SUPPORT PETER GRESTE & FREEDOM OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM
www.powertorque.com.au ISSUE 61 OCT/NOV 2014 RRP: $8.95 (NZ $9.95)
AUSTRALIA'S LEADING TRUCK AND TRAILER TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
PROFILE many fleet operations the usual service life for a new vehicle is around the four to five-year mark. At that stage a typical line-haul truck has run perhaps close to one million kilometres and, with warranty cover beginning to look a little close to ending, for many it’s time to put up the for sale sign and trade in for a replacement. Sydney-based Godfrey Xerri has a different philosophy and tends to keep his trucks a little longer than the norm. It was back in 1986 that Godfrey got his first truck, a Ford Louisville LNT 9000 bought secondhand from a friend and with around 700,000 km on the odometer.
Originally powered by a V8 Cummins VT 903, the Louisville was subsequently re-engined with a Cummins NTC 444 in 1994. “From 1986 through to when I sold it in 2000 we added around 1.2 million kilometres to the Louisville, making a total of just under 2 million kilometres, ” said Godfrey. Trouble-free running for that length of time, and for the number of kilometres travelled, gives any truck owner an indication of how Godfrey looks after his vehicles. Eventually, though, the time comes for replacement, and that resulted in Godfrey selling the Louisville and replacing it with an iconic Kenworth, a T900. Built in 1996, the maroon Kenworth was bought by Godfrey in 2000 after it had completed four years service with a company in Garden City, Melbourne. With 980,000 km showing on the odometer at the time of purchase, the K900 had apparently been used for road train work running between Victoria and the Northern Territory. “When I bought the K900 it was fitted with a Cummins 525 hp N14 Select Plus engine, and we rebuilt the engine virtually straight away,” said Godfrey.
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CLEAN LIVING “In 2012 we decided it was time to replace the engine with something newer and we decided to repower it with a Cummins Gen II, Signature 620 engine. This is a non-EGR engine and the engine replacement was carried out by John Vella of Vella’s Truck and Trailer Repairs at Orangeville, near The Oaks in Western Sydney. “John did a fantastic job, and at that time we decided to repaint it, but stayed with its original maroon colourscheme. The paintwork was done by Royans of Sydney, which also added items such as the stainless steel sun visor and the 16-inch air cleaners,” said Godfrey. As goes with the traditional T900 territory, the truck is fitted with an Eaton Roadranger 18-speed manual RTLO-10918B transmission rated at 2050 lb-ft (2,780 Nm) maximum torque. Meritor RT 46-160 rear axles with 4.11:1 diff ratios run on Kenworth Airglide 100, twinpedestal, airbag suspension. The spec is topped off by four 450-litre polished aluminium fuel tanks giving a maximum capacity of 1,800 litres. Godfrey Xerri and his K900 haul a TEFCO tri-axled aluminium tipping trailer and specialise in carting grain from Western NSW into the Western Sydney area. Fitted with a Roc hoist, the trailer features BPW axles and suspension. “I stay with BPW axles as I have had a good run with them over the years. You stick with what you know,” said Godfrey. “Interestingly, the fuel economy since we fitted the Cummins Signature 620 has remained virtually identical as the 525, with a regular average of 1.8-1.9 km/litre. When collecting grain from some remote farm areas it can be quite hard on a vehicle, due to the hilly terrain and also where you have to negotiate spongy ground or mud when running off-road.
Godfrey and Mary Xerri deserve congratulations on the very high presentation of the family Kenworth T900.
“It’s a true working truck rather than a show pony. I like to keep my gear in top condition and it gets washed every day,” added Godfrey. There have been some modifications to the T900 along the way that improve durability, and these include fitting a fuel cooler. This is similar to the electric fuel cooler units fitted on concrete agitator trucks and is designed to lower the fuel temperature by as much as 40 degrees Celsius on hot days. This ensures engine performance consistency in warmer weather. Another addition is that of a power-steering fluid cooler, with hydraulic fluid now passing through a cooler to reduce temperature degradation of pipes and seals. Since its fitment there has been a noticeable reduction in pipe cracking through heat stress, leading to longer seal life and lower temperatures in the steering box. The engine oil system now features a second bypass filter.
