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Breakdowns are the bane of every fleet ehigineer's existence, but they are bread and butter for Bedford-based John Arnold Commercials.
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CM spent a day riding shotgun on its special MAN TGX...
Words: Ian Tonkin
The world of truck recovery: can be an unpredictable one. and this was ably demonstrated on the day that CM met up with the team at Bedfordbased John Arnold Commercials.
• The plan was to meet at 8am and spend the day with the crew and their new MAN TGX 26.480 . recovery trUck, but a damn call-out to the Tilbury Docks meant we'd have to rendezvous a few hours later, hut more on that will follow;
Arnold-says that his company bought the TGX as a tool for the workshop. ".Rather than subcontracting recovery to-a third part), we can have total control of even job WC. do. and we know when a truck will be collected and delivered; 'which will benefit the customer in the long run. Our new recovery trick replaced three-vear-old-FGX, which me ,,old to a local operator. This one is an upgrade on the previous model, with heavier lilting equipment and a rrhirC power-Jul 4.130hp engine.
Arnold tells us that the TGX cost around .1:191l.floo with all the kit p;ii in job aione cost E11i.5,011.
'Arib'e've always had a r,,Aerv truck art hand 24 hours a day. sc.; en cia,; a 1.1/4 eek, 36;5 days a year, that travels to where its needed: it has even brought a fallen truck back from France, -.Alt-hi-unlit it's still early days, we are seeing 2.5mpg, improvement in fuel consumption over the previous MAN.
"On the hills, it easily reaches the speed limiter, whereas the other one could only manage about 35mph."
Climbing up the steps into the XXL cab, we are immediately struck by the simple — yet luxurious — interior. The white-on-black instrument panel is clear and easy to read (even from the passenger seat) and this theme continues on the steering wheel, which houses controls for the radio and cruise control.
Dials and buttons are lifted straight from VW/Audi, which is not a bad thing, and there's also a generous helping of leather (underneath the seat protectors that is).
There's plenty of room for six-foot-plus individuals to stand up and walk around in, while twin-bunks mean it can accommodate two drivers on rare overnight trips.
After setting off from the CM office to meet the recovery team at their Bedford location, the office rings with news of another call for help — an eight-legger Foden with a blown turbo near Newport Pagnell.
As we arrive at John Arnold HQ, we're met by workshop manager Gary Inwood who then takes us out in the new TGX to fetch the stricken Foden. This one was urgent — no time for tea and biscuits Inwood hunkers down over the steering wheel and turns the dial for the automatic gearbox to 'D' and we're off. As you might expect from a 26-tanner, the ride is solid and the cab well insulated from road noise and the engine.
As we slow down on the approach to a roundabout, the airbrake kicks in and Inwood turns with a wry smile and says: "You can hear it doing its thing, but you should hear it once we have a load on the back. It's fantastic."
The showpiece on the truck is the body, which comes courtesy of Boniface Engineering. The underlift is an Interstaer Mk6H with an extendable Lowline boom, twin 30,000lb winches with tow hooks, twin stabiliser arms and a custom-built stainless-steel body.
We find the Foden tipper parked on a lay-by on the A422. Inwood quickly leaps out and gets to work. "This is the first time I've picked-up a Exlen, so it should be interesting'.' he says, while lowering the boom with the wireless handheld remote control.
The boom goes under the front axles and it starts to lift the truck with seeming ease. Inwood stresses that the truck has to be lifted first then lowered onto small metal stilts: and only then is the boom fastened to the front axle.
He adds: 'We also disconnect the prop shaft so it doesn't wreck the gear when we're in transit."
Drive shaft
Once the Foden is secured, Inwood climbs under and starts dismantling the drive shaft — and he does it almost as easily as the MAN lifted the broken-down truck.
Inwood packs the metal part into one of the bespoke cupboards and secures it with the ratchet straps. And just like that, the job's done.
Inwood tells us that truck recoveries aren't all as easy as this one. -We were lucky that this truck was parked up in a lay-by and we had enough space in front to set it up, but I've had to perform a recovery where an HGV was parked half on the verge and half on the tar, and it was virtually impossible to get the boom underneath."
Driving any truck requires a considerable amount of skill, but try lowing a tractor unit as well, and you can imagine the sort of talent and concentration needed. This charming MAN On our way back to base with one green Foden in tow, to avoid the roadworks on the A421 adjacent to Junction 13 of the Ml, Inwood decides to take the shorter route through the villages of Bromham and Biddenham, Beds.
The roads are tight and narrow, hut Inwood keeps all the wheels in the middle of the road. Driving through the towns, the MAN imposes its presence and passers-by can't help hut give the silver TUX a second glance.
Returning to the workshop, Inwood unhooks the tipper and lowers it hack on to terra firma. "Recoveries are strange because we can be quiet, as we have been these past three weeks, and then all of a sudden, like today, we get two call-outs back-to-back. It keeps it interesting."
Our day drew to a close and, unfortunately (fortunately, for operators), there were no more breakdowns.
John Arnold's MAN possesses a certain charm that's difficult to find elsewhere. And coupled to the enthusiasm of the people that drive it, we can safely report that the commercial vehicle industry is safe in the hands of Inwood and the team at John Arnold. •