Twin-steer on brewery Cargo
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by Toby Clark • Iveco Ford has launched a 6x2 rear-steer Cargo on a fully air-suspended chassis, and is claiming a first with twin wheels on the rear steering axle.
The rear-steer conversion was designed and produced by IFT dealer North East Truck and Van for good manoeuvrability in tight spaces. It is aimed principally for brewery deliveries, although soft drinks distributors and motorway cone-laying operators have also expressed interest. The ML 150E23/FPS chassis has a design weight of 21.5 tonnes GVW. but brewers are likely to have it downplated at 20.9 or 19.5 tonnes.
Phoenix Axles of Lancashire designed the rear steering and suspension: a hydraulic ram on the front axle displaces oil to another at the rear. The front/rear steering ratio equals the ratio of the distances from each steering axle to the centre axle. The whole system is failsafe: if the hydraulics fail the wheels will passively self steer,
At high speeds rear steering can be a liability—tests indicate that at 60km/h cornering ability is 20% less than with a conventional 6x2—so the Iveco mechanically locks the rear axle in the straight-ahead position above 15km/h.
Rear-steer 6x2s are commonplace on the Continent, but the Iveco has twin wheels and air suspension on the rear steering axle. This presents clearance problems: air bags would normally he fitted outboard of the chassis, for maximum stability; here they are mounted underneath.
overhang is the maximum permitted
The 20.9-tanner has an 8.5m Peter G Reeves curtainsided body, giving a payload of 12.5 tonnes and a laden deck height of 833mm. It represents a substantial increase in load and volume over a 4x2 17-tonner with
no loss in manoeuvrability: claimed wall-to-wall turning circle is 17m. Fleet engineer John Jackson is studying tyre wear: reduced scrub could result in a 25% increase in tyre life and might improve fuel consumption, helping to justify the rearsteer setup, which costs up to £4,000.
Iveco's Chris Christianson sees the rear-steer Cargo as "a strategic vehicle"; an advance order for 50 would allow the chassis to be built on the Langley line. Iveco plans to develop the design for demountable work, possibly with a rearsteer SuperCargo for the refuse market.