Godfrey Xerri’s K900 shows how a well kept Kenworth can last a lifetime PowerTorque ISSUE 61
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PROFILE
a piece of nostalgia THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A KENWORTH IN THE SHED FOR GORDON AND LESLEY McCRACKEN. BY DAVE WHYTE
FOR
the most part, my work for PowerTorque revolves around the new and latest model equipment available to Australian operators. Occasionally, though, I get to take a trip into my childhood and have a look at some old gear, meet some old school people and reflect on how the industry has changed. While I’m happy to be working in today’s transport industry, I also think it’s important to remember where we have come from.
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A PIECE OF NOSTALGIA There are a select few who take an interest in preserving the past, and Gordon McCracken is one of those. Gordon not only has the stories, but also a piece of rolling memorabilia to keep a connection with the past, in the shape of a very tidy 1974 Kenworth S2 prime mover and 38’ Freighter flat top trailer. Both of these have been restored, and offer a glimpse of how it was in days gone by. While Gordon has never been a full-time driver, he has always been involved in the transport industry, with his dad and brother both being owner/drivers through the years. By establishing his own signwriting and detailing business, he managed to maintain that involvement, and built quite a reputation among operators from his home base in Albury-Wodonga and much further afield. “We had five or six blokes working for us, painting cabs and chassis, and scrolling trucks,” he explained. “We had customers from Wollongong to Koo Wee Rup. We had a delicate job, painting trucks and fitting lights and stuff, and it was hard to find the right blokes to do the work”. Following the death of his brother in 2007, Gordon decided it was time to lower the stress levels, and sold the business to settle for the quiet life in Boort, central Victoria. A lot of trucks had passed through the door over the years, including all of the well-known Lewingtons fleet trucks, many of which are still shining years down the track.
Having moved to Boort, Gordon found himself without any trucks in the shed for the first time in years. He did, however, have a Ford Customline that he hardly ever used, which he ended up trading with a mate from Brisbane for the old S2. A Dubbo changeover was arranged, and Gordon had the S2 back at home in the shed. “It had no bunk on it, it was painted, but a very raw truck when I got it,” he said. “It wasn’t as good I thought it was, but I thought I could make it into a nice little jigger”. Having cleaned it up and added some line and scrollwork, Gordon went on to fit the external air intakes, a stainless visor, a new grille and chrome wheels. “It was just getting to that stage that it was going to look good,” Gordon said. A mate in Albury just happened to have a 36” bunk that was lying around, so Gordon jumped at it. “I brought it home, rubbed it down, painted it, scrolled it and then fitted it.” He then went in search of a McGrath bogie trailer to complete the package, but struggled to find one. Eventually a Freighter trailer was bought locally, in Bridgewater, and as Gordon explained, “The combing rail was good, it had a good camber and the floor was probably 70 percent”. He brought it home, gave it a coat of paint to match the S2 colours and had the local engineering company make up the mudguards to suit. “Everything is just finished nicely now,” he said with a grin. When asked what was next, the answer was short and sweet,“Nah, that’s it”. After a little pondering, though, he continued, “I’d love to have an R model Mack with a Coolpower in it though”. PowerTorque ISSUE 61
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DRIVEN
STAr STRUCK Dave Whyte heads North with a Western Star Constellation
could be better than to head North in a brand new DD15 powered Western Star 4800 FXC from Melbourne to Sydney with Penske Commercial Group’s new Vawdrey B-double set in tow?
wHAT
Admittedly, the unit was very much fresh out of the dealership forecourt so the trip was never going to set fuel
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economy records as everything was yet to settle down and bed in. But with Penske Group’s head of driver training Pat Cook alongside, the trip was obviously going to increase my knowledge of the truck and the DD15 driveline, and enable me to get a feel of how the Eaton UltraShift Plus works behind the DD15. The truck for this drive was the 26-metre B-double offering in the form of a 4864 FXC with the integrated 40”bunk.
