Products designed to boost your efficiency
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tenacious grip on the IRTE show finally loosens, Chris Graham reports on some of the more interesting technical innovations on display. • Hardly a year passes withA s Telford's out an additional product
launch from Team Spatz, the vehicle side-panel specialist (contact: 0121 693 3939). This time the company was showcasing its latest development, called Skirtz.
Skirtz is a lightweight plastic side-fairing system made from a mixture of polyethylene and high-impact polystyrene. This combination makes it "paintable" and light, but also resistant to impact. The panels are available in six depths; they are produced in modular sections to minimise the cost of repair, allowing them to cover all vehicles from tractors down to 7.5-tonners.
Each panel is supplied complete with all accessories, ready for DIY fitting. Spatz is able to weld fixing brackets as required without defacing the front surface; it adds that the plastic used is also bondable.
Skirtz will hit the market in a couple of months time— the manufacturer is predicting that prices will undercut the competition, and that car
riage will be cheaper too. It is considering producing rear panels as well.
Tyre manufacturing giant Goodyear GB (contact: 01902 327028) was promoting its new TOPS2000 service, which is designed to provide its product users with a comprehensive computer-based management system.
Its specific aim is to minimise the losses incurred by inefficient operation. The service can be tailored to the fleet operator's requirements and used to provide comprehensive financial breakdowns at every level. HighGard Silver, the latest high-density plastic mud
guard from Jonesco (Preston) (contact: 01772 704488), now includes more than 15 sizes in the range, and features integrated plastic fixings which are said to reduce fitting times.
The fixings are available in a range of diameters from 34mm to 50mm and are supplied separately to make handling easier. The product also has a 22mm silver band around the outer valence edge to increase its visibility.
Operational testing has proved the HighGard Silver's stability over a temperature range from -50°C to 80°C, according to Jonesco.
Catalogue
An innovative catalogue has been launched by braking specialist Ferodo (contact: 01274 723481). It is available in conventional paper form or on CD-ROM, and provides coverage for the entire European market.
This latest publication combines friction materials, rotors and accessories for the first time. A comprehensive listing section at the back illustrates all linings to assist with component identification. The listings are fully cross-referenced and all essential technical information is provided, including rivet sizes.
New to the UK market from Cart Brio Group (contact: 01132 620000) is a security padlock, which the sup plier claims is the first electronic device of its type. Eliminating the need for a conventional key, the Trac-cess lock relies instead on a highsecurity electronic keypad called a Track-key, utilising a four-digit PIN number. All the power for the device is supplied by the Track-key.
The unit has been tested extensively in the US with Ford and GM. The Track-key has a 270-event lock memory, allowing every action to be recorded. Downloading this information will reveal how many times the lock was used, how long it was open for, and on what date.
it also contains a modem which can be used to download operational information via a phone line.
For complete operational security, and to eliminate the risk of theft in transit, drivers can be issued with a Track-key without the relevant PIN number. This is retained by the operator, so it can be retrieved should the vehicle be stopped for inspection.
On this basis the code is changed randomly after each operation, so the user remains incapable of unlocking the vehicle without official authorisation.
The so-called Paper Thin Light is a new product being marketed by Assembled Supplies (Electrical) (contact: 0191 477 35181—so new that the supplier has yet to finalise its name. It is a revolutionary light source, the workings of which remain a secret.
The example on display was the size and thickness of an A4 sheet of paper. It appeared to be laminated, and featured a metallic border with a small socket which plugged into a 250mA power supply from a transformer.
Coating
The result was a completely even, fluorescent tube-like light from the full area within the border. The only clue given by the suppliers was that a chemical coating was excited by the electrical current to produce the light.
The light is completely flexible and can be punctured and twisted back on itself without damage, assuming the metallic border remains intact. It produces very little heat, and we were told it is being developed as a lighting source for refrigerated trailers—it has been tested successfully at temperatures down to -30°C.
Obviously there are other potential uses, including incab lighting and in curtainsider trailers. Its big advantage here is that it can be fixed to a flexible surface without its performance
being affected. It could also be used as a promotional tool, displaying company logos and so on.
ASL says it will be available for sale in two months' time, but there is no information about cost. It will be more expensive than conventional filament bulbs, but the suppliers are confident that its simpler installation will help to offset this premium.
New from Hope Technical
Developments (contact: 01344 624855) was the latest version of its trailer diagnostic tool, Euro-Scrutineer MkV. To comply with the new EC regulations, the unit now features an external power pack. This allows the equipment to operate with a greater power input, boosting its performance.
A revised test facility enables the operator to flash the indicators and light the stop lamps and tail lights all at once, giving the trailer a full load test, thus enabling earthing problems to be spotted more easily. This should speed up trailer light testing operations. The unit will also monitor the
number of bulbs being illuminated at any one time.
