IRTE TONICS AT TELFORD SHOW
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Telford held its usual crop of new products and services for the workshop at the IRTE show. Colin Sowman reports.
Car parking is almost impossible and the availability of refreshments may be limited but the delegates and exhibitors keep coming to the IRTE show. An array of aftermarket products and suppliers packed the exhibition halls to such an extent that it would take the full three days of the show to see them all.
As an illustration of the fact that nothing stays the same in our industry, there were product improvements and two launches into the very mature market of automatic chassis lubricat ii in.
Vogel has reduced the number of moving parts in its pneumatic trailer system by 60"0. This adds to reliability. says its UK importer Econoauise, while enclosing the grease in bellows prevents ultra violet light from acting on biodegradable greases. All Vogel products now come with a two-year warranty. For more information write 70 on the reader reply card.
Tecalemit's AC multiline system (for up to 12 points) has a redesigned lid to prevent possible water ingress (card: 71). It now has a bottom fill option, although the lid is still removable, and is able to handle grade 1 and 2 greases. A paddle in the transparent reservoir helps the thicker grease feed down and indicates that the cam is rotating. Prices are about 14° above those of the old system, Filterkleen (card: 72) was exhibiting the pneumatic single line Lubrakleen system which, by virtue of a horizontal pump, has a reduced overall height. This minimises the risk of damage, says the company. Up to 150 points can be lubricated with shot sizes ranging from 8inin3 to 80rnm3, Filterkleen says the system can handle any of the usual greases with shot timing from 20 to 90 minutes.
Ferna Lube is the name of Motec's (card: 73) entry to the automatic chassis lubrication system market. It is a single-line system in either high or low pressure depending on which grease is used. Both units can feed up to 100 points using a maximum air pressure of 9 bar with output pressures of 234 or 117 bar.
Also on the Motec stand was a compressed air filter and moisture/oil remover. The system, called Truckmaster, uses two-stage filtration and spins the air to remove particles down to 30 microns. Subsonic and supersonic expansion of the air is said to remove up to 99".0 of all liquids. Unlike a desiccant filter, oil does not stop the system working, says Motec. The cost is J.:340.
WATER CLEARANCE
Tyres, one of the highest costs in the workshop, were well represented at Telford, Continental (card: 74) displayed its new HS45 steer axle range which in 60, 70 and 80 series has a buttressed tread pattern. As the tyre wears, the grooves change from a straight radial groove to a zig-zag line. This is said to improve water clearance as the tread depth reduces. The 90 series uses a larger interlocking block tread pattern. According to Continental, trials on the HS45 have shown a 10-20% increase in life over the HS41 (which it will replace) and will carry a minimal price premium.
Longer life is among the improvements claimed by Pirelli (card: 75) for its new FH55 steer axle and TH65 drive axle tyres which were exhibited at IRTE. Both tyres are designed for long-distance work and are said to give 20% longer life, 5"...0 improvement in handling and a 10% improvement in grip and braking while reducing noise generation. Initially available in 315/80R 22.5 and 295/80R 22.5, the new products will run alongside the existing ranges.
At the other end of the business, Bandag (card: 76) was showing its Eclipse retread system. According to the company, attaching traditional cold cap retreads can cause stresses in the casing as two different radii are forced together and vulcanised. By preparing the casing to a pre-determined radius profile to match the cap, full contact with the casing can be made without introducing stresses to either. Because of the lower stress levels Bandag says it can make the cap wider allowing a greater tread area and shoulder, thus prolonging life. Already available in wide single sizes, the show saw the introduction of a range of drive axle patterns.
Tyre distributor Motorway (card: 77) was showing its truck fleet tyre management system. It starts with fleet visits and a document is drawn up to rectify all faults and lay down . the tyre policy for the fleet. The local depot is given a copy too and is then audited to ensure it fulfills the requirements. Fleets get a single invoice but this can be broken down into spend per depot, spend per vehicle or spend per tyre type/size or product group.
Ferodo (card: 78) used the show to launch its latest asbestos-free friction material 3658F which is said to have a reduced bedding-in period. Lining life and costs are said to be the same as the 3651 material it replaces. This is due to the new material mimicking asbestosbased products more closely which also gives extended drum life, says the manufacturer.
In 18 months of trials the new material has not exhibited any noise or judder-related problems. Another advantage of the material is its consistent friction characteristics from cold to 400°C, although wear rates still increase with temperature. Initially available for trailer relines the new material will be released for truck brakes in a couple of months. A new semi-metallic asbestos-free disc pad material was being displayed by European Friction Industries (card: 79). By replacing the graphite in the formulation with other forms of carbon, the company says the pads are kinder to discs—prolonging their life by up to 25%. The range covers vehicles from a van to a 38-tonner.
Staying with friction faces but in another context, Sachs (card: 81)) launched 'Fleet Service' at the show. The aim is to get replacement clutches to the workshop in the shortest possible time.
A computerised database will be set up with all the fleet's clutch requirements by depot. When a replacement is needed the nearest of Sachs' 100 outlets will provide the all new unit with the fleet being presented with a single invoice through the manufacturer.
PREVENT SEIZING
Spicer (card: 82) was showing its Powerthread adjustment system. In essence the adjusting system remains the same but with a much coarser thread to prevent the mechanism seizing up if not used for a while. All new clutches incorporate the improvements and aftermarket units can be specified with the modification for a marginal price increase.
Tecalemit (card: 83) showed its latest brake tester, the DE 5000. It has electronic operation with both a digital and analogue readout and is operated by remote control. Load simulation is by an electro-hydraulic system and there is input for system air pressure. Later in the year an enhanced model will be available with VI vehicle specification database. The version shown costs £19,995 installed into a prepared site.
Two wheel fixing products were at the show, Disc-Lock and RotaBolt. The US manufactured Disc-Lock nut (Workshop June 1992) is now available through W Kellett to 400 independent factors (card: 84). RotaBolt (card: 85) has a small diameter central bolt inside the wheel stud. When the stud is correctly torqued the head of the RotaBolt will not turn —if it is loose, it will. So a finger and thumb check can be done to check the nut torque without the need for a wrench.
Stateline Diesel (card: 86) was pleasantly surprised at the interest in its display of reconditioned gearboxes and axles. The Southampton-based company will recondition a TwinSplitter gearbox using OE parts for an exchange price of around £1,450. A reconditioned Rockwell S160E differential has an exchange price of about £850. The company offers a nationwide collection and delivery service and expects to fill 70% of orders off the shelf. All reconditioned units carry a 12-month warranty. Stateline offers a 24-hour repair service on gearboxes and dills and also reconditions or manufactures propshafts.