STAR STRUCK
Being one of the first units on the Penske rental fleet, this was basically a standard spec prime mover, but with a little bling to keep up appearances. As mentioned, the drive train included the 14.8-litre DD15 rated at 560 hp (418 kW) and 1850 lb-ft (2510 Nm) matched with the latest-generation 18-speed Eaton UltraShift Plus transmission. While the B-double combination was only built to 32-pallet specification, the 4864 FXC could have quite comfortably fitted under 26 metres with a longer 34-pallet set. With a load of spares for Penske’s part warehouse, the unit was loaded up to an estimated 43-44 tonnes gross for the run up the Hume, which would offer a few good hills to test the DD15. An early departure from the Westar Trucks dealership in Derrimut meant a trouble-free run out of town, with just a little heavy traffic to get things warmed up. The Star made easy work of negotiating this, with the short bonnet making it easy to point and shoot the truck where it needed to go. Once up to highway speed, I was surprised by how quiet the cab was, given that the exhausts are just outside the window. I put this down to a combination of low engine noise from the Detroit and improved cab insulation. The result made for easy conversation, without the need for raised voices. The driver’s workplace is well set out, and easy to make comfortable. An ISRI Big Boy seat offers all the adjustment of the standard ISRI, but with the larger and softer cushioning that is comfortable for even the largest of drivers. The amount of legroom was also surprising, offering plenty of room to stretch out when you need to. I have found that some short-bonneted prime movers don’t leave much room, especially for your left foot where the engine tunnel comes into the cab, but the Western Star didn’t have that problem. The fact that there was no clutch pedal also contributed to the space.
On the subject of space, the high-roof cab has no shortage of standing room, and, with no gearstick in the floor, moving around inside the cab is easy. Storage and a built-in fridge under the bunk mean there is enough room to store life’s essentials without the need to have your gear lying around the cab. External locker boxes on either side of the cab make for easy access to extra storage, with ample room for a driver’s travelling bag or tools. The bed on offer is a good size, and the same width right across the cab. It also has a proper mattress, as opposed to the foam rubber often found in a smaller bunk. With the light load on behind, the DD15 made easy work of most of the trip, and the UltraShift Plus proved its worth when needed. For those who were bitten by the first release Eaton AMTs, this latest generation would be a revelation. I find it hard to believe that any driver could make better gear changes than this AMT, though there are still times where a driver should take control and manually select a gear to suit the task at hand. While we all like to think we are pretty good with a Roadranger, the fact that the AMT doesn’t get tired means that even after a long day, each gear change is a crisp one, and we all know that’s not always true for a tired driver and a manual gearbox. After a day of driving, I got to test the manoeuvrability of the 4864 through the back streets of Yennora, in Sydney’s west. By missing one turn, I found myself having to reverse the B-double around a corner in the dark to perform a U-turn (damn those dead end streets!). The short wheelbase and excellent steering lock made this a fairly simple process, and in very little time we were on our way again. This handling test also demonstrated the importance of good mirrors. While the East-Coast-style mirrors are good for single trailer operation, I believe the wider Euro-style mirrors are better for B-double work. That being said, the job was done safely, and with very little fuss.
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TRUCK SHOW
Amidst
the chopped-top exotica of the street machine brigade, this year’s SuperNats event was a Mecca for people that just like to walk around and look at great vehicles. The interest for PowerTorque centred on the separate display of trucks that were showcasing a new category for this annual event, now in its 20th year. As well as the Hot Rods, Radical Rods, Rat Rods, Muscle Cars, Elites, Blings, Low Riders, 4’s, Rotaries and Restored Classics there was a new category this year, that of Australia’s Best Show Trucks. Admittedly, this was the first year trucks had been given a category in which to compete, but all credit to the organisers for including heavy transport in an event that is capable of growing interest in the years ahead. This was certainly a family affair, aimed at providing a meeting place for like-minded people and where the only alcohol on site was probably being consumed by a set of pistons during the timed dragstrip runs. Yes, some of the trucks that attended did run the strip to check on times for a standing quarter mile, but that really was just a laugh, given nearly all of the trucks attending were road registered and pretty much in standard trim. Credit must go to the consistent efforts of Adelaide-based Truckworks, with the company attending to showcase two totally different concepts, both of which were based on the Peterbilt brand.
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SUPERNATS
No, PowerTorque is not suddenly focused on hot rods and ’57 Chevys. This year’s event at the Sydney Dragway attracted some fine looking trucks.
