Heavy metal in special transport08 July 2019

Bigger and heavier than a standard 44-tonne artic, heavy haulage trucks are an essential part of some operators’ fleets. John Challen looks at the latest offerings

At this year’s CV Show, German manufacturer MAN unwrapped the 41.640 8x4/4 BBS, powered by its 15.2-litre D38 engine. This six-cylinder unit boasts 631bhp, is capable of delivering 3,000Nm from 900rpm and is mated to the MAN Tipmatic 12-speed transmission, with converter and retarder. The big MAN comes with an XXL High Roof sleeper cab, the biggest truck cab found in Europe. The CV Show demonstration vehicle also had a 3.5in kingpin fifth wheel and hub reduction drive axles. They offer a planetary axle ratio of i=4.83, enabling the TGX 41.640 8x4/4 BBS to move gross vehicle weights of up to 250 tonnes. With its push-pull front drawbar, the TGX can also be used in combination with other heavy haulage tractors to shift up to 750 tonnes.

Further connection options come from two Rockinger 56E trailer couplings mounted at the rear for heavy-duty top and bottom coupling options, and a steel plate swanneck trailer support mounted on top of the chassis. A cooling pack unit, mounted directly behind the cab rear wall, houses extra heavy haul kit including an additional fan with heat exchangers for coolant and converter clutch, expanded compressed air tank, a 960-litre fuel tank, air tanks, a 270-litre hydraulic fluid tank, hydraulic oil fan drive, a coolant expansion tank and an 80-litre AdBlue tank. There is also space integrated for bespoke storage boxes to maximise valuable chassis space.

At the same time as IVECO unveiled a new version of its Daily van, the Italian manufacturer also introduced a truck at the opposite extreme at the Bauma 2019 exhibition. The Astra range is specifically designed for heavy off-road applications in the oil and gas, mining, quarrying, heavy construction and heavy haulage industries. Its new 65-tonne gvw Astra HHD98x6 Euro VI in dumper configuration is testament to the fact that quarry vehicles require extra strength and carrying ability. This latest vehicle offers a 24m³ reinforced body, a full automatic transmission and other special equipment for CE certification.

Elsewhere in construction, DAF (pictured) has recently augmented its range of tandems and axles. The company has revealed double-drive tandem axles for the CF and XF trucks, such as the SR1132T, a 19-tonne item with single reduction, leaf-spring suspension and a choice of disc or drum brakes – and 21- and 26-tonne variants of the SR1360T single axle. Specifically for the heavy haulage and off-road applications, there are now both 21- and 26-tonne hub reduction tandems with the HR1670T, which can be equipped with air or leaf spring suspension and features drum brakes. At least ten rear axle ratio options (from 3.46:1 to 7.21:1 — depending on the tandem) helps achieve the best possible fuel economy. Rear axle oil drain interval of the tandems is three years or 450,000km.

Author
John Challen

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