ crane to load and unload the hives, which can weigh as much as 90 kg when full.
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“The industry is growing strongly year to year. Aside from the honey production, the demand for bees to do their pollination work on a commercial basis is also increasing. I love the industry and the variety of the work,” said Ashley
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FEATURE
EUROCARGO ON VACATION As an example of the variation in product available in the Eurocargo range, PowerTorque has been looking at a very special ML150 4x4 kitted out to tackle the outback and then travel the world. The top end of the luxury off-road expedition market is very specialised, and it’s not uncommon in these circles to find that the original budget to build something very special is probably more than the owner might wish to discuss. That certainly seems to be the case for a discreet West Australian buyer that has commissioned the creation of a unique Eurocargo ML150 4x4 outback tourer, in which to travel extensively across Australia. After that little jaunt is completed, there is every chance of wanting to ship the vehicle to other continents to continue the journey.
The ultimate Eurocargo all-wheel-drive camper was created as a joint operation between IVECO and specialist bodybuilder, SLRV Expedition Vehicles, on the Gold Coast. Already a proven performer in emergency service, military, mining and exploration work, the Eurocargo ML150 4x4 was a logical starting place for the customer, according to SLRV Expedition Vehicles’ director, Warwick Boswerger.
“This truck is built to go anywhere and to reach that inaccessible destination in luxury”
A long list of equipment ensures the truck can remain virtually self-sufficient even for extended periods away from civilisation. 84
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IVECO EUROCARGO
The interior boasts an extensive array of luxury appointments.
“The Eurocargo, both as a 4x2 and 4x4, is known for its reliability and power in Europe, and it’s a platform that’s held in very high regard there, and in many other parts of the world,” Warwick said. “From the factory the model has a six-speed manual transmission with full-time 4x4 system, hub reduction and front, centre and rear differential locks that ensure maximum traction. “The multi-leaf parabolic springs with dual-acting hydraulic shock absorbers also provide excellent articulation, and the high-tensile steel chassis allows twisting to further help over rough terrain and undulations,” he said. Powering the Eurocargo is IVECO’s Tector six-cylinder, 5.9-litre turbodiesel engine, which delivers 208 kW (279 hp) and a torque rating of 950 Nm from 1200 rpm. Warwick said that other reasons why the truck was selected was because of the readily available sleeper cab option, ergonomic cab, and driver and passenger airsuspension seats. “There wasn’t an additional cost in getting a sleeper cab model. The overall specifications, dimensions and the truck’s appointments were ideal for what the customer wanted,” Warwick said. With the truck cab/chassis selected, the SLRV team went about creating one of the most luxurious and functional expedition bodies possible. The fully custom-designed body includes a rear ‘garage’ able to accommodate a motorbike and two spare tyres – this equipment is accessed via a slide-out lifting system. PowerTorque ISSUE 83
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For extended periods on the road, the truck is fitted with a 600-litre water tank, a solar electric system, a lithium battery system and an AUTOSAT satellite system ensuring the owner can remain virtually self-sufficient and safe when travelling off the beaten track. But being off the beaten track doesn’t mean these travellers will be roughing it. In fitting out the interior of the body, SLRV has provided a high quality, modern finish more in keeping with a high-end studio apartment. At the owner’s disposal is a galley kitchen with an oven/ grill cooktop and microwave, solid surface bench tops, a four-person dinette, a queen bed, Fusion Entertainment System and LED TV, and a full separate ensuite.
A rear ‘garage’ can accommodate a motorcycle and spares, all accessed via a slide-out lifting system.
If the owners want to spend time outside, there’s a recessed electric awning, built-in external barbecue on a slide, and an external shower. “Basically this truck is built to go anywhere and to reach that inaccessible destination in luxury,” Warwick said.
Combining IVECO’s rugged Eurocargo 4x4 cab/chassis platform with a high-end and functional SLRV body, this Eurocargo ML150 4x4 was developed to provide its owners with luxury and performance in the toughest outback environments. 86
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DRIVEN
HEADING BUSH
Warren Caves indulges the travel bug with the aid of the EarthCruiser Explorer 440 Unimog
T
he truck and trailer bodybuilding industry tends to be constrained in design by the parameters in which it has to operate in order to produce equipment that can carry loads. But every now and again PowerTorque comes across a bodywork design that is completely out of the box, when it comes to function and fashion. EarthCruiser Australia is one such company, tackling the challenges of producing overland transport for both recreation and research, manufacturing expedition campers for extended travel across Australia and the world. EarthCruiser models have in the past been successfully manufactured on base vehicles in the six-tonne range from Iveco and Isuzu, predominantly for the domestic market with the occasional overseas order. Hard core explorers now have the option of “going large” with the release of the latest Explorer XPR 440 that is built on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog U430.
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Unimog is a name synonymous with rugged Germanbuilt reliability, particularly for military purposes spanning many years. The Unimog U430 is a 12-tonne GVM truck specifically designed as a utility carrier powered by Mercedes OM 936 300 hp (220 kW), 1200 Nm turbodiesel engine, which has Euro 6 emission compliance by way of SCR (AdBlue) and a DPF exhaust treatment system, mated to an eight-speed, semi-automatic transmission. Coil spring suspension and the use of portal axles provide excellent off-road ability and good on-road comfort levels. Portal axles are constructed with the axle tube and the differential housing located above the wheel centre line, tucked away high up within the chassis for greater ground clearance. Three differential lockers are used, being front, centre and rear, and, when combined with low/low working gear sets, the result makes for a formidable off-road performer.
EARTHCRUISER EXPLORER
For tougher conditions there are 20,000 lb, 24-volt winches located on the front and rear, along with two secure snatch recovery points. Add to this a 1.6-metre fording depth, antistarvation fuel pick-ups, bulletproof run flat tyre systems with central tyre inflation system (CTIS) operated from within the cabin, disc brakes and ABS. With all this ability designed into the chassis it’s easy to see that it would take nothing short of an improvised explosive device or an earthquake-induced chasm to prevent the Explorer XPR 440 from delivering you to your destination. A four-point independently controlled jack-levelling system, with three-stage rams, provides full-weight jacking off ground level for tyre changes or maintenance, and comes in handy when the need arises to position rocks or branches under the tyres for added traction in sticky situations. Fuel tank capacity is generous at 800 litres, which should provide ample reach for remote destinations. A fibreglass cabin and doors are used for longevity, corrosion resistance and ease of repair. The large front windscreen also offers an unencumbered vista of the adventures ahead. No doubt the fibreglass design also made the implementation of the large walk-through cabin opening an easier task.
