Looking to the future
Page 57
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With most tippermen having to cope with a declining market, manufacturers are feeling the pinch too. But new designs are still coming through.
After several good years the tipper industry has succumbed to the pincer-like grip of high interest rates and low tipper returns.
From last year's boom, when registrations were running at their highest levels since 1973, there has been a steady decline in orders for new tippers. Even before the year was out many operators had decided to postpone their fleet replacements indefinitely, with an inevitable knock-on effect on the development of new bodywork and tipper gears.
Many manufacturers are surviving the drought simply by sticking to their best selling designs, maintaining their build quality and resisting the urge to climb aboard the discounting helter skelter.
In recent years some market sectors, such as the building and construction industry, have been extremely busy, resulting in record sales of eight-wheeler tippers. But with the dramatic reduction in building over the past year, expansion plans have been damped down and sales of 8x 4s halved to below 600.
Conversely, three-axled tippers have been cut back by 20% to just over 800 chassis, although quite a few hauliers have identified financial benefits in carrying a 17-tonne payload on a 6x4 chassis, compared with around three tonnes more on an eight-legger.
This cut-back is one reason why Crane Freuhauf's planned invasion of the rigid tipper market has been slow in developing. It is exhibiting a 20m3 6.6m-long French Benalu aluminium body on an lveco 300.32 8x4 chassis at this year's Tipcon. Its 1.3m-high sides are of 6.0mm alloy, while its 8.0mm-thick floor has a 4.0mm replaceable overlay over the rear 2.2m. A deep extruded aluminium section between floor and sides provides the corner radius, while its four-stage front-end ram is protected by the sloping bulkhead.
The use of front-end tipping gears has become something of a tradition with UK operators; many of the popular makes of bodywork, particularly on trailers, are designed around it. However there is an increasing interest in underfloor gear, such as the Harsh design which is marketed by York-based Ultimate Hydraulics.
It is suitable for rigids and trailers, and companies such as Wilcox, Craven Tasker, Don-Bur, Mackworth and Weightlifter are among those fitting it. At the same time it brought some much needed business to the smaller tipper manufacturers like Weltor, EC Paton, Randolph and Stanley.
of the 1,800 tipping trailers sold last year, most were for 38tonne operation, but even this sector has been hit by a 38% downturn in tractor registrations.
Because of the generally depressed state of the tipper market and the extra expense of fitting stabiliser systems, many manufacturers have looked to other means of improving stability, in the form of design improvements.
Neville Charrold, for example, has adopted York's 2,100mm-wide track Tec Axles across its latest 2000 Series tipper range and enhanced roll stability. In addition, bodybuilders have lowered chassis frames and overall body heights thus bringing down the centres of gravity, and are using lower tipping hinges.
Don-Bur specialises in building lightweight high-volume tipping trailers on fabricated all-aluminium chassis and this is an important design feature on its Supalowda models. It also uses an integrated floor structure to lower the fifth wheel area for extra volume and improved stability.
Despite its slightly higher cost over steel, there is still a strong demand for aluminium tippers in a business where payload is king. The likes of Wilcox, Crane Fruehauf, Craven Tasker Don-Bur, Weightlifter and Neville Charrold continue to supply most of the market between them.
Contrary to the express delivery market, where aesthetics and aerodynamics dominate, the tipper sector remains among the most conservative in its buying patterns. This is underlined by the popularity of Charrolds' recently revised Nimrod 2000 trailer which is built in a traditional hoop-supported 'Bathtub' style. Several other models, such as Crane Fruehauf's standard tipper trailer, have a fairly similar outline (Charrold claims exclusive rights to the Bathtub name) and many operators believe the curved body is sturdier than the flatpanelled variety.
Aluminium alloy is preferred for carrying most general products, but steel bodies are much more common among the public utilities and local authorities.
There are many specialist suppliers for this sector, such as Edbro and We!ford Truck Bodies. Both also manufacture tipping gears, particularly We!ford for its self-loading tippers on two and threeaxled chassis.
Its double drop-sided bodies are often specified with a hydraulic crane set behind the cab, which leaves little space for front-end tipping gear.
Despite tipper operators' caution, there is a wide appreciation of the use of air suspension. Nearly all (95%) of Crane Fruehauf's tipper trailer output is on its T-air suspension.
Other manufacturers, such as Don-Bur, Craven Tasker and York, also build a high proportion of their output on air.
Recessed tipping rams for trailers such as the Stevecastle design seen at last year's Tipcon exhibition, are becoming more common. They give extra capacity (3.8m3) and better protection for the ram gear. Neville Charrold has also improved the front of the body with a new pin-eye ram.
The assembly is tilted forward by 30° which, says Charrold, gives improved stability by directing the ram thrust directly onto the coupler. To accommodate it the front panel is angled, with a contoured recess to deter sticking.
Like other sectors of the transport industry the tipper market is influenced by complex external forces. Never-the-less the manufacturers will have to be looking at ways to improve their existing designs, even if they are unable to make major expensive changes to their model ranges. This year's Tipcon will no doubt show the results of their efforts.