Truckwork’s own show truck was floated up from South Australia as a mobile exhibition of what can be done to make your truck different from the one parked next door. The phrase “blinged up to the eyeballs” is probably an understatement, as this Peterbilt 388 features a 63-inch low-line bunk, is rated at 98 tonnes and features must have inclusions such as a wooden floor, rosewood cappings and a marbleised dashboard. Wherever you look there’s extensive customising evident, even to the extent of some of the customised items being further customised just for the sheer heck of it, all as a design exercise. Powered by a Cummins ISX EGR engine rated at 600 hp and with the required 18-speed manual shift Roadranger, this is one truck that has never been registered and awaits its first owner. Whoever that may be will be faced with the unusual task of removing some of the bling, together with altering certain modifications prior to obtaining a compliance plate for road registration. If you are looking for something outside the box, then this particular Pete could have your name on the order form.
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FEATURE
THE BIG Competition hots up amongst the Europeans
EVERY two years the massive IAA exhibition centre in Hannover is the centre for excellence when it comes to trucks and transport of all shapes and sizes.
For 2014, one of the star attractions was from German manufacturer MAN as it presented its flagship TGX with the new D3876 engine, putting paid to any suggestion that Euro horses might not be up to the job. At a time when the North American market is extolling the virtues of 13 litres, here’s one manufacturer that has come back into contention for those loving the power and performance usually associated only with 15-litre engines. With the release of the TGX D38, MAN moves into the big league with power outputs from the D3876 engine of 520 hp, 560 hp and 640 hp. The two-stage-turbocharging makes full torque available at 930 rpm through to 1,350 rpm, and it works with all axle ratios, offering peak torque of 2,500 Nm (520 hp), 2,700 Nm (560 hp) and 3,000 Nm (640 hp) available in all gears. As the flagship model on the IAA stand, MAN kicked off proceedings with a 41.640 8x4 TGX D38 heavy-duty prime mover boasting a gross train weight of up to 250 tonnes. Available in right and left-hand-drive and with cab trim levels of XL, XLX and XXL, axle configurations range from 4x2, 6x4 and 8x4. Despite ZF revealing its TraXon transmission as being the successor to the AS Tronic Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), the new TGX D38 has not moved on to TraXon, preferring instead to introduce an improved version of the AS Tronic that MAN calls TipMatic 2. In power-intensive traction traffic, the MAN TGX D38 can generally pull up to 65 tonnes with overdrive gearboxes (OD). The heavy-duty versions with converter-clutch units can handle gross train weights of up to 250 tonnes with ease.
THE BIRTH OF A NEW ENGINE – MAN D3876 MAN has developed the 15.2-litre series six-cylinder D3876 to focus on lowering total cost of ownership throughout the life of the vehicle. As a six-cylinder in-line engine, the new D38 is made up of the same basic structure and high-tensile materials as the D20/D26 engines, and is therefore built around a design that has been proven over millions of miles. A third-generation common-rail injection system with 2,500 bar peak pressure enables further refinement of fuel induction and jet optimisation for fuel injection, thus ensuring low-particle combustion that is optimised for fuel efficiency. The new generation fuel pump requires less power, which also contributes to fuel savings. 72 PowerTorque ISSUE 61
THE BIG MAN
IG MAN with MAN offering 15.2 litres and 640 hp By using high tensile basic materials, MAN has achieved overall weight savings of 160 kg in comparison to the strongest Euro-5 engine D28 V8. Further weight gains result from using an aluminium flywheel housing with cast engine brackets, and the oil sump and valve cover are made from highly durable impact-resistant plastic. This material makes it possible to shape the MAN-patented acoustic structure of the oil sump, which reduces emitted engine noise. MAN engineers have incorporated the use of domed valves for the first time in a truck diesel engine. This structural feature reinforces the valve heads of the inlet and outlet valves so that even minimal flexing cannot occur when the valves open and close. This means that the valves and their valve seats always meet at the ideal angle. The use of domed valves is one of the factors that allow the interval between setting valve play to be doubled – the valve clearance of the D3876 engine only needs to be adjusted at every second oil change. The oil change intervals remain the same as for the MAN D26, as does the maintenance interval for the particle filter. The new top-down cooling system leads the coolant in the cylinder head from the top directly to the areas under thermal stress, thus reducing wear. MAN uses fire rings in the D3876 at the top edge of the cylinder liner to prevent the build-up of oil carbon – and therefore wear – on the contact surface. The engines thus use less oil and the cylinders are lubricated reliably for an extended lifetime. MAN has also gone for improved structural integrity of the cylinder head by using eight cylinder head screws per cylinder. Along with low oil consumption and the resultant extended cleaning intervals for the particulate filter, this also extends the durability of the cylinder head seal, which is designed to last for the entire life of the engine. Two-stage-turbocharging ensures an ideal supply of combustion air to the engine throughout a wide range of speeds. From 930 rpm, the MAN D38 engine delivers its full torque of 2,500, 2,700 or 3,000 Nm. This shifts the main operating range of the engine towards lower speeds, which means both lower fuel consumption and less wear.
