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Trailers
Page 21
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2 The Garhvright GRP box van trailer Is 13.6rn long, 2.55m wide and 4.2m tall with a 1.25m coupling height. it has barn doors at the rear, Jost Medul landing gear and Merttor FL9000 air suspension.
Mentor also provides the disc brake axles with Haidex supplying the braking system. It runs on Michelin 385/65R.225 tyres and weighs in at 7,940kg unladen. The curtainsider has the same dimensions and specifications with barn doors at the rear. It sports blue PVC curtains and weighs in at 7,440kg unladen. Both vehicles are built to Transrent's 2003 fleet specification.
Tractive units
• MAN provided the motive power for the tests. The 4x2 fleet spec 'WA 18.360, with the L sleeper cab, is powered by the 02868 12-litre six-pot turbocharged diesel with Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EBB). it produces 355hp and 1,700Nm torque, and has the TipMatic 12-speed automated gearbox. The cab stands at 3,457mm tall with the air management kit, and the kerbweight for the 3.9m wheelbase version is 6,8351(g.
The 6x2 TGA 26.461) XXL cab weighs in at 8,060kg and stands at 3,910mm high unladen. Under the hood sits the six-cylinder, 12.8-litre 02876 turbocharged engine with EGR.
It produces 453hp peak power and returns 2,100Nm between 900rpm and 1,300rpm with the 2F 16-speed gearbox turning power into forward motion.
The test procedure
a The Cartwright trailers were coupled in turn to the two MAN TGA tractors, representing fleet and ownerdriver specifications. The lighter curtainsider had a 500kg ballast lead to even It out with the box trailer and the two MANs.
We ran them around the closed track at the MIRA proving ground to provide constant speed results at 50mph. The fuel test was tank-topto-tank-top and consisted of 15 laps per run with a 0.3-mile run Into the en-site pumps. The weather was consistent for the fuel trial with a steady south-westerly wind.
The results
• There was a significant difference running the TGA 360 4x2 fleet tractor with the two trailers, both in litres used and productivity. On five axles, hauling the benchmark curtalnsider the 104 360 used 9.3% more fuel than the box trailer.
Even though the curtainsider has a 500kg better payload, it also suffered on productivity (mpg x payload x average speed), with the box offering the operator 7.1% better efficiency.
Running on six axles with the TOA 460 6x2, the difference in fuel consumption is much closer, with the box combination using 51% less than its curtainsider stablemate. The productivity gap is also closed to 3.2% in favour of the box van.
Conclusions
IN The straight fuel results were as conclusive as we expected them to be, se we have hardly reinvented the wheel with this test. But we have discovered that the smaller the cab in front of the trailer and the smaller the power rating, then the greater the difference in relative consumption figures.
The 6x2's higher XXL cab has better upfront aerodynamics and a more powerful 460hp engine, so didn't really break into a sweat.
it is too simplistic to paint at the figures and say it's a box trailer that you need—even though it provides better aerodynamics, improved fuel consumption and potentially better productivity. its benefits are countered by the lack of versatility and the lass of a half-tonne of payload.
Ultimately, your operation will dictate your choice of trailer, but if you are caught between the two and don't need side access, we recommend the box trailer because it saves fuel and offers superior productivity.