MAN wins on the slopes
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by Bryan Jarvis IN West Country heavy haulier Dunkerley Transport has invested over £100,000 in the first top-powered MAN F90 6x6 in the UK. It's teamed up with a nine-axled German-built Scholler modular semi-low loader, which is also believed to be the only one of its type on British roads, The rig has a GTW of 250 tonnes: its first job was moving a flask from Italy via Portsmouth docks to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, running at 135 tonnes gross.
A number of Special Types operators have opted for 8x4 tractors; Dunkerley opted for a 6x6 for the extra traction — at 250 tonnes gross the F90 has 3% better gradeability than a ballasted 8x4 MAN 40.502.
"My criteria were quite simple," says Michael Dunkerley. "It had to be capable of hauling 250 tonnes over Mont Blanc on a wet day and this six-legger has more than enough ability to do just that." Dunkerley has a pair of MAN 150-tonne heavy haulers and two centurions (100-tonners) in his fleet. He swears by the marque: "There's nothing to touch them, especially at those weights."
The 40-tonne GVW 40.502 DFAT 6x6 is built at MAN's Viennese heavy engineering subsidiary, OAF, It is powered by the enormously torquey D2840 charge-cooled vee-10 diesel which delivers 368kW (500hp) at 1,900rpm and no less than 2,350Nm (1,7331bft) of torque between 900 and 1,300rpm.
It drives through a ZF Transmatic WSK 400 torque converter, combined clutch and integral retarder, to the highest rated Ecosplit gearbox, the 165 220A with integral transfer case. Selection of 16 forward and two reverse gears is via drive-by-wire Easy Shift which makes down-changes easy on severe gradients even with such heavy loads.
MICHAEL DUNKERLEY
MAN hub reduction axles with differential and cross-axle locking provide permanent drive to the front wheels. With a final drive ratio of 5.22:1 and 315/80Rx22.5 tyres the MAN has a geared top speed of 88 km/h (55mph).
More important, at 250 tonnes it has a 14.2% (1-in-7) gradeability in first gear with the 1.5:1 stepdown gearing of the transfer box. In direct drive gradeability falls 8.7% (1in-l1.5), Outer axle spread is 5.3m within an overall length of 7.45m. Ground clearances are 430mm front and 360mm rear. A frame mounted behind the cab carries a heavy duty cooling system, fluid reservoir and radiator for the torque converter, spare wheel and a winch.
For continental work, where such heavy "Convoi Exceptionelle" trailers are normally pulled, rather than carried on a fifth wheel coupling, Dunkerley is having a 250-tonne Rockinger 56E drawbar coupling attached to the rear cross-member.
OAF has equipped the 6x6 with a 1,540W three-phase alternator, which is particularly useful when shifting long girders at night: "With additional marker lights needed every 3.66m (12ft) the outfit can end up looking like a Christmas tree," says Dunkerley. "This gives us that extra capacity and more besides."
He anticipates that before long such heavy indivisible loads will be moved in the UK during the hours of darkness so it is a very useful option.
Dunkerley is not worried by the thought of private security firms taking over escort duties from the police. Not only would such a move release police resources for crime fighting, he believes, it would spell an end to delays waiting for escorts to arrive and when crossing county borders. It might also mean that quicker outfits could travel independently of slower outfits.