Unimog takes on the Fastrac
Page 18
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Oliver Dixon • For some years now, hauliers have been faced with the increasing threat of the Fastrac tractor. Capable of 60mph on the road with an articulated-size payload, the Fastrac has allowed agricultural tractors to compete with an unfair advantage, according to the haulage community.
Lower rates of Vehicle Excise Duty and exemption from Operator Licensing legislation and the Drivers' Hours regulations makes the Fastrac an appealing option.
JCB, manufacturer of the Fastrac, has had it doubly good until now. Not only has the Fastrac become a generic term, rather like the Transit, but it has also been the only real contender in the marketplace.
Enter Unimog and the EcoWaste Shuttle—a vehicle which should make both JCB and the haulage community prick up their ears. With a GCW of 31 tonnes, a 19-tonne payload and a tax disc priced at £1,740 a year (around half the level of a 31-tonne 8x4 rigid), the EcoWaste Shuttle offers an attractive option, especially to operators with vehicles spending time both on and off road.
The Eco-Waste Shuttle is not a new vehicle. Instead it applies a familiar haulage formula—a tractive unit and trailer— to two different tasks: on and off
road haulage.
The prime mover is a Unimog U2450 High Mobility Vehicle, powered by the six-litre MercedesBenz 0M366 LA Euro-2 engine, which develops 237hp (177kW).
This drives through the standard Unimog synchronised eight-speed splitter gearbox to a 10,000kg-rated portal drive axle.
The U2450 includes front and rear cliff -locks and ABSequipped dual-circuit hydraulicover-air disc brakes. Standard tyres are US-sourced Michelin XML 395/85 R20s which, claims the company, offer a better tread pattern than their European counterparts.
Partnering the U2450 is a new Gull Trailer. This is coupled to the prime mover via a heavy-duty oscillating fifth wheel, and allows cab-operated tipping through twin underfloor rams operating at 200 bar. The trailer's rear door is also hydraulically powered.
Constructed from 4mm steel for the floor section and 3mm reinforced pressed steel for the sides, the trailer uses conventional multi-leaf steel suspension. Like the prime mover, the Gull trailer is equipped with 10,000kg-rated axles and ABS braking.
On-road performafice
Compared with a modern fleet specification tractive unit, the Unimog cab is best described as basic. Access to the 1.18m-high cab floor takes some getting used to as it involves two small steps and a shimmy around the front mudguard. Although there is a grab handle to the side of the door, it's not too generous in size.
The Mercedes-Benz heritage can be seen in the large steering wheel and seats from the earlier Powerliner tractor range, and much of the well-laid-out dashboard will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the German marque.
At first glance the addition of a "gear-selected" indicator seems to be superfluous, but it is a device which soon proves its worth.
Much of the centre of the cab is taken up with numerous levers" as well as the gear lever, the handbrake and the forward-reverse selector stick are all contained in a slightly jumbled group. This is doubtless a feature which drivers will get used to, but compared with a modern cab it seems a bit disorganised. The most trying element is the throw on the main gear lever, which in top gear comes perilously close to the driver's thigh.
Under way, the U2450 is not the quietest of vehicles. Part of this is due to the aggressive tread pattern of the chunky XML tyres, while the semiconventional design of the cab means that wind noise can be quite intrusive.
Despite the bonnet and the thick windscreen pillars, visibility is surprisingly good. A split mirror on the driver's side would help, as the U2450 sits a long way off the ground and it does not take much to miss a car coming through on the inside of a roundabout.
The Eco-Waste Shuttle does not fall within speed limiter legislation. It is certainly capable of speeds of more than 56mph, but in doing so the rev-counter needle gets pretty close to the red band. At speeds up to 50mph it feels quite comfortable and, despite its non-road tyres, the U2450 handles in an assured manner.
With just 237hp on tap for a maximum weight of 31 tonnes, the Eco-Waste Shuttle is lowpowered by today's standards. But in fairness it's not designed to be a tong-haul motorway cruiser, and the abundance of torque at the bottom end of the rev range more than makes up for the slightly asthmatic sensation you get out on the open road.
Off-road
Away from the blacktop the Eco-Waste Shuttle really begins to earn its pay. The Ketteringbased Tuf-Trax course is more used to lightweight 4x4 rapid intervention-type vehicles than 31-tonne articulated trucks, and as such presented a challenge. This was cordially accepted by Unimog, which came out ahead by some lengths.
Approach and departure angles are good, meaning that the Eco-Waste Shuttle can deal with extremely severe gradients. Gravity is more likely to be of a factor in hill climbing than stray bits of bodywork.
The only problem we could find was in a situation when the prime mover was ascending while the trailer was still descending. The fifth wheel is set a long way back on the U2450, but it would be possible to bring the cab and trailer bulkheads together.
Minimum ground clearance is
500mm, but the use of an offset propshaft means the lowest point of the chassis will miss the high ground between the ruts left by other vehicles. As such, the useable minimum height is arguably slightly higher. Water cart be forded up to a depth of close to a metre without endangering the trailer's load, the vehicle's electrics or the driver's socks.
Overall traction is excellent; the XlVIL tyres are quick to throw mud from their treads, while axle articulation is also good.
The only real downside for the Eco-Waste Shuttle off-road is cab access. It's not the easiest of vehicles to get in and out of while on the hard standing; at a 30° tilt in a puddle, exit and entry become a trying exercise.
Conclusion
On/off-road vehicles have been tried before, and have tended to come up against the same two problems: mediocre perfor mance in both conditions, and a hefty up-front price tag. Some, like the Multidrive system, were undoubtedly proficient off-road, and found favour with the military, but proved to be too heavy and too expensive for mainstream hauliers.
As eight-wheeler GVWs have increased, so the appeal of a specialist on/off-road vehicle has diminished.
But with a payload of 19 tonnes and a price tag of around £69,300, the Eco-Waste Shuttle is neither too heavy, nor (in terms of whole-lifecost) too expensive.
It can be considered seriously by operators for whom off as well as on-road ability is important.
Impending legislation will limit Fastrac users with £40 tax discs to 40km/h and a 25km radius of their operating bases. As a result of these restrictions, the Unimog may well have entered the market at the perfect time.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: Mercedes-Benz 0M366 LA six-cylinder 6.0-litre charge-cooled unit. Max power: 237hp (177kW) at 2,400rpm. Transmission: Synchromesh eight-speed gearbox with splitter and integrated transfer box and drive for both axles. Gears 1-4 are reversible.
Chassis: Torsionally flexible ladder-type frame with welded tubular cross-members.
Brakes: ABS-equipped hydraulic-over-air dual-circuit disc brakes. The engine brake is operated via the service brake pedal or a floor-mounted switch. Suspension: Portal axles with diff-locks and wheel hub drives. Coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers on the tractor; multi-leaf steel springs on the trailer. Electrical system: 24V, 554 alternator; 2x66Ah batteries; seven-pin trailer socket. Tyres: Tractor, 395/85 R20 Michelin XMLs; trailer, 445/65 R22.5 Michelin XZAs.
Payload: 19 tonnes. GCW: 31 tonnes.