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for the top
• by Bryan Jarvis
Seddon Atkinson's EuroMover is due at next week's Commercial Vehicle show before series production starts in April: CM has had another glimpse of the rearsteer 6x2 as Seddon begins the process of introducing righthookers to UK dealers, distributors and potential customers.
This coincides with last week's appointment of John Schofield as general manager, following the departure of Giuseppe Franchi to become managing director of lveco Ford Truck.
The 6x2 is one of five models in the new municipal range: it sells alongside standard Pacer chassis, All have the specially adapted Iveco .EuroTech medium-roof cab and Iveco Cursor A engines, complete with their unit injectors and variable-geometry turbochargers.
Electronic fuel control helps the Cursor deliver 750Nm of torque at just 800rpm with more than enough power to keep noise down to a reasonable level when compacting in housing estates during the wee small hours. Allison MD3560P automatic transmissions are standard throughout.
The EurcMover's cab with its four-point suspension is based on Iveco's MHC medium-roof sleeper, built and trimmed in Madrid and shipped to Oldham for final fitting. It mounts ahead of the engine with the radiators, air cleaners and exhaust stacked behind and shielded by side panels (as in the competing Marshall cab), This helps Seddon keep the cab fairly low with a floor that is just 650mm off the deck. To enhance forward visibility the driver's air-sprung seat is on a 160mm-high plinth. Access from the right is via a single, illuminated step set at 420mm.
Walk-in aisle
The crew can exit quickly and safely as the 1.85m-high door opens just beyond 90' to reveal a 460mm-high step (when unladen) and a FOmmwide walk-in aiSle. The gap is just under 700mm with the seats folded back. Headroom is 2,3m and all four seats have headrests and three-point seat-belt anchorages.
A dash-mounted gear selector button pad, cruise control, tinted windscreen, heated mirrors and non-slip rubber matting come as standardoptions include air conditioning and an extra heater. Storage pockets are sited around the walls at head height but few crews will ever reach the roof hatch: it's only there because it would cost money to take it out.
wheelbases from 3.8m to 5.2m. The 8.0wane front axle has disc brakes and there's four-bag air suspension on the Hittonne back axle.
The other four three-axled rigids in the EuroMover range all have air suspen
sjon, lifting third axles and rear drum brakes.
The 23-tonner, with its lifting mid-axle, is available at 245hp and 275hp (183kW/205kW): the 26-tonne 6x2 is rated at 275hp or 300hp (183k1N/224kW) with a twin or rear hydraulic steering arrangement. The rear-steer version has the smaller turning circle of the two at 16.9m, against the twin-steer's 1Bm.
The UK disposes of nigh-or 24-million tonnes of domestic waste a year, and more than 70% of it goes to landfill; that's why many operators favour double-drive axles. Seddon's 6x4, with its 275hp or 300hp power options, has Hendrickson HN402 rubber suspension over the bogie, and there are crossaxle and inter-axle diff-locks.
While most examples leave the factory with their batteries and air tanks on the nearside, UK versions will have them swapped over to accommodate sack carriers and side lifts.
Ground clearance under the cab is 265mm but with ECAS controls the driver can raise the chassis still further-a useful feature on landfill sites. Commercial operations director Mel Staddon acknowledges that Seddon has lost ground to Dennis's 30%-plus share of a market that has grown steadily since 1991 to last year's tally of1,247 units.
Landfill sites
Despite cuts in finance, this is still a wealthy sector with 467 local authorities as well as the private companies spending around .29bn between them on plant and vehicles. A fully equipped 6x4 26-tonner costs in the region of .£120,000. At present Dennis's Elite seems to be the low-entry choice for many operators, just ahead of Seddon Atkinson, leaving Merc's Econic, the Marshail chassis and ERFs centre-steer and conventional binwagons fighting for the rest of the business.
But, just like the Elite, Econic et al, the EuroMover can be adapted for fire-fighting, drinks delivery or airport work.
Staddon makes no bones about EuroMover: "We think it's just made for the job and should get Seddon Atkinson back on top of the UK sales chart again."