It's goodbye to all that!
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After years of faithful service at Harrogate, the RHA's annual TipCon tipper show is moving to Manchester in 1998. But will G-Mex be able to retain that happy Harrogate atmosphere? Whatever the answer, exhibitors seemed determined to give a last hurrah for Harrogate by going out with a bang.
There were new models from Renault, Hino and MAN along with engines from Cat and trailers, bodywork and tipping gear from Fruehauf, WBS and Stallion.
But all the new kit can't hide the fact that six and eight-wheeler sales are down compared with last year as the UK construction and tipping market remains the toughest sector for vehicle manufacturers to crack.
Report by Toby Clark, Bryan Jarvis and Brian Weatherley. Pictures by Peter Cramer.
• Yes, they're back! Hino sprung a Harrogate surprise with its new Irish-built furo-2 Super F Series multi-wheelers. The FY2P 8x4 and FS2P 6x4 (above) use the same 24-valve 10.5-litre electronically fuelled, charge-cooled, six-pot rated at 325hp and developing 1,0411bft (1,411Nm) at 1,100rpm. The short sleeper cob with its attractive interior is standard, along with a ZF 165151 all-synchro gearbox, Behind the cab it all looks very flat and tidy. Order one today and delivery would be in about two month's time. The 8x4 retails at £62,500; the six-wheeler will set you back £56,950.
• Foden has stretched its standard 4000 Series sleeper cab by 133mm, so its now the same depth as the flagship XL sleeper launched at Harrogate last year. Inside there's a wider bunk (with more storage space below it), a lockable pull-out cabinet, improved insulation and new trim materials (inset). These changes have added a mere I 5kg to the kerbweight. The golden show tractor sports a 455hp 14litre Cat 3406E engine and 16-speed Eaton box. The double-drive back bogie has Air Trac suspension, courtesy of Foden's parent Paccar.
• Stallion was offering this "acoustic blower", a conventional bulk blower unit housed in a soundproofed box to keep sound levels below 85dB(A). It can be fitted to customers' units for around £4,200; a box fitted with a Holmes blower costs around £6,000. • Scania's 4-Series appeared in rigid form on 6x4 and 8x4 chassis: this Pioneer concrete mixer, a P94 6x4 310, is one of an order for 58 vehicles. Also on show were a 400hp P124 tractive unit and Ion PPG's stand) a handsome R124 8x4 400 fitted with an aggregates body.
• As automatic tailgates go, Trent Bodies' cable-operated locking system, shown on a Mercedes 2527B 6x4, is simple. As the body tips the rear flap lifts from its locking yoke via cables secured to the chassis, allowing the load to shoot through as the body elevates. One of 10 ordered by Al Plant and Haulage of York, the Merc has a Trent Steelile body, Harsh underbody hoist, a motorised Flip'n'Go sheeting system and a PM On board weighing kit.
• Seddon Atkinson's lightweight build strategy was underlined at Harrogate with this Cummins M1 1-equipped 32.340M 8x4. Tare is an impressive 10,500kg complete with Hendrickson HN402 rubber suspension, Fuller ninespeed box, PPG alloy insulated body and Edbro front end ram, plus 1501it of fuel. The Oldham truck maker says this allows a genuine 21-tonne payload with good loading latitude.
• Hendrickson and Mercedes' joint venture to develop a disc-braked trailer axle is gathering steam: 50 tandem sets have already been ordered by a UK parcels operator. The axle uses Actros braking components and comes ready wired for EBS with no need for slack-adjusters. Hendrickson adds the suspension arm, air bag and shock absorber. • Three Volvos made their TipCon previews, including this 7.5-tonne FLC fitted with a Mackworth body and Ed bra three-way tipping gear. The f1626 6x4 tipper chassis was also launched: its 250hp engine is turbocharged and supercharged for extra torque at low revs. A turbocharger-only version is also available, rated at 230hp. The third TipCon debutante from Volvo was the FL12 B-ride 8x4 tipper, rated at 340hp, which joins the 380hp variant. It has the revised D12A engine, with peak torque raised to 1,550Nm 0,1431bf-t) at 1,100-1,300rpm. • Caterpillar appeared at the show in some force: Foden showed a 3000-Series 8x4 powered by the 365hp CIO engine; the electronically controlled C12 will become available in both 3000 and 4000-Series vehicles later this year. But the main event for Cat was the launch of the 3126 (pictured). This 7.2-litre engine is available at 210, 275 and 300hp ratings and is the only all-electronic unit in its class. The 3126 is aimed at the four and six-wheeler market. It uses the HEUI unit injector system, incorporating electronic speed and revs control, self-diagnosis and engine history recording. It's claimed to be 70kg lighter than an equivalent Cummins C-Series. • ARM Utility Services bought this self-loading six-wheel tipper to support its road-repair crews on utility contracts. The Mercedes 2527 6x4 comes with a North West Tipper tripledropside steel body that tilts on on Edbro 1526 underbody hoist. North West also added the Atlas 800E bucket loader with adjustable gantry. ARM, based at the old Leyland HQ at Leyland, was recently acquired by the dry-cleaning group Sketchley.
