Carlsberg does a Volvo double take CARLSBERG UK has taken
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delivery of another two Volvo dual-purpose tractor units, doubling up as 26-tonne GCVV delivery drays by day and 44-tonne GCVV trunkers at night National fleet engineer Andrew Davis drew up the concept of a dual-purpose tractor and the prototype, dubbed MetroLiner, was trialled last year. The two new MetroLiners are working out of Carlsberg's Newport depot in south Wales.
The challenge was reducing the chassis height of the Volvo FM 6x2 tractor to give enough vertical articulation so the tractor did not foul on the chassis of the low-height, single-axle dray trailers. Carlsberg was also anxious to keep trailer height lower at the front for manual-handling reasons when unloading. The solution was found in ultra-low-profile (295/60 R22.5) tyres, which have a diameter 120mm smaller than the usual 295/80s. That in turn allowed Volvo to mount the mudwings lower, clear of the dray's chassis. The Fontaine fifth-wheel mounts directly to the chassis, with no base-plate. The result was a coupling height of 1,100mm, about 125mm-150mm less than usual and compatible with both drays and conventional trunking trailers. The use of small diameter tyres meant selecting an unusually 'long' final drive ratio of 2.5:1 to preserve appropriate gearing.
Davis said the MetroLiner is just as manoeuvrable as the firm's 26-tonne rigids.