Mercedes-Benz Vario Pilot is a unique feature that allows the steering column and instrument cluster to slide across from one side of the driver’s compartment to the other in less than a minute. This feature enables the Explorer to be instantly adjusted to suit its country of travel steering orientation and additionally enhancing resale prospects to wider world markets. Further enhancing the world-traveller vision is that, by using the narrower U430 as a base, the entire unit can be containerised for sea transport around the globe. By removing the wheels and fitting aluminium billeted container wheels, clamping the suspension down by 50 mm and removing some external fittings, this process takes about one day, effectively allowing this vehicle to be posted anywhere in the world. The Unimog concept planning started three years ago, and while the U430 ticked most of the boxes, there were PowerTorque ISSUE 83
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some design aspects that EarthCruiser Australia’s owner, Mark Fawcett, says he wanted to alter. Along with air intake modifications to allow the design of a walk-through cabin and repositioning of some ancillary equipment, Mark required a longer wheelbase of 4.2 metres, up from the standard 3.6. This extension would allow the Explorer 440 to encompass all the internal features and equipment planned for the project. With the Unimog base design laid out, the team of five engineers at EarthCruiser Australia set about designing and constructing the Explorer XPR 440.
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The Explorer XPR 440 complements the Unimog with a well-constructed and designed layout, with functionality as a priority over appearance, but that’s not to say that the interior finish is by any means mediocre, it just has to be tough, hard-wearing and lasting. Internal features include a queen-size bed or singles, two sky beds, which are 120 kg rated stretchers over the main bed, a 212-litre side-by-side internal fridge/freezer, 700watt microwave, a diesel cook top, two showers (one external, one internal), toilet, one double forward-facing rear seat and a single side facing rear seat (totalling five certified seats), wet and dry vacuum cleaner and air conditioning.
EARTHCRUISER EXPLORER
“We wanted to give our customers, more bang for their buck”
The spec also includes a new touchscreen control panel system, which can be integrated with tablets and android devices, DVR/GPS/4G cellular hot spot (through a 6 dBi gain antenna) and GPS cell net tracking system including five cameras that can be viewed from anywhere in the world. Outside in the underbody rear lockers are housed an Earth Grill 240-volt BBQ with a sink and tap, a 68-litre locker fridge/freezer and a 2.5 kg washing machine with drying area. A multipurpose 1000 kg 24-volt crane and hoist sit on the rear bar, and when the road finally disappears the rear bar also provides the carry point for a Übco 2x2 electric bike.
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This lightweight, quiet and powerful bike is propelled by 2 x 1 kW electric motors with a range of up to 100 km and a top speed of 45 km/h, all from its onboard 48 Ah battery. All this electronic functionality and componentry comes at a price – power! This power requirement has not been overlooked, and the self-sufficiency of the Explorer could easily be calculated, with a little sunshine, in weeks rather than days. All power needs are supplied from the on-board batteries, and no LPG or additional generators are required. The storage capacity consists of 2 x 24-volt, 200-amp lithium batteries, equivalent to 17 AGM batteries (1500 amps). A 3.2 kVA inverter looks after voltages, and the charging is from the 1000watt, mono-crystalline, flush-mounted, walk-on solar panels located on the roof.
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THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN
TRAILER TECHNOLOGY
TRAILERTORQUE
IT’S IN THE BAG
Haire Truck and Bus Repairs finds solutions to suspension woes – Words and images by Warren Caves.
A
ustralian ingenuity has been an important contributor to the growth of this nation, no doubt dating back to the first fleet, when the early colonists were faced with vastly different farming conditions to that of Mother England. Stump-jump ploughs, Hill’s Hoist washing lines and Victa lawn mowers have all been born out of a desire to turn an arduous task using ill-suited equipment to a more refined and improved way of doing things. Bill Haire of The Haire Truck and Bus Repairs based in the Victorian border town of Wodonga is known for his problem-solving skills. His ability to identify inherent problems with standard airbag suspension systems used in heavy-truck applications resulted in his belief he could improve on the design of the original set-up. The result speaks for itself, with Bill’s Haire Bag system solving the problems of uneven pressure resulting in loss of traction that can result in reduced braking ability, handling instability, and poor load distribution.
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“The problem was that the original airbag suspension systems being used for multi-axle configurations were not load-sharing,” said Bill. “So back in 1985 I started experimenting with different ways of setting up a loadsharing air-bag suspension system. By 1999, after many years of development work, I had the final design of our current Haire Bag Suspension system. “We believe that what we developed is the only dynamic load-sharing airbag suspension system in the world, which is now covered by a global patent,” added Bill. Let’s take a bogie-drive prime mover axle set-up as an example. Traditional design sees air pressures within the bags remain fairly constant until road conditions change.
HAIRE TRUCK AND BUS REPAIRS If, for example, the truck drives over a speed hump, the front axle hits the hump and transfers shock, via the airbag, back up into the chassis and subsequently to the cabin before it has time to expel air via the ride-height valve. This action also results in uneven pressure being distributed to the road via the tyres, as the rear axle loses contact pressure because the chassis has been lifted. This process happens again shortly after as the rear axle hits the hump switching the adverse actions to the front axle. The Haire Bag system works a little differently. In the same scenario as above, as the front axle hits the hump it then transfers air extremely quickly to the rear airbags, in the process reducing harsh loading to the chassis and improving ride comfort. By increasing the air volume and pressure in the rear airbags, the system maintains even road pressure via the tyres.
way of its design then controls air flow from bag to bag, and also has a dampening effect further improving ride, handling and stability.
“Our system can move an airbag 80 mm in as little as 1/28th of a second, which is far quicker than any ride-height control valve can exhaust and re-inflate airbags to try and counteract adverse road surfaces,” said Bill.
Bill explains further, that his system virtually renders current ABS and EBS systems redundant, as these features only engage when a tyre breaks traction with the road surface.
Once the correct ride height is achieved there is no air dump throughout the suspension operation. Air is simply transferred within the system dependant on road input to the wheels. This lessens compressor run time, which can save on maintenance and fuel.
“Our systems maintain even pressure with the road, greatly eliminating slippage of tyres and improving traction. As ABS actually has to release the brakes to avoid lock-up, we see vastly improved stopping distances achieved with our system. When fitted with a Haire Bag Suspension system a multi-combination truck and trailer set can pull up from 100 km/h in a 16 metres shorter distance than the equivalent ABS-equipped vehicle,” said Bill.
