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OPERATOR FEEDBACK

16th May 2002, Page 26
16th May 2002
Page 26
Page 27
Page 26, 16th May 2002 — OPERATOR FEEDBACK
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• When the press release about Mike Fry taking a semi-automatic gearbox in a six-wheeled EuroTrakker mixer came across the CM technical desk we wondered why he chose that transmission.

When we asked Tarmac owner-driver Fry the same question he wondered why nobody rise was making the same decision. To him it was an obvious move, given that his operating area covers a large proportion of Central London where average traffic speeds were 'aster in the days of horses and carts.

Returning from several years abroad, Fry lecided that if he was going to go back to lelivering concrete it was not going to be the ;ame as when he left the industry a decade -arlier: "Traffic conditions had got even worse ;nd there was no way I was going back to a nanual transmission on a job that is top/start all day."

Unbeknown to Fry, Iveco had recently pecced and painted a 6/4 EuroTrakker in 'armac's colours, complete with a 6m3 iebherr barrel, for the company's owner-driers to try out. It was prepared by Guests 'rucks at West Bromwich for a demonstraon, and after ten minutes' familiarisation Fry :as impressed enough to buy it. That was last November: we caught up with him in April. As we climbed aboard, the barrel was already loaded and we duly headed off into the London traffic—but not very far. In fact, the on-road journey was about 400 metres. Hardly time for the transmission to show its worth; not so the chassis. There was a tight turn into the site, but this was no problem for the 3.5m-wheelbase Iveco and served as a perfect example of why he had opted for a six-legger rather than an eight: "I wouldn't have liked an 8m3 eight-legger in London."

The site was hard and dry but even in London that's not always the case and one site Fry visited was extremely muddy with inclines where some eight-wheelers had to be pulled out. No such problems with the Iveco: in fact Fry made his second delivery without engaging the diff-locks just to see if it could cope, and it did. He now has no worries about the lveco's on-site ability and adds that many sites have concrete pumps nowadays so it's not necessary to drive to the very spot the concrete is required.

The new EuroTralcker's extra chassis height and additional ground clearance also impressed Fry; "Somebody has sat down and thought 'let's do this properly'." This praise extends to the Liebherr body: "It won't get any better. They know what they are doing; they've been doing it for years", Fry says.

After five months and 8,000km, mud and dust have not gained much of a foothold inside the cab. Although the dash has a crinkly finish the crevices don't trap the dust too badly. Fry is careful to close the windows and doors when he leaves the truck under the batching plant and cleans the dashboard with an anti-static polish. His one gripe is the necessity to tilt the cab to dip and top up the engine oil, although acknowledges that there is an oil level gaug in the cab.

As we waited to tip we tried to come t some realistic conclusion about fuel con sumption figures. The engine doesn't sto] during the day but the tachograph disc reveal that a typical recorded distance is onl 30km per day! Fry fiiels up a couple of time a week, spending £750-800 a month o; diesel; our back-of-an-envelope calculation

it the consumption somewhere around the npg mark.

On the finance side, Tarmac effectively buys e truck up front and deducts a pre-deter:ined amount from his monthly earnings. then interest is included the total cost is ound £75,000 for the complete unit.

Tags

People: Mike Fry
Locations: London

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