Gardner raises power stakes
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with new 6LXDT
• Gardner's long-awaited 213kW (310hp) 6LDXT engine should become available to UK operators at the end of the summer, and will debut at the NEC Motor Show in Birmingham this October. The 12.7-litre turbocharged 213kW 6LXDT will have a maximum torque of some 1,360Nm (1,000Ibft) and revised turbochar&g and cooling.
Speculation is rife over which UK chassis manufacturer will be the first to fit it. Foden must be a contender, although its fellow Sandbach-based heavy truck builder, ERF, appears to be committed to the 242kW (325hp) charge-cooled Cummins L10, which is scheduled to arrive before the summer (CM 4-10 February).
Seddon Atkinson says that it has yet to make a final decision on what proprietary engines it will be fitting in its new heavy truck models, expected this summer, but confirms that it is aware of Gardner's plans for the 6LXDT.
ERF has now officially dropped the option of the Gardner 6LYT 15.5-litre engine from its three-axle tractive unit line-up, but will still offer the 6LXDT on its 8x4 tipper and 4 x 2 artics.
With the exception of PSV applications, the ill-fated 6LYT is no longer available.
Gardner is now pinning a great deal on the 6LXDT in the truck and bus market. Following the launch of the 213kW version, a horizontal variant is expected to be developed for PSV applications, before an even more powerful charge-cooled version of the 6LXDT is produced, with a power rating of around 261kW.