The system can be fitted to any OEM airbag suspension equipped truck, trailer or dolly, including road trains. By altering the airbag plumbing and by fitting larger bag to bag transfer hoses and patented fittings, this fitting by
“We also see increases in tyre life by 25 percent, less transit damage from poor road surfaces, less road damage and an increase in dynamic stability, particularly with multi-trailer combinations and road trains. Tail wag and dolly kick-out are virtually eliminated. Driver fatigue
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TRAILERTORQUE front axle load-carrying capacity for two new 8X4 FY 3248 model Hinos. After unsuccessful attempts to source a suitable company capable of completing the modifications, Ben contacted Haire Truck and Bus Repairs. Both Hinos were then dispatched to Wodonga where Bill and his team removed the rear hangers off all four front springs and fitted the appropriate Haire Bag Suspension system, converting the front suspension design to load-sharing and gaining the extra 1000 kg capacity required over the front axles.
is also reduced by way of the lower vibrational frequency transmitted into the cabin, and there is less correctional input required from the driver to keep combinations running true”. On PowerTorque’s visit, the Haire workshop contained a Mack Super-Liner that Bill and his staff had stripped down in order to fabricate and replace the corroded chassis rails, remove the rear spring hangers from the front springs and to then fit the Haire Bag Suspension system on the drive. “In addition to vastly improving the ride and reducing harshness for this truck, it will now benefit from a 20 percent increase on its GCM of up to 250 tonnes and enable it to be put into service on heavy haulage work,” said Bill. Also in the workshop, having arrived directly from Kenworth’s Bayswater manufacturing facility, were two new Kenworths – a T659 and a T909 – awaiting fitment of Haire Bag Suspension systems. Where applicable, all GVM and GCM increases and necessary engineer certification are all carried out in-house before the vehicles leave. Suspension enhancements are not limited to trucks. Bill recently carried out a chassis extension and dual-axle fitment to an Isuzu D-MAX ute, fitting his load-sharing airbag system. The report from the owner was that in its new 6X4 configuration the D-MAX went everywhere it went previously in 4X4 format. Ben Glasson, of the sales team at ADTRANS HINO at Smeaton Grange, recently had a client requiring extra
“After the initial run-around we got from other businesses, it was a seamless procedure with Bill, and the trucks were returned certified and are now ready for their bodywork, I would definitely use them again,” said Ben. Over the years, Bill has seen more than his fair share of resistance to his Haire Bag Suspension system, spending large sums of money on design testing and evaluation with outside independent certification bodies in order to get approvals and load increase certification. “While PBS combinations are being given approvals for weight increases, we are not getting the same increase approvals,” said Bill. “Interestingly though, we have had PBS approved, truck and quad-dog combinations rated to 55 tonnes in our workshops suffering from a complaint reporting poor dynamic stability issues. After we have modified these to our load-sharing system on the truck, dolly and trailer, the customers reported total satisfaction, saying that they have never handled better,” he added. Private enterprise can only do so much with regard to development without support from major manufacturers. Despite demonstrations of the ability of the Haire Bag Suspension system and independent analysis and confirmation, Bill’s designs and suspension systems have largely been ignored by major companies. With government and regulatory body support, this type of dynamic suspension system could go a long way towards the reduction of heavy vehicle accidents. “I believe there has been a lot of investment in EBS, ABS and stability control systems, which those financially concerned want to see continue. As our system, I believe, virtually eliminates the need for these electronic control methods, I wonder if that has something to do with the stonewalling we have received,” said Bill. The proof, they say, is in the pudding. There are a growing number of customers who have converted their vehicles to the Haire Bag load-sharing suspension with nothing but praise for the benefits it has provided. Bill Haire has a great deal of pride and passion for what he has developed, he is, perhaps, a little disappointed that it has not gained a wider market acceptance; however, he is content to carry on as always with the knowledge that those who have experienced his suspension systems know its true worth.
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WEIGHS LESS, WAY LESS. The Vector 1550 unit from Carrier is one of the lightest trailer refrigeration units on the market (712 kg) and operates with low noise emissions (71 dB). And while Vector 1550 units weigh less, they also offer way more. Designed using the patented combination of a hermetic compressor with an economizer, it delivers a 40 percent increase in refrigeration capacity during pull down. As a result, Vector 1550 units deliver faster temperature pull down, reaching the desired set point up to 25 percent faster compared to conventional technology and with extremely precise temperature control (+/- 0.8°C). As if that’s not enough, the Vector 1550 unit’s low fuel consumption reduces its overall carbon impact by up to 19 percent compared to conventional systems, the equivalent of removing 2.8 tons of CO2 per unit per year.
Carrier Transicold Australia Nationwide Ph: 1800 448 166 www.transicold.carrier.com.au
Performance data dependent on a range of operational settings, environmental conditions, and model type. Data is based on the Vector 1550-T Low Noise model. © 2017 Carrier Corporation.
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“When I set up Daltrans Bulk Haulage it was a case of grabbing the bull by the horns and pushing as hard as I could to make it successful, and, touch wood, so far we have,” he said.
His father owned a fuel transport business, so trucks were a part of Dallas’s life, but he admits to never having a passion for trucks early on, rather it was for breeding cattle and farming.
The Daltrans fleet comprises three prime movers and six sets of trailers in road train and A-double configurations. Three additional trailers are hauled by tow-operators and, depending on the season, the size of harvest and type of grain, with Dallas employing anywhere up to a dozen subcontractors.
ike most country kids growing up on the land, Daltrans Bulk Haulage owner Dallas Kropp grew up around machinery and spent weekends and school holidays behind the wheel of an assortment of implements while working on the family farm.
Yet, in his mid-twenties, he went from driving cattle to driving trucks, moving to Toowoomba in the late 1990s and buying his first truck – a rigid body Hino to deliver bulk mail under contract to Australia Post. Dallas spent several years as ‘Postman Pat’ before selling the truck and contract and buying a farm in Proston, inland from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. With the farm established, he balanced his time driving grain and livestock trucks and managing the farm before moving into an office-based logistics role. Then life took an unexpected turn and he sold the farm and moved back to Toowoomba. The unintended consequence of the change was the establishment of Daltrans Bulk Haulage, a bulk grain transportation specialist.
We met at Graham Lusty Trailers in Brisbane, where Dallas was overseeing the finishing touches to three new trailers to run as an AB-triple earmarked for one of his dedicated tow-operators. Dallas acknowledges his time driving trucks rather than sitting behind a desk has given him the ‘hands-on’ understanding and experience to start and successfully grow his bulk haulage business. “I think the hands-on aspect isn’t seen much these days, and I reckon it’s invaluable. I’m not saying we should have all done it that way, but I certainly feel confident in what I do because of previous experience. It’s certainly been a wonderful education”.
