TOOLS SUM/ AL
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This year's Tipcon show will be remembered for what wasn't sold rather than what was, as sales plummet and manufacturers consolidate their product lines. • "I haven't bought a new truck for two years — the last ones I bought were secondhand." If that remark by a Tarmac operator at Tipcon is representative of what's happening in the tipper market the manufacturers had their work cut out at Harrogate last week. With multi-wheeler sales plummeting by up to 60% the despairing comment from one visitor — "We don't want new trucks, just work to go in the old ones" — hardly bodes well for an early end to the sales slump.
As always the three standard questions from Tipcon visitors are: How much does it weigh? How long will it last? How fast can it go? Not surprisingly payload, durability and power con tinue to dominate tipper speccing and with manufacturers all prepared to offer tremendous deals to maintain their market shares now is definitely the time to buy ... if you have the work, that is, Tipcon 1991 will probably be remembered for what wasn't sold rather than what was sold, and the exhibits at this year's show generally reflect consolidation of product lines rather than a plethora of new models.
Every show has its exceptions and Foden bucked this trend by unveiling its narrower 3000 Series cab at Harrogate. Derived from the 17-tonne 2000 Series cab, the new 2.2m-wide cab shaves a further 90kg off the six-wheeler's kerbweight.
The show model tared in at 6,652kg providing a healthy body/payload allowance of 17,738kg. Owner Ken Longthorne of Hebden has had it fitted with a Task insulated body.
Foden has already won a reputation for lightness with its 4000 Series eight-legger chassis: paring weight off its six-wheeler can only do it more good. The 4000 Series has not been neglected, however. It was exhibited with its latest Hi-Line cab, offering an extra 350mm of headroom over the standard single bunk sleeper cab.
Arch rival Arch rival ERF has discarded the 198kW (265hp) version of the 8.3-litre Cummins C Series engine in favour of the more powerful 205kW (275hp) variant in its E8 rigid and tractor range, but Foden still offers the 198kW version in its 3000 Series, as does AWD in its 24-27, and Seddon Atkinson in the Strato IC.
Foden seems happy to stick at 198kW for the moment while Seddon Atkinson reckons that the higher rated version would simply overlap with the existing 10-litre LTAs-275 Cummins engine which is offered in its six and eight-wheelers.
Seddon has a reputation for building unique vehicles for local authority and waste disposal operators. On its stand was a 17tonne 2-11 rigid complete with municipal cab and 16m3 David MacKrill Engineering tipper body for collecting recyclable materials.
It is now building a brace of unusual Cummins L10-powered six-wheelers with the old 3-11 Motor Panels cab which will be bodied by Jack Allen and displayed at the IWM show in June at Torquay.
First time
One of these will be a rear-end loader with the 6x4's front axle set back within its municipal day cab. The other will be a frontend loader with a standard day cab and, for the first time, a front-mounted PT-0. Until now Seddon has not been able to offer a front PT-0 on the Cummins, but the IWM vehicle shows it can be done. This gives the Oldham-based truck maker potential in the mixer market, where many operators still prefer front-end PT-Os instead of Knowles sandwich-type units.
ERF's revised E Series tractor interior, described in our roadtest of the E14.465 on page 28, got an airing at Harrogate in an E12-325 tractor powered by the increasingly popular Perkins 12-litre Tx Eagle engine. The most powerful Tx400 engine is now available in the E Series, and the Sandbach-based truck maker will be evaluating an E12.400 tractor fitted with the Semi-AutomatedMechanical Transmission (SAMT) version of the Eaton Twin Splitter gearbox over the next few months.
ERF already offers SAMT with Cummins-powered tractors, but this is the first application of the Eagle Tx with SAMT.
A four-bag air suspension option on the 4x2 E Series was launched at the NEC last September: full air will be available on the 6x2 tractors from September, along with Wabco ABS.
Seddon Atkinson is soon to follow ERF's lead by offering the Tx400 in the Strato, but as yet Foden is keeping its options open on it.
Although Perkins showed a Gardner LG1200 engine at Harrogate there is little demand for the 12-litre engine from Patricroft: only Dennis has agreed to fit it, and the longterm future of Gardner must be in question. The LG1200 still boasts the traditional lightness of previous Gardner products but other engine makers have long since caught up with Gardner in terms of reliability and durability.
