Mercedes-Benz Actros goes to the woods for John Miller 18 April 2012

Sightings have been reported of a powerful beast roaming the forests of the Scottish border country. But the monster in question is no mythical being: it's a Mercedes-Benz Actros off-road special.

The 8x4 Actros 4144K has joined the fleet of John Miller, which, it says, chose and specified the truck for an arduous life.

The unit will spend most of its time deep in the Galloway forests of Dumfriesshire, rarely setting a wheel on tarmac.

The Actros was supplied by Carlisle Mercedes-Benz dealer Ciceley Commercials. It has a design weight of 41 tonnes and is powered by a 440bhp V6 engine, driving through a version of Mercedes PowerShift automated transmission optimised for off-road applications.

The vehicle's impressive specifications include an extended M-type day cab with Comfort driver's seat, air-conditioning, an in-cab fridge, additional fuel tank and radiator protection, and a five-position Voith retarder.

Dumfries-based JD Engineering also added a central tyre inflation system, which can be operated from inside the cab. This allows the driver to drop tyre pressures when off road, to minimise damage to forest trails, then re-inflate to normal pressures when the truck is on hard surfaces.

Meanwhile, the chassis has been fitted with a specialised body and Loglift crane, both of which were supplied and installed by German manufacturer Doll before the vehicle was delivered.

The rear-mounted crane has a fully-enclosed cab, allowing the driver to operate in all weather conditions, and the truck is fitted with a gearbox oil cooler and extra engine cooling capacity to guard against overheating while the crane is in use.

Additionally, the truck tows a trailer, supplied by Dennison, of Lancaster, which rides on three heavy-duty BPW axles.

Dougie Evans, of JD Engineering, explains the thinking behind the specification of this impressive log hauler. "Miller's new truck is working almost exclusively within the treeline," he says.

"As trees are felled, it brings the timber to the edge of the forest where the loads are transferred to regular tractor units hauling log trailers."

Author
John Challen

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