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Daltrans Bulk Haulage gets the grain moving – words and images by Mark Higgins 98
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DALTRANS BULK HAULAGE Daltrans Bulk Haulage uses Kenworth prime movers, due to the trailer fleet that runs HML and PBS compliance, and all the trucks are equipped with satellite tracking. “It is essential to keep up with current technology, and having new trucks and trailers is paramount to maximising payload. Our business is all about payload, and, the more efficiently we can cart, the more profit,” says Dallas. “I look at all brands of trucks, but, right now, given our design approvals for what we do and the wheelbases we run, it suits the Kenworth; however, it’s all about value for money”. Having late-model trucks, new trailers and equipment has helped Daltrans attract good quality drivers, who Dallas hopes will become long-term employees. “High staff turnover isn’t good for business. If our growers and farmers see the same driver in the same truck it’s just a lot less stressful all round. I believe a key to our success so far is the use of up-to-date equipment and reliable drivers. Our drivers take a pride in their jobs and their trucks. “Bulk grain haulage is a highly seasonal and spontaneous business. We move sorghum and cotton throughout their seasons, along with wheat and barley that runs almost the full year. Towards the end of the year, chickpeas are carted and fertiliser is also carried in the early winter months,” he added. Daltrans Bulk Haulage operates on Australia’s eastern seaboard; that said, it’s predominantly Queensland and northern New South Wales that makes up the majority of Daltrans’s work and keeps the fleet operating within range of the Toowoomba base, making maintenance easier and ensuring the drivers spend weekends at home. To achieve his goals of maximising payloads while minimising tare weights, overheads and running costs, Dallas calls on his years of experience, talking to other operators and studying the market before selecting his equipment, as he explains:
“I’ve had many conversations with a lot of other transport operators. There are heavier options on the market, and cheaper options to buy, so everyone’s got a different calculator about whether it is better to have an expensive trailer that is light and can cart more payload, or a cheaper trailer that has less payload but is cheaper with lower repayments. It’s hard to know who is right and who is wrong. We like to be at the cutting edge of payload, and design our business around being as efficient as possible with payloads and tare weights to be profitable and remain in business. “I haven’t had a lot of experience with Hendrickson axles and suspension, but I currently have four sets, some with drum brakes and some with discs. I switched to them because of their tare weight advantage and performance. In conjunction with a GLT aluminium body trailer, I don’t believe there’s a lighter option on the market”. Daltrans Bulk Haulage is currently using Hendrickson INTRAAX suspension with Hendrickson MAXX22T trailer air disc brakes, together with load-proportioning brake valves. The MAXX22T uses single-piston technology for higher reliability and reduced weight. The compact and lightweight mono-block design features a sealed and protected guide system and is available with HXL7 extended-life wheel-end systems. Warranty support extends the appeal of using HXL7 wheel ends for disc and drum fitment when used on sealed roads to a life of 1,200,000 km or five years. He admits selecting the right equipment is a long drawnout process, but is seeing the benefits. His A-doubles are getting upwards of a 57-tonne payload into Brisbane. Regulation changes have allowed AB-triples to operate in New South Wales and bring loads into Queensland, an improvement from not so long ago, when it was road train access only. With his setup, Dallas claims his light tare weight B-double end tippers let him carry a 45-tonne payload with 55-tonnes possible on the road trains and 70-tonnes plus on the triples.
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TRAILERTORQUE He was eager to get his new trailers onto a weighbridge to discover the tare weight. “With a bogie dolly under it I’m thinking it should be able to achieve about a 68-tonne payload, and with the HML about 72 or 73 tonnes. “It’s pretty exciting to be able to offer our clients that kind of service. For us to be profitable in business, which is pretty cut throat, the rates are certainly not at a premium at the moment, so the more you can carry, the more you can make out of the job”. Dallas believes that triple trailers give him more combinations to offer customers, and feels his selection of tippers and trailers will cover most scenarios, whatever customers might suddenly throw at him. Jeremy Glover, Hendrickson’s regional sales manager for Queensland, explained to PowerTorque that although the Hendrickson components are based on proven products available in the North American market, the company’s engineering team in Australia has considerable input into the final design and application, specifically tailored to the local market.
“It’s all about providing the highest levels of durability and reliability to produce the lowest total operating cost for our customers,” said Jeremy. While it is still in its infancy, Daltrans Bulk Haulage is growing rapidly, so what about the next five years? “That’s a good question,” says Dallas. “I never envisaged being where I am now, two and half years ago, so to predict where I’m going to be in for five years is a tough one to answer. “I’d like to have another one or two more prime movers, but also retain a good bank of consistent and reliable subcontractors that work with me. If we grow our business internally with the right people, it effectively turns into more tonnes per month, per year, and a higher turnover, but I don’t have any ambition for having around 25 or 30 trucks. I want sustainable growth”.
“The INTRAAX suspension and MAX22T trailer air disc brakes with HXL7 wheel ends selected by Dallas are specifically designed for on and off-road applications. The Daltrans Bulk Haulage fleet travels extensively throughout Australia, and these components are ideally suited for extended distance driveability with maintenance schedules that support the varied operating conditions.
“It’s pretty exciting to be able to offer our clients that kind of service.”
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L-R Dallas Kropp, Graham Lusty, Jeremy Glover (Hendrickson)
800,000 km ty* 3-Year Warran rranty details.
rickson for full wa
* Contact Hend
Premium
Seal
• A Teflon-impregnated seal with a laid-down lip to resist leaking and prevent contamination ingress
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SHAWX MANUFACTURING New management and a revitalised business structure set ShawX Manufacturing on the right path for the future – Words and images by Warren Caves As a family-owned business, ShawX Manufacturing is the new force behind the specialist trailer manufacturer formerly known as Titan Manufacturing. Based in the Brisbane suburb of Cleveland, the change of ownership and establishment of a new management team is building the company by drawing on real-world working industry knowledge to design and construct equipment for the earthmoving and construction industry. Since taking over Titan Manufacturing some two and a half years ago, ShawX manufacturing has forged a solid reputation for the quality design and manufacturing of earthmoving equipment attachments, including rippers, hitches, buckets, single, bogie and tri-axle tag float trailers, tipper bodies, and, its latest design innovation, the EjectX body truck. Kenny Shaw, his wife Donna and their two sons, Brett and Jackson, make up the team and oversee approximately 20 employees.