Long awaited
Not every manufacturer would have the nerve to use a truck with more than 150,000km as the centrepiece on its Tipcon stand, but that's exactly what Scania did by showing a pre-production version of its most powerful P113-320MK eightlegger, complete with its longawaited two-spring back bogie.
The G-reg rigid, sporting a stone-chipped bumper, has been running with Scots tipper operator Yuill & Dodds, a company not renowed for pampering its trucks. The general reaction has been "if it can last 150,000km with Jimmy Yuill it should be alright".
The two-spring bogie on the MK rigid saves 200kg over the four-spring bogie used on the standard P113ML 8x4 chassis, but it gives a stiffer ride and is meant for more arduous off-road work.
The MK chassis also has a tougher frame, parabolic springs on the front axles and highermounted battery, fuel and air tanks to give maximum protection when running in the dirt.
Scania is already developing a new back bogie for its P93 sixwheeler which will be based on the two-spring and capable of handling the planned increase in three-axle rigid gross vehicle weights to 26 tonnes scheduled for 1993. Later this year selected Scania tractors will also be gaining a 7.5-tonne front axle, providing even greater loading tolerances at maximum weights.
The biggest story from Volvo at Tipcon involved a vehicle that was not even at Harrogate. As revealed exclusively by Commercial Motor, Volvo is looking at the possibility of bringing in bonneted NL trucks into the UK, following the lead set by Scania with the T113. Last week a dealer sales panel was shown a 6x4 rigid and 4x2 NL tractor at a quarry near Darrington and the response was generally favourable.
Both models
Whether Volvo trucks (Great Britain) decides to offer the NL remains to be seen, but it certainly has potential among tanker and tipper operators. On page 11 we offer exclusive impressions of both models.
On the forward-control product front Volvo says that trials of the F12 tractor with Bosch's Electronic Diesel Control (EDC) are continuing in Scandinavia, but a release date has not yet been fixed.
After displaying its own electronically controlled injection 14-litre CELECT engine at the Birmingham Motor Show last September, Cummins is planning to launch a 261kW (350hp) version of its 10-litre engine, possibly with CELECT, before the end of next year.
The CELECT L10 is already running in the US and will extend the range from its present 242kW (325hp) maximum power rating. No doubt UK truck manufacturers will expect to see comprehensive service back-up on the electronic engines before they take the plunge.
Existing Cummins 10-litre engines are said to be 1.5dB (A) quieter thanks to a stiffer gearhousing on the front of the engine. However, the lowernoise L10 has not been adopted by all chassis builders because the change has caused some fitting problems.
Iveco Ford's commitment to the Cummins engine for medium to heavyweight Cargo models ensures that UK operators will still be able to buy a proprietary engine for some years to come. From September Iveco Ford will be offering the new Cargo between 6-10 tonnes GVW with Iveco engines, but the replacement programme will take up to five years to complete.
Product renewal
Renault's product renewal programme continues to make steady progress.
The debut of right-hand-drive AE tractors has been postponed to June, but RTI's Tipcon stand featured its latest models in the shape of a Perkins-powered 7.5tonne S120.08B Midliner (complete with factory-fitted crewcab and Weightman alloy dropside body for Humberside County Council) and the new B-range chassis-cab. At the forthcoming IRTE show RTI is planning to unveil two more new models: a B-range chassis cowl, which will be sold alongside the existing SO Series for PCV and parcels van body conversions; and a G200 tractor.
The G200 tractor is plated at 21 tonnes and powered by the 144kW (196hp) charge-cooled 6.2-litre MIDR 06.02.26 Renault engine. Drive axle air suspension is expected to be among the options on the G200 artic — RTI says it has already received orders for the lightweight artic.
Having launched its own factory-based used truck operation at Dunstable, RTI says that interest in secondhand vehicles both from Dunstable and from its dealers has picked up and residual values are starting to rise.
With no less than 13 chassis on display at Tipcon Leyland Daf certainly couldn't complain about its coverage, even if the recently launched 45 Series Roadrunner replacement didn't make it to Harrogate. The 45 makes its official European debut at the Barcelona Show this week.