Also new is a brake response timer, which is now capable of producing a printout detailing response time and trailer identification information. Some operators use the tractive unit to test the electrical systems of their trailers, but the problem with this is that there is little predictability—any problems in the tractor will disguise faults on the trailer.
The Scrutineer cuts out this potential for confusion, and the new version costs less than its predecessor.
Vision TechniqueS (contact: 01254 679717) has introduced a low-cost version of
its vehicle reversing monitor, Reverse-Aid, comprising a rearmounted camera and a cabmounted black-and-white television monitor.
It is available for about half the price of the existing Mitsubishi C-Vision CCTV system, and carries a three-year off-site warranty.
The equipment is intended for operator fitting; it is supplied complete with all brack
ets and fuses and 20m of connecting cable.
Forward Guard is a new variation on the reversing aid theme, launched by Benfells (contact: 01706 228321). The system is based around a pair of sensors flush-mounted to the vehicle's front bumper.
These sense the presence of people or objects in the blind spot immediately ahead of the vehicle. Its operation is speed-related: it is triggered only at speeds below a predetermined level and automatically becomes active when the vehicle is manoeuvred.
Information is presented in two ways: it beeps faster as the obstruction is approached, and a visual display tells the driver which side of the vehicle the obstruction is on. There is an over-ride button which switches off the audio signal when the vehicle is parked close to a wall or fence, although the visual dis
play stays on. The unit resets itself once the speed exceeds the preset limit, so the system becomes fully operational again.
Forward Guard is not suitable for DIY fitting, according to the supplier, because it has to be linked to the tachograph, which provides the speed data. Instead Benfell's service engineers handle installation, which the company says can be completed within two hours.
Company
The company also has a new version of its Reverse Aid system for use on artics. The problem with this type of equipment is making the link between the tractor and the trailer. Benfell's solution involves a pair of bright LED marker lights, one fitted to each side of the trailer's front bulkhead. They can be seen in the driver's mirrors and show how near obstructions are to the rear of the trailer.
Security specialist Bwoseal (contact: 0181 308 8000) launched Padseal, which is a simple lock featuring a disposable hasp. The body of the unit is retained, but the hasp (either metal or plastic) is cut and discarded after each opening. The suppliers consider this product to be a viable and more affordable alternative to the conventional bolt seal, which can cost 40-50p a time. The objective of Padseal is to secure the vehicle during transit with a tamper-free device which removes any temptation for key-carrying drivers.
The advantage is that there is no key to be duplicated or lost, which discourages tampering. Conventional padlocks also have an expensive tendency to wander—a problem which is eliminated by Padseal.
The disposable hasps can be numbered or coded with a company name, and matched to similarly marked bodies. The cost savings are a big selling point: the body costs about ,£5 and the hasps are from 12p to 25p each.
Gemini Chemical Products (contact: 01942 722333) has introduced a tamper-proof version of its Fleet Clean jet-wash system. The free-standing unit comprises a heat exchanger, a motor and a pump, housed in a stainless-steel casing.
The main objective is to guard against misuse, such as when drivers or fitters increase the concentration of the detergent, the water temperature or the spray pressures in a misguided attempt to speed up or improve the cleaning.
All these controls are locked away inside the casing; user intervention is limited to starting the pre-programmed cycle. The Fleet Clean can also be set up to run as a token-operated system, generating additional revenue.
The restrictions are said to result in significant savings in detergent, equipment downtime and fuel—the unit is oil-fired.
The basic specification is established by the manufacturer at the time of installation, so the machine can be customised to meet the operator's requirements.
The settings can be altered at any time thereafter, but only by the key-holder. Fleet Clean can be purchased outright, leased or rented.
It is available with a service contract, which can be extended once the warranty expires to provide a continuing backup service.
Repair equipment supplier Josam UK (contact: 01788 551478) has launched a new induction heater, JO 960:K, for repairing commercial vehicle chassis struts without the use of open flames. Distorted chassis members are heated by magnetic induction; an approach which Josam says is safer, cleaner, more controllable and more reliable than other heating methods.
The heat from the hand-held transformer is said to penetrate up to 9mm into the metal over an area of 20x1Omm. Larger areas can be "painted over with the unit.
A built-in cooling system is standard, as is the 5m cable run between the heating unit and the hand-held transformer.
The JO 960:K is mounted on wheels and requires a threephase power supply.
Finally, coupling manufacturer VBG (contact: 01942 686000) launched a nodular iron fifth wheel, targeted primarily at the Continental market where this type of coupling is preferred to the pressed-steel models which are more common here.
It weighs about 15% more than VBG's leading SPL2 fifth wheel and features a new locking mechanism incorporating a king-pin height sensor.