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Kenny and Brett are both qualified diesel fitters and boilermakers, and have worked extensively in the earthmoving industry all over Australia, giving them hands-on experience and the ability to identify shortcomings with equipment design to manufacturing components that work and last the distance. Not surprisingly, this experience enables them to use the phrase “From the industry – For the industry”, to position their business in the minds of their customers. PowerTorque spoke with Brett Shaw at the recent Diesel, Dirt and Turf Expo, held at the Penrith Panthers complex in Western Sydney. “We have, over the years, seen all manner of equipment fail and wear out prematurely in our own earthmoving business, in which we still have a working interest. Experiencing these problems firsthand resulted in the need for us to either re-engineer or repair substandard equipment in order to get the job done. We find this puts
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us in a unique position to manufacture equipment that works, which is built to a robust standard and not down to a price. We manufacture equipment that we would want to use ourselves,” said Brett. “We are passionate about the Australian manufacturing industry, we design and construct for quality and functionality, whilst utilising Australian-sourced materials and components wherever possible. BlueScope Steel products are used when applicable and we use Delta Hydraulics based in Devonport, Tasmania, for our hydraulic rams and associated equipment. Delta is a large, Australian-owned company employing over 100 staff, and provides us with a great service, plus they are very easy to deal with,” said Brett. ShawX Manufacturing utilises a machine shop, C.N.C control systems, profile cutters and its own paint shop to manufacture its products. It also carries out repair and modification work to all manner of equipment and implements for the earthmoving and construction industry. Trailer and tipper body manufacturing is also a key feature of the ShawX range of products. Tag plant trailers are built to customers’ needs with individual and unique designs that cater for single, bogie and tri-axle configurations. These feature a heavy-duty integrated beam chassis, ABS braking, electric or hydraulic ramps, welded cleats on ramps for added traction, and LED lighting. Options include oversize packs, hammer wells, hydraulic winches and sliding draw toolboxes. ShawX tipper bodies feature all Bisalloy construction in standard or custom-made sizes, two-way tailgates, internal tie-downs, LED lighting, 2pac paint and internal steps.
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A new innovation in bulk earthmoving and construction material transport and handling has been gaining traction for ShawX Manufacturing in the form of its EjectX body truck. When taking a quick glance, it looks very much a standard tipper truck, but, on closer inspection, there’s a huge difference – this tipper doesn’t tip. Brett explained: “With safety as a main driving force, we developed the EjectX to provide a viable transport option while improving safety. By negating the need to raise a body, and thus risk the chance of rollovers during the discharge process, we see this type of design creates a greater operating range with the ability to eject loads on
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adverse slopes, under power lines, bridges and low tree canopies, where conventional tippers cannot operate”. “Our EjectX design utilises a horizontal plough blade running along internal guide rails controlled by a Delta Hydraulics double-acting ram along its length to eject the load from the rear of the body. The ten-wheeler models utilise a 40-tonne ram, with 25-tonne and 20-tonne rams for the eight and six-wheeler versions. On show at the National Diesel, Dirt and Turf Expo was an EjectX body fitted to an Isuzu FX series ten-wheeler rigid truck with a cubic capacity of 18 cubic metres
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and a payload of 18.5 tonnes. Throughout the show, Kenny Shaw highlighted the efficiency of the design to completely empty the bin by throwing a handful of coins inside and successfully pushing them out with the plough blade. Only problem with that was, the inquisitive kids watching on were a little quicker than Kenny at retrieving the displaced coins. “The plough has heavy-duty skirt rubbers fitted to its base and sides. We see these as having a service life of around four to six months, depending on the material being handled and the operating cycles. These skirt rubbers are easily operatorreplaced when required. There is also a return rubber located on the rear of the plough, so that if any product has fallen behind the blade during the loading process it is dragged back and ejected out by way of the two floor openings at the front of the floor. The plough blade then returns to its resting position conveniently covering over the hydraulic tank hoses and valving in the process,� explained Brett. Stiffening ribs are used to reinforce the side walls, and specially-designed combing rails made to a point are featured to prevent product holding or sticking to the top rail, removing the need to brush off loading spill from top rails before transit. Tarps by Retractable Tarps of Brisbane control air-borne dust, and recessed clearance lights feature a protection rail to prevent damage by falling debris. The first EjectX truck was put into service 18 months ago by G&H Civil Contractors Demolition and Plant Hire of Brisbane, with strong success. So much so, that, after a few minor design changes along the way, G&H Plant Hire now has six of these units operating 24 hours a day, asphalting at night and on construction and demolition work during the day, with prime contractors requesting as many of the EjectX trucks as they can supply, as work dictates.
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TRAILERTORQUE G&H Plant Hire has confirmed the specific benefits of using the EjectX trucks for asphalting work on the Jupiters Casino complex, which required asphalting to be done under the canopy of an awning, which ruled out conventional tipper trucks on the job. The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing project, which has unfortunately seen numerous tip-overs during its construction, is also keeping the six G&H Plant Hire fleet of EjectX trucks extremely busy. Brett Shaw explained the benefits further: “We believe that while there are other forms of design that can negate the need for raising a body to unload, such as walkingfloor and conveyors, our design is extremely efficient with fewer moving, and, therefore, less wearing components. It features less cleaning than that of roller and slat designs and results in quicker turnaround and reduced downtime. Operator error and misjudgement of slopes during unloading are also removed, greatly increasing safety”. “We believe that, sometime in the future, all tier-one jobs will contractually require the use of non-tipping trucks for safety and compliance,” added Brett.
“Operator error and misjudgement of slopes during unloading are also removed, greatly increasing safety”
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RAISING THE LEVEL ON SAFETY.
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POWERBANK Can your trailers generate electricity? Ed Higginson reports.
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he race for improving truck fuel efficiency as well as moving to alternative power sources, particularly electric, has been heating up recently, especially in markets with large volumes of commercial vehicles and high fuel costs. Hybrid motors have been around for years, with the Toyota Prius bringing the idea to the masses way back in 1997, following on from development work completed by Hino with the HIMR project a decade earlier. However, others have been slow to take up the concept, with Hybrids still only making up a small portion of the vehicles on sale today, and nearly nonexistent in the trucking industry.
A new Peterbilt 579 electrically-powered prime mover has gone into service with the Port of Long Beach and is one of 12 built by Peterbilt in collaboration with Transpower, the California Air Resources Board, and the Port of Long Beach. The all-electric Model 579 produces up to 490 hp, has up to a 200 mile range, recharges in less than five hours and has a battery storage capacity of 350-440 kW/h.