The latest FA60.180 17tonne rigid (nee Freighter) now has a seven-tonne front axle for increased loading tolerance.
On the subject of front axles, Rockwell's latest FH801 steered axle — nominally rated at 7.5 tonnes but with an eighttonne capability for specific applications — has drum brakes as standard. The FH802, however, reflects future trends with the adoption of Dura-Master air discs. It is suitable for 9in rims and 318/8K 22.5 tyres.
Southworth's mid-axle conversion on a 1720 MercedesBenz is new. Using the Phoenix SK700 drop-centre axle it allows the use of standard 22.5 wheels while ensuring adequate clearance below the prop-shaft, enabling the axle to be raised higher than before. Vehicle excise duty on a Southworth conversion is £740 less than on a conventional six-wheeler.
Long serving
Mercedes-Benz's stand featured some long-serving models but a major product renewal programme is in the pipeline. As predicted by CM the current vee-eight engine range is about to be revised with the 261kW (350hp) engine being uprated. An extra power rating in the mid-298kW (400hp) band is also expected and M-B is poised to join the 373kW (500hp) club with an engine which is expected in the UK next year.
Mercedes' new LEV power units (CM 25 April-1 May) will also find their way into UK models, including the company's six and eight-wheelers which are in need of uprated engines.
The Multidrive concept continues to gather favour among operators; conversions based on ERF and Foden 4000 Series tractors were shown at Harmgate. The AWD MTL33-27 shown in Tarmac's colours was purpose built for the construction giant using the 32.5-tonne TL tractor powered by the Cummins C Series.
Its alloy tipper bodywork features an automatic tailgate and is insulated for carrying asphalt. With a 20-tonne payload the Multidrive 8x6 more than matches the carrying capacity of a conventional eight-legger and offers enhanced manoeuvrability. All three drive axles have a design capacity of 11.5 tonnes and incorporate cross-locks and inter-axle diff-locks.
Self steering The semi-trailer's self-steering bogie ensures that the trailer always tracks the tractive unit. AWD's 24-27 six-wheeler (tested last week by CM) features Hendrickson-Norde rubber suspension as standard.
Dennison Brothers reports that 50 of its rear-steer trailers are already in operation, mainly replacing eight-wheelers, like the Multidrive they improve accessability and manoeuvrability. Its rear turntable is linked to the kingpin through a system of rods within the conventional, nondriven trailer chassis to give a gross combination weight of 35 tonnes.
UK trailer manufacturers are experiencing the lowest domestic demand for many years. Crane Fruehauf and Don-Bur are among those offsetting the effects of the recession with chassis exports to the Continent.
CF's R&D programme continues; it has transformed its traditional bath-tub tipping trailer design for operation in the 1990s. The revised model, providing a 43.6in (57yd') capacity at under 6,000kg, is built around air suspension with a lift axle, although a mechanical suspension is still available.
At the front end a nesting ram with top spherical joint has been re-introduced to reduce the risk of corrosion, along with top and bottom bolted brackets for easier servicing. Rubber pads are attached to the underside of the 10m body to reduce unladen noise and rubber mud wings with spray suppression equipment are fitted as standard, even though not required by legislation. At the rear, ladders and foot bars help sheeting.
A reduction in step height of 100mm to 200mm brings the laden coupling height down to 1,220mm. Bushed and lubricated rear mountings are designed to accept load cells and should also help reduce wear and noise levels.
Problem tackled
The problem of sheeting a truck or trailer body has been tackled by Dawbarn Evertaut, which has been marketing its rollover sheet since the beginning of the year. Adding around 100kg to unladen weight the £800 device takes just a few seconds to unroll using a long handled winder from ground level.
It was featured at Harrogate on a Bibby Frxlen 4000 Series bulker alongside a neat step/catwalk design which shows some other bodybuilders how safety can be built into a tipping body.
Rubery Owen-Rockwell's Levelride safety device for lifting axles debuted at Tipcon. It automatically resets air suspension ride heights on the first application of the foot brake if the driver forgets to reset his trailer's air suspension ride height manually.
For a full report on bodywork at Tipcon see the next edition of Bodybuilder, free inside Commercial Motor.