Eco-Equip saves €30,000 in clutch replacements 17 March 2011

Since buying a Mercedes-Benz Atego 1828 18-tonner fitted with an Allison 3000 Series automatic transmission in 2005, Eco-Equip believes it has saved more than €30,000 in clutch replacements.

The initial purchase prompted further investment in four more similarly specified Axors and the refuse company says it intends to buy Allison wherever possible.

Eco-Equip runs a 25-strong fleet and workshop manager Josep Moreno says the main difficulty has resulted from the completely of this urban area – meaning stop-start traffic, not ideal for vehicles fitted with manual geartboxes.

"The [Allison] recommendation came to us through [our city] bus company, which had been using fully automatic transmissions for many years," recalls Moreno of the initial truck purchase.

While he maintains that some of the company's drivers had preconceived ideas about how a fully automatic would function, they soon got used to the new setup.

"They soon became accustomed to the fact that, although they perceived a slower vehicle take-off, the vehicle was actually gaining in average speed, and the round was completed more quickly," explains Moreno. "The curious thing is that drivers now fight to be behind the wheel of the Allison-equipped trucks."

Moreno continues: "With Allison, the collection rounds are quicker and more comfortable. In addition, we have been able to enhance the safety of our workers. Our trucks are back-loading to facilitate collection in the narrow streets. We have two workers at the rear of the truck and, with Allison transmissions, jerking is eliminated during start-up and acceleration, meaning that our employees are safer."

Author
John Challen

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