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our wheels good
Page 18
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For some people, four-wheel drive is almost a matter of life or death, like being able to park the Discovery on the pavement outside the prep school. But others have a real need for reliable traction, such as the engineers who keep our electricity supply functioning around the clock. Colin Barnett recently joined Western Power Distribution to shakedown its latest off-road tool, the MAN 4m.
CM EXCLUSIVE
• Western Power is the result of a long series of mergers and de-mergers in the public utility sector. It provides electricity to the 2.4 million consumers in the southern half of Wales from the top of Radnorshire down, and all of England south-west of Bristol.
To help in this task, it runs a fleet of 2,500 vehicles including 300 trucks of 7.5 tonnes and above. Because electricity supply breakdowns rarely happen on main roads in fine weather, some of the fleet needs a certain level of off-road capability. At the smaller end of the spectrum, this is provided by Land Rovers and 4x4 Sprinters, but for tasks such as pole erection something bigger is needed. Until now, this task was fulfilled initially by venerable Bedfords and more recently by military-spec Leylands.
With these becoming rather aged, Western Power decided to replace them and at the same time, increase their size and capacity. After an extensive evaluation, it decided the only product suitable was manufactured by MAN.
It consequently ordered eight M2000 LE220Bs from Cardiff dealer MAN South Wales. On the day before the first example entered service, the new owner bravely allowed CM to give it a thorough evaluation on and offroad.
The eight MANs cost Western Power something in the region of £560,000, so you can guess that they are a little bit special. The MAN 4x4 is an offthe-shelf model, coming with a choice of 3.6m and 3.9m wheelbases, and 217hp or 276hp engines.
The primary gearbox is an Eaton 8309 nine-speeder, driving through an MAN G1000/2 two-speed transfer box with selectable four-wheel drive. The axles, which are hub reduction at the rear, both have dff locks which, like the other transmission functions, are pushbutton operated. Tyres are 395/85920 Michelin XZL off-roaders, with single rear wheels.
Safety is high-priority
Behind the cab is a 4.0m dropside body from GAP of Westbury which incorporates a pole support frame and crane stowage above the cab. The rearmounted crane is an Atlas 120.2 with a reach of 8.1m and four stabiliser legs, and also incorporates a hydraulic power source for tools such as an auger or a tamper.
A 10-tonne front-mounted winch can be doubled-up for self-recovery. After the cab phone and two-way radio, the fin
ishing touch is a Syegon central tyre inflation system providing on-road, track and rock settings at the touch of a button. This all adds up to a fair weight, but the MAN still has a payload of 7,000kg, enough for its needs.
Safety is a high priority on the Western Power MAN. The crane is radiocontrolled only, with a spare battery in a dash-mounted charger, and a proper ladder gives access to the body. Maximum visibility is ensured by fully glazed cab, a full set of three electric mirrors on each side, and a closedcircuit rear view TV.
All of this kit takes some learning, and as the truck could be driven by an unfamiliar driver should an emergency arise when the regular driver is out of hours, Western Power has taken the laudable step of producing a 40-page instruction manual covering the specialist equipment.