Many of our readers will have read the marketing hype surrounding the full electric Tesla truck, and even the Cummins, Nikola, or Fuso electric trucks. But there are many other projects around the world looking at ways to capture the energy lost through the braking system of a vehicle, and then storing this energy to power the vehicle or ancillary equipment carried on the trailer. And if you can store energy created by a car or truck, there’s every reason to believe that process can be extended to include storing energy created by the non-driven axles of a trailer. BPW announced back in 2016 that it was looking at two concepts to capture the unlocked potential in trucks and trailers. During the 2016 IAA show in Hanover, the company showed its ePower system for energy recuperation in trailers by utilising the trailer axle’s wheel hubs, fitted with generators to make electricity whenever the trailer brakes were applied. BPW claimed at the time that with just two hub generators it was possible to capture enough energy to power a refrigerated unit. When not mobile, the refrigeration of the trailer was accomplished by using a standard lithium ion battery that was recharged by the axles when on the move. 108
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POWERBANK For the operator, this concept has appeal on several platforms, as it removes the need for a stationary engine to power the refrigeration unit, saving on cost, weight and fuel. Admittedly, there would be a trade-off in terms of the weight of the battery pack, but with unused space on the trailer chassis the mounting of the battery pack would not present any installation concerns. When it came to fuel saving, BPW claimed its ePower system could save around 2500 litres of diesel a year for a typical refrigeration trailer, easily paying for the system over the life of the vehicle. BPW also used the 2016 IAA show to announce eTransport, an electric axle for urban commercial vehicles that could be connected to a battery for recharging overnight. The axle could also be offered with active steering to assist in urban deliveries. Although these concepts have not yet been trialled in Australia, they are being evaluated in global markets, so what was a principle two years ago, may not be far from becoming reality. Over in America, Dana launched its Spicer Electrified portfolio of e-axles for hybrid and electric vehicles. The company initially launched its Spicer EV Drive axles for electric vans to manage the speed and torque from the e-motor to the wheels. Now planned for 2018, Dana will provide new e-axles for electric buses and city delivery vehicles that will feature a fully integrated motor and gearbox. A business called Hyliion was founded in 2015 in America to focus on converting trucks and trailers into hybrids. By using the Dana e-axles, the company originally offered a solution to convert new or existing trailers into hybrids by capturing the energy as the trailer runs downhill, then reapplies it for drive through the same axle to go back up the hill. The operation is completely autonomous and, during trials, Hyliion claims to reduce fuel by 21 percent on standard American truck combinations. Earlier this year Hyliion followed its trailer solution with a new truck system called the Hyliion 6x4HE, a hybrid electric driveline, again with the Dana e-axle. The system can be retrofitted to most trucks by replacing one of the drive axles with an e-axle, battery pack, an auxiliary power unit, cooling, plus a few smarts. The system works similarly to the trailer option, generating electricity when braking or going downhill and then reapplying the power to assist the engine when it is under high load. Hyliion claims that by using the 6x4HE system
it can reduce truck fuel bills by 27 percent, through a combination of powering the truck forward and powering the auxiliaries. As well as fuel savings, additional benefits include reduced brake wear, a reduction of idle time and less strain on the diesel engine. Meritor in North America has also been working on its own system. Called the e-carrier, it’s a drop-in replacement for the company’s existing axles, so it does not disrupt standard axle and suspension installations. This allows for its inclusion across many applications, including trailers, and, because the electric motor is integrated into the axle, space is freed up for batteries and other components. It also eliminates the need for expensive drivelines to a separate motor. With an integrated two-speed electric carrier platform, it can deliver 150-200 kW of continuous power. Another name new to Australian operators is that of Adgero. Formed in France in 2014 to offer hybrid solutions for trailers across Europe, in 2016 Adgero launched a trailer built by British manufacturer SDC, incorporating its hybrid solution fitted for the well-known European transport company, Eddie Stobart. During trials, the company claimed similar figures to others, adding that the trailer hybrid could provide fuel savings of up to TrailerTorque ISSUE 83
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25 percent on semitrailers. It uses an electrically driven axle and a bank of ultra-capacitors to capture the kinetic energy (KERS), then using this energy to repower the vehicle to assist the diesel engine. The move into powering vehicle systems through the axles is not just confined to the research and development programmes of the vehicle and axle manufacturers. The availability of “free” electricity from these systems opens up a wide range of possible applications, not least being obvious benefits to the refrigerated transport industry. Carrier Transicold and Thermo King are both known to be trialling these systems. The Vector 8100 refrigeration system from Carrier Transicold is completely electric powered and can be coupled to an e-axle for power while in transit, plugging into a three-phase socket on the dock while parked. Thermo King also has an all-electric trailer fridge unit that works in a similar way.
Holmwood Highgate in Brisbane recently talked of using e-axles to power electric emersion heaters on bitumen tankers, as profiled in the February issue of PowerTorque. Engineers at Holmwood Highgate have moved on from using gas burners to keep the bitumen at the required temperature while in transit, replacing the traditional gas burners with electric heaters. The electric heaters are currently powered by tanker-mounted diesel generators, but with development work continuing it may not be long before an alternative of using e-axles may be available in the marketplace. Having onboard electrical power generation and storage capacity has the potential to change the design of many trailers in common use, not just for refrigerated trailers, but also with tankers, taillifts and the replacement of hydraulic power-take-off systems. Issues previously associated with electric motors – being their size, weight and cost – are all quickly being resolved, along with problems associated with the cooling required. But the biggest advancements have been with the batteries, where smaller units can now be placed between the chassis rails at reasonable cost, reducing the payback periods for investing in the conversions considerably. With major cities across the world, such as Paris, Madrid, Athens, Mexico City and others, considering a mandatory reduction of diesel engines, the transition to electric power will undoubtedly accelerate in the next few years. And don’t expect this push to be confined to overseas markets either, as public opinion will ultimately push our legislators for similar pollution standards beyond the introduction of stiffer Euro 6 emissions legislation.
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ROCK SOLID Bruce Rock Engineering is a standout performer for trailer buyers that rank reliability and durability as the key to profitability – Words and images by Chris Mullett.
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here’s no doubt that Western Australia does things differently from the rest of the country. This view may largely be because of the continuing rise and fall of the mining industry, making long-term planning comprise of sometimes unrealistic expectations, but predominantly it’s because of the heat, dust and generally harsher operating conditions that equipment has to contend with.
Dirt roads, haul roads in mining areas and maximum weights of triple and four-trailer road trains exceeding 200 tonnes all contribute to the need for solid engineering. And, when you add ambient temperatures that can reach 60 degrees Celsius, it sets equipment suppliers in the west a tougher challenge than the operating conditions faced by their competitors on the east coast. TrailerTorque was recently invited to visit Bruce Rock Engineering, a West Australian trailer builder with a 40-year history that remains today a family-owned and operated company. It would be a reasonable assumption to believe that Bruce Rock Engineering was named after its founder, but the reality is that Bruce Rock is indeed a town and a Western Australian shire in its own right.
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Founded in 1913 in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, the town of Bruce Rock is named in respect of a low granite outcrop that lies to the east of the township, that in turn was named after a sandalwood cutter named John Rufus Bruce. Bruce Rock Engineering was founded by Mike and Gay Verhoogt in 1980 and has since grown to include six business units, today managed by their three sons with Damion as managing director, Keenan as mechanical and tyre division manager, and Brenton, who runs the Transbeam operation at Forrestfield.