• Renault's Kerax multi-wheeler range was unveiled at TipCon (see page 40). The Kerax 340 8x4 is powered by the 9.8-litre Renault 334hp engine. Its cab is derived from the Premium distribution I7-tonner. This model features a Marrel 16m3 steel body and nine-leaf semi-elliptic springs on its rear two-spring bogie.
• PPG is renowned for high-quality aluminium tipping bodies, like this one for Al Truck & Plant. Its based on a Volvo FLI 2-340 with an unusual hydraulically raising tailgate: as the body is lifted on its Harsh-powered tipping gear the rear flap raises via hydraulic rams in each corner post. As it returns, the tailboard lowers back into place. This high-spec tipper also features a PM Onboard weighing system, Harsh electrically powered top sheet and Tecalemit auto-lube.
*There's more than just a smooth exterior to Fruehauf's latest offering. Beneath the buck-bolted 0.9mm aluminium cladding lies a standard bath-tub body and a chassis with subtle changes that help keep the overall weight down. The rear end is shortened to help absorb the impending increase to 40 tonnes gross; the frame's neck section is more compact, and there are lighter 5-type suspension hangers. With the alloy wheels (which claw back 130kg), electric lifting front axle and Maywood weighing system, Clitherae based-T&J Transport is getting a 57yd3 trailer which weighs just 5,840kg.
• British Gas Transco's LNG-fuelled 6x2 EuroTech is a joint venture between British Gas's R&D operation at Loughborough and lveco's engine development centre in Arbon. This first vehicle could lead to more orders. Its 9.5-litre diesel engine has been modified to spark ignition and pumps out 220hp; range is said to match the diesel equivalent. Transco's fleet support manager Peter Babbage says: "The truck will work for its living!"
• Spot the family likeness? ERF's ES8 uses an all-steel Steyr-design cab similar to MAN's latest 26.264 tipper. But beneath it there's a Cummins C-Series rated at 280hp with a nine-speed box. The rear bogie has rubber suspension. It was built for Alan Counsell of Caerleon with a PPG insulated aggregate body and Harsh underfloor gear.
it The dual-purpose back end on Rothdean's big 70yd3 step-frame trailer is designed to give extra versatility. It's the second such bulker for JC Dean of Salisbury and comes with a cleverly made barn-door arrangement that can be switched over to become a standard top-hinged tailgate. At 10.1m (35ft) it's longer than usual so Hyva's longer-stroking ram is fitted, along with Rothdean's own one-piece top sheet. Triple ROR eight-tonne axles with Neway air suspension run on low-profile 385/65R 22.5 Michelins to keep the height down.
This dumpy looking Mercedes 612D Variobased tipper should be a handy tool for Barnsley Metropolitan Council. It's fitted with a short rear tipping body from local firm Massey Truck Engineering and uses Harsh's smallest mid-frame hydraulic hoist which is well-suited to such short wheelbase chassis cabs. The power up-and-down feature boosts operating safety.
• Using command-steer rear axles on larger trailers enables animal feed suppliers like Bulk Feed Services to gain easier access to difficult sites. This WBS bulk blower trailer uses the Tridec positive
steer system to turn the rear Italian built Stefan axle in the triple axle cluster. Four top-hung sealed partitions section off the 60yd3 pneumatically discharged interior.
• Leyland Daf 85-Series tippers now come with a straight-beam front axle, revised steps and a chargecooler radiator guard to provide better offroad capability.
* Spotted on Foden's 4455 6x4 tractor, Dunlop's new 513351 tyre is designed specifically for widesingle steer-axle applications. The 385/65R22.5 tyre appeared on Alcoa's new 11.75x22.5in wheel.
The heavy duty steel front end on MAN's M2000 17-tonner is likely to be offered on the Munich manufacturer's new 26-tonne six-wheeler Isee page 421. The M2000's 6.8-litre engine currently stops at 260hp but a 280hp version is expected next year.
Alongside its revised Star Tip underfloor ram and Silent Pac enclosed blower Stallion exhibited tip gears for smaller trucks. The 14-tonne Leyland Daf 55.160 on show is one of 12 for Birmingham City Council,