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Tippers are a must for hauliers working in the construction

4th October 2001, Page 40
4th October 2001
Page 40
Page 41
Page 40, 4th October 2001 — Tippers are a must for hauliers working in the construction
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sector, and this year they are moving off dealers' forecourts in quick time. As 'zillrfin Clancy reports, 44tonners are making their impact felt on the nation's building sites... The construction industry is having a good year, if multi-wheeler and tipping trailers sales are any guide. The total market for 6x4 and 9x4 trucks for the first eight months of 2001 is 4,564: up from 4,246 in 2000. The 6x4 market is up by around 2.2%, at 2,635 units, but sales of 8x4s are nearly 16% higher, at 1,929.

Scania, Volvo and Paccar dominate the market. Volvo claims to have edged Scania out of the top spot in the 8x4 market in 2001, while Volvo and Paccar vie for leadership in the 6x4 sector. However, it is still possible to carve out niches for certain products, as Iveco, MAN and Mercedes-Benz demonstrate.

Demand for power is still high, with average ratings up by 20-30hp on the latest models. More torque lower down the speed range is also now widely available. Iveco's EuroTrakker chassis, for example, comes with a Euro-3 Cursor 13 engine. The 12.9-litre Cursor produces up to 380hp between 1,500-1,900rpm with 1,900Nm of torque between 9001,48Orpm, The Holset wastegate turbocharger provides optimum torque at low speeds, making this unit well suited to off-road hill-climbing.

What six-wheelers lack in payload, they make up for in manoeuvrability. The Atego has doubled Mercedes-Benz's share of the six-wheeler market to more than 12%. It is proving especially popular in the mixer sector, claiming a 38% share of the 26-29-tonne GVW 6x4 market in 2000 and holding on to it so far in 2001, according to marketing manager Colin Burton.

A key factor in its increased appeal is the elimination of the subframe, which brings the Atego into line with its rivals and reduces its kerbweight by 250kg to 7,220kg for the 2628B chassis. A sim PTO installation, with the mixer takin drive directly off the back of the en rather than the front, has also epee to operators.

Capacity is everything in the rn market, with 6m3 seen as the minin acceptable—every 250kg translates 0.2m3 of payload. MAN has launchE mixer version of its M2000. With a I-13 mixer: kerbweight is quoted as 15,51 offering a 6.5m3 capacity.

Foden, a pioneer in the lightwE mixer market, claims its latest Alpha mixer chassis is the lightest availa Powered by a Caterpillar 300hp 31 engine it even has asymmetric front pension to compensate for the concl load being offset as it is mixed. Seddon Atkinson has renewed its tt-tack on the multi-wheeler market with ;Irate 2 chassis.

They retain Seddon's own chassis rame and will be available wth ether deco or Cummins ISMe engines rated )etween 345 and 420hp.

For mixer operations there's a lightveight 6x4 mixer with narrow cab and 3ummins ISCe englne.

From October Renault's Kerax range s being streamlined with just one Euro-3 rigine, the six-cylinder 11-litre dCi cornnon-rail unit with V-MAC control. It )ffers more power with three ratings of i20, 370 and 420hp.

Daf's 75CF tipper chassis will remain ivailable until 6x4 and 8x4 versions of the ew CF appear sometime in 2002.

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People: Colin Burton

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