BRUCE ROCK ENGINEERING The company bases its design, manufacturing and production centre at the town of Bruce Rock, adjacent to the Continental Tyre service and distribution centre that operates as a separate division of the company. Understandably, with the number of tyres purchased annually by the Bruce Rock Engineering Group, it made sound business sense to establish an in-house tyre supply and specialist fitment centre to provide a holistic truck and trailer maintenance solution for their clients. The group sales, service and maintenance sites are located at Forrestfield, a suburb of Perth, plus Port Hedland, which supports the company’s clients in the Pilbara. It’s important to note that Bruce Rock Engineering is the only trailer OEM represented with its own facilities in this region. The Forrestfield location is a relatively recent development that opened two years ago and provides sufficient ground area for further expansion. It houses CNC plate processing equipment that is integral to the company’s manufacturing ability. It is also the home to Transbeam Industries, a division of the group that fabricates specialist welded beams, overhead cranes for factories and major construction projects. It also supplies Hardox wearparts and cutting edges for earthmoving equipment. Lee Maddison, sales manager for Bruce Rock Engineering, explained that with an annual production in excess of 250 trailers, the product split is currently 60-70 percent in favour of side tippers, followed by 15-20 percent of trailers for varied applications.
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TRAILERTORQUE “Our traditional client base is centred on agricultural logistics and bulk haulage, and the demand for trailers and equipment is influenced by seasonal variations as dictated by weather and crop performance. As a consequence, our total product range is diverse, with skels, deck wideners, extendable flat-tops and dropdecks along with regular end-tipping and side-tipper designs,” said Lee. Ryan DuPlessis is the senior engineer for the design team based at the Bruce Rock manufacturing facility. “Bruce Rock Engineering fits electronic stability systems with rollover mitigation as standard on all semitrailers and dog trailers that we build, with optional fitment on dollies. We install, commission and certify the installation of EBS and all the ancillary systems”, said Ryan. “A typical example of the unique WA operating arena is a PBS-approved 60-metre length super-quad road train. These have a payload is 145 tonnes with a gross weight up to 199 tonnes,” said managing director Damion Verhoogt. “These combinations comprise a tri-drive prime mover, with four, full-sized, tri-axle dog trailers linked by an additional tri-axle dolly.
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TRAILERTORQUE “Our experience in design and manufacturing for this high efficiency unit resulted in our unique patented design of drawbar. This provides superior strength and coupling performance with exceptional stability, especially with multicombination units. We have also completed seven-axle dog trailer combinations that extend gross weight to 217 tonnes GVM, again at 60 metres overall length,” said Damion. “There are obvious similarities between transport requirements on opposite sides of the country, and in North Queensland we are represented by our dealer John Barnes and his team at Barnsey’s Trailer and Truck Sales of Rockhampton,” added Damion. There is strong logic behind the current expansion plans of the Bruce Rock Engineering Group, with the company looking hard at opportunities available on the east coast to introduce operators to the lightweight steel trailer designs that have earned it such a high reputation amongst its customers.
“Our grain tippers are renowned for being of high quality and the lightest tare weight, steel bodied, full chassis tippers in Australia” 116
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BRUCE ROCK ENGINEERING “Our grain tippers are renowned for being of high quality and the lightest tare weight, steel bodied, full chassis tippers in Australia,” said Lee. “In fact, our grain tippers are often the same tare weight as some tip-over-axle trailers with aluminium bodies. The weight advantage comes from the same features that also give our grain tipper bodies their strength. The unique rounded bowl design gives strength without extra steel and also provides an exceptionally clean discharging tipper with no hang-ups. Tare weights range from 6.1 to 7.2 tonnes,” he added As typified by a recent B-double grain tipper slider combination delivered to Sullivan Bulk Haulage of Maryknoll, Victoria, the light-weight, high-efficiency rolled steel bowl design of the body with a full 2.5 m width resists any sticking of product inside the trailer when discharging loads such as fertiliser and stockfeed.
“After seeing the Bruce Rock Engineering product during my time in WA, I knew they would easily cut it on the east coast as a great trailer set that tares off at 14.2 t for the A and B trailer,” said Matt Sullivan, managing director of Sullivan Bulk Haulage. “In 2008 we converted to using ultra high-tensile steel in our chassis as standard, using Swedish steel “STRENX” of 700 MPA for all our chassis work. This has enabled the weight of a steel grain or quarry trailer to be highly competitive with those of aluminium, while offering substantially extended life,” said Damion. “There are no pillars around the tailgate to restrict discharge and the smooth flow also reduces the risk of contamination between different loads,” added Damion. A joint venture with trailer manufacturer Wabash National Corporation in the United States has resulted in the Bruce Rock Engineering Group being appointed the Australian
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TRAILERTORQUE distributor for Wabash products across Australia, adding a high-quality range of refrigerated and dry freight trailers offering high levels of thermal insulation efficiency with low tare weights. Wabash National Corporation is the largest producer of trailers in North America, and the second largest trailer producer in the world. “Wabash refrigerated trailers are constructed completely from aluminium, foam and composite materials and do not contain fibreglass or timber. Available in a variety of lengths, they conform to the latest MUA-rating for insulation thermal efficiency,” said Lee Maddison. “With a tare weight that is some 25 percent lighter than conventional designs, each fridge van is imported fully assembled into the country as a roll-on-roll-off trailer from Lafayette, Indiana. It can be ordered with all the running gear fitted or as a base unit to which we add fridge units, axles and suspension according to customer preference. “The Americans don’t have a roll-back trailer design as they don’t run B-doubles, so we bring in the base unit to our requirements, and at Bruce Rock Engineering we build the chassis, suspension and roll-back system,” Lee added
“Another new addition to the Bruce Rock Engineering portfolio is the representation of Etnyre trailers of North America, to distribute products such as the Etnyre Falcon, live-bottom belt discharge trailer through WA, SA and the Northern Territory,” said Lee Maddison. “Live-bottom rear-discharge trailers are gaining recognition for their unique unloading capability offering greater stability and easier control of product discharge in areas such as road paving or construction. Operators can also vary the unloading speed and stop product delivery during the unloading cycle. “The integrated hydraulic drive horizontal conveyor enables the discharge of asphalt and bulk products in a controlled and efficient delivery solution without having to raise the body for tipping. This allows the trailer to work in tunnels and under bridges, powerlines and other overhead infrastructure where access may be difficult. “With light tare weights in the region of 7.3 tonnes for a triaxled unit, they deliver a more regulated flow of material when interfacing with the paving machine. The belt is high temperature and the body has external insulating material to ensure asphalt temperature is maintained for longer. “The Etnyre Falcon complements our own range of Bruce Rock side and end tippers by offering clients a solution that is not provided by traditional equipment,” added Lee.
