Hauliers' Daf suspensions fail by Charles Young • Hauliers in
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Wales have reported a potentially fatal failing in the rear suspension of their Leyland Daf 85 tippers. In three separate cases, one of the trunnion pins on the rear axle sheared, sending the truck out of control.
In the case of owneroperator John Blower, a serious accident was avoided by a matter of seconds. He had just passed a car going the other way on a left-hand bend when the offside rear locked up, sending him careering across the road.
"I heard a rush of air, and then a loud bang," says Blower. "I later found out the rush of air was the chassis going through the brake chamber. A second sooner and the car would have been in front of me."
The same failing occurred on tippers belonging to owner-operator Paul Davis and Richard Westcott of R Westcott and Son, Richard Westcott's dri ver was navigating an uphill roundabout at the time. "Had he been going the other way, downhill, he would have turned it over. As it happened he managed to stop two lorry lengths up the carriageway."
Paul Davis was only travelling at 15mph at the top of the pound and was able to bring the truck to a halt.
All three bought the eight-wheeler bulk tippers at the beginning of 1995 from Swansea Truck Centre and the problems occurred within weeks of each other last February. The trucks had covered a maximtun of 200,000 miles each.
Leyland Daf says the part in question needs regular greasing and suspects this has not been carried out.
However, if it does turn out to be a materials fault, the company says it will foot the bill. John Blower's nearside trunnion has been sent off for analysis and Daf is still waiting for the results.