Foden 8x6 DROPS into Scottish woods
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• Scottish operator MacGinty of Lochgilphead has taken delivery of a Foden 8x6 military chassis for use as a mobile crane platform. The Foden has been fitted with a Loglift 300 30-tonne/m crane with a 12.2m (40 feet) reach. It is one of the first Fodens designed for the Ministry of Defence DROPS contract to go into civilian use.
The crane is used to load MacGinty's fleet of 12 logging trailers. The 8x6 chassis all-terrain ability makes it particularly suitable for use as a mobile logging crane on remote forestry sites.
MacGinty also uses the crane for loading boats: its reach ensures that they can be loaded at all states of the tide.
The chassis is an ex-demonstrator Foden, powered by a Perkins Eagle Mx 350 engine developing 350hp (261kW) at 2,100rpm and 1,1841bft (1,605Nm) of torque at 1,100rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear bogie and second steer axle by a six-speed ZF Ecomat automatic gearbox and transfer box.
Ten-tonne GKN axles are fitted all round. The design weight of the chassis is 33 tonnes and the chassis has been ballasted to tip the scales at around 30 tonnes with the crane fitted. It took three months to prepare a sub-chassis for the crane and to fit the crane itself.