“Allowing the trailer to work in tunnels and under bridges, powerlines and other overhead infrastructure where access may be difficult.” 118
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L-R Damion and Keenan Verhoogt
West-Trans Equipment (Head Office) 9A Cunneen Street, Mulgrave NSW 2756 Phone: 1300 877 411 sales.nsw@west-trans.com.au www.west-trans.com.au
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TRAILERTORQUE
TRAILER TORQUE NEWS
T
The latest in trailer technology from around the world
railer design and technology aims to solve the problems of transporting loads of differing sizes between different locations. It’s a quest for perfection that’s influenced by local legislation, road conditions, height and overall weight limits, ambient temperature and of course size.
Different countries approach the challenge of finding the best transport solution by negotiating their way through all these design parameters, and, although not every solution will work in all countries, by looking at what works for some, even if it doesn’t work for others, it gives us ideas that we can adapt for our own advantage. TrailerTorque News brings our readers the latest information about the industry from all points on the globe. We start with our home base in Australia where Graham Lusty Trailers (GLT) is refining its aftersales service for customers in Victoria and southern New South Wales. James Yerbury, managing director of GLT, has announced a new company strategy of establishing a service network of GLT approved workshops located nearer to customers’ operational areas. Backing up this network will be a highly experienced GLT mobile field technician who will handle any specialised repairs and facilitate all general repairs through the workshop network.
Expansion of GLT’s Brisbane-based manufacturing centre has absorbed the additional workload from the company’s Campbellfield facility in Victoria, which was originally set up four years ago to manufacture new trailers and will now be closed.
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“We have a very skilled team here at Brisbane, which allows us to maintain high levels of build quality while increasing output,” said Graham Lusty. “The new service network will be more effective and efficient at handling GLT customers’ needs than one single location within Melbourne,” added Graham Lusty, CEO of GLT.
NEWS MaxiTRANS has released “Landslide ®”. Claimed to be the only proprietary tipper liner in Australia, Landslide ® has been developed to engineer the tipper and liner in unison, ensuring the ideal tip. Initially available as an option on all Hamelex White ® standard width trailers and bodies, Landslide ® reduces the tip angle of an end-over tipper by up to 30 percent, compared to a tipper with no liner installed, reducing the trailer’s centre of gravity and providing a safer more stable tipping platform. As a further safety benefit, the height of the tipped trailer is also lower, reducing the chance of it making contact with overhead obstacles.
tracted us onlookers at s lined by curio wa e ut ro ole The wh eration. ing transport op the record-break
by
MaxiTRANS is able to install Landslide ® during the primary manufacturing process to speed production times, rather than being installed after completion by a third party. Landslide ® is affixed to the trailer using a unique method that eliminates the need for rivets, reducing catch points inside the tub and resulting in better product discharge. Meanwhile, over at TEFCO Trailers, Rob Brown has confirmed the company will be handling the importation of Red River live-bottom discharge trailers developed by Trail King of North America. These will be marketed nationally under the TEFCO brand.
Just a few centim etres separated the cargo from of the underpas the co s.
ncrete
In more global news, Trail King has announced a joint distribution agreement with German manufacturer Goldhofer, with each company adding the products of the other brand to their portfolios in Europe and the USA. Moving to Germany, and Goldhofer has been working with the KAHL Group to complete the transport of the world’s most powerful transformer to the port of Nuremberg, a Siemens 1100 KV UHVDC with a deadweight of 535 tons. The move required two Goldhofer modules, with a THP/ST 10 P (1+1) up front and at the back a PST/SL-E 10 P (1+1) coupled in parallel with a G2 I K600 high girder bridge from Goldhofer and Greiner. The KAHL Group took delivery of the world’s first G2 I K600 high girder bridge back in 2015. The high girder bridge has been designed for a maximum configuration of 2 x 24 axle lines and a maximum payload of no less than 600 tons. Depending on the cargo, the G2 I K600 offers the flexibility for use not only as a high girder bridge but also as a side girder deck, vessel bridge or selfsupporting schnabel transporter. With a length of 63 m, a width of 7.45 m and a height of 6.10 m, the laden rig became a record-breaker with an overall weight of 875 tons.
arriving The 875-tonne rig
at its destinatio
n, the port of Nu
remberg.
Months of preparation involved computer simulation of the route to reproduce possible hazards and potential obstructions. After an operation lasting just under 20 hours, the rig finally reached the port of Nuremberg where it was loaded onto a barge to take it to Antwerp, from where the 3300 km long journey to China continued by sea. TrailerTorque ISSUE 83
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TRAILERTORQUE Kässbohrer, Europe’s fourth largest and fastest growing semitrailer manufacturer, is this year celebrating its 125th anniversary. In the extended heavy haulage category, Kässbohrer offers an extendable low-bed range, non-extendable low-bed range, units with hydraulic steering plus a lowloader range. Each model comes with multiple axle options and platform choices to suit specific transportation challenges. Examples include the extended low-bed range, the truck transporter (Flex-Carrier) as well as heavy-duty middle extendable flatbed platform. Kässbohrer’s K.SLL low-loader series includes units with two or three axles, equipped with hydraulicsteering, hydro-pneumatic suspension, remotesteering and auto-alignment options. With a special pool height, the K.SLL series enables transportation of heavy goods with up to 3700 mm height. The bolted gooseneck shortens the loading process of bulky goods and increases safety during front loading and unloading. Kässbohrer’s K.SLA and K.SLS extendable and non-extendable low-bed series provide a wide range of options, such as side extension brackets, seven different rear ramp options, advanced load safety features and multiple self-steering axle options for enhanced manoeuvrability in the toughest working conditions. Additionally, two pairs of wheel recesses and an excavator arm recess are adaptable to the chassis to accept construction machinery such as backhoe loaders, dumpers, harvesters, etc. Kässbohrer’s extendable flatbed platform semitrailer series, K.SPA M and K.SPA X, provide flexible and safe transportation solutions for heavy, long, flat and bulky goods thanks to their extendable and flat chassis, variable container positioning combinations and different load safety options. Adaptable to trucks with low fifth-wheel heights, with its extendable chassis and sliding ramp features, the K.SPA series features advanced load safety features and enhanced manoeuvrability. Kässbohrer’s special truck transportation semitrailer, the Flex Carrier K.SOK L, was engineered to focus on the cartage of heavy trucks, construction machinery, pick-ups, autobuses and minibuses. This unit is extendable up to 16,600 mm with two different combinations, both from middle and rear, and has a self-steering axle that offers maximum manoeuvrability while it is extended. The multiple uses of foldable decking ramps allow different combinations of loading according to types of load and provide easy loading via the rear aluminium ramps.
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