AIR PRESSURE MANAGEMENT The TGX D38 features a demand-controlled air compressor to reduce the parasitic power drain experienced by using a permanently running air compressor. This refined air pressure management (APM) reduces operating time by around 90 percent, resulting in fuel economy gains. The D38 has a two-cylinder APM with 476 cc. For even greater air requirements, such as for heavy-duty trucks with many trailer axles, MAN offers a permanent air compressor option with 720 cc. PowerTorque ISSUE 61
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FEATURE
T FOR TOW Actually it’s Tow for the T880 as Kenworth’s recent USA release gains a strong following
YOU'VE
got to love some aspects of the United States, especially when conversation turns to the “mine is bigger than yours” debate. In this instance the question of size relates to fleets of tow trucks, and with Robbie Faulk, owner of Ace Wrecker Service in Orlando, and its sister company Russell’s Towing of St. Cloud, both of Florida and owning 60 tow trucks collectively, then any argument runs out of steam fairly quickly. Robbie Faulk has a range of recovery equipment varying from smaller units for transporting cars, on up to a heavy-duty rig with a 75-tonne rotator. His own personal Kenworth T880 is equipped with a Century 1150S rotator.
“A funny thing happened when it was delivered – two of my drivers started fighting over it,” Faulk said. “They both wanted to drive it. So, now I have to share the truck. We all just love the T880 – it rides better and has a great turning radius, and with the sloped hood we get great visibility out the front.” The stability of the chassis platform of the T880 enables Robbie to handle the difficult jobs, thanks to the dual 50,000-lb. winches and a hydraulic boom that rotates 360 degrees and extends and elevates under load. While Kenworth’s venerable T800 has long been a favourite of tow and recovery companies, the new Kenworth T880 has been turning heads. And fast.
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T FOR TOW Miller Industries is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of towing and recovery equipment, in part, due to its long-standing reputation of delivering products that outperform expectations. “To be successful in this business you have to have a truck partner that understands towing and recovery,” said Hawkins. “The truck builder has to have on-going engineering expertise and be willing to create a vehicle that works precisely as our customers expect. I feel that’s what helps separate Kenworth from other truck OEMs – they’re truly dedicated to our market. It’s why we’re successful, and why Kenworth is as well.” “It’s quickly leapfrogged the T800,” according to John L. Hawkins, Miller Industries vice president of heavy-duty operations for the Ooltewah, Tenn, based company. “We purchased one of the first T880s last fall and installed one of our 50-ton towing and recovery units, and displayed it at the industry’s second largest trade show in Baltimore,” Hawkins said. “The T880 stole the show, generated a lot of future business, and brought customers to the Miller booth. In fact, it was the first vehicle to sell at the show.”
In Jacksonville, Greg Gaylord, president of Southern Wrecker and Recovery, considers the T880 its flagship tow truck. Southern Wrecker spec’d a T880 for a Century 9055 – a 50-ton integrated unit known for its heavy-duty towing superiority. Both Russell’s Towing’s and Southern Wrecker’s T880s feature 20,000-lb. front suspensions and 46,000-lb. rears. “Though each tow company has 50-ton units installed on the T880s, they feature different designs – yet the diverse specifications of the chassis properly support each client’s application,” said Hawkins. “We took delivery of the T880 in April after seeing one at the industry’s largest trade show in Florida,” said Gaylord. “The spec’ing process, along with Kenworth quality, led us to the T880. It may seem like a small thing, but for a tow operator specs are critical, especially when you need the tow body to come up all the way to the cab.
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TRAILERTORQUE
IT
must be a rather pleasant position to be able to order a new B-double trailer set with all the bells and whistles, as Pat Cook, events manager and driver trainer for Penske Commercial Vehicles knows only too well.
With the recent change of ownership for the importation and distribution of Western Star, MAN and Dennis Eagle products into this country now coming under the banner of the giant Penske Corporation, there’s a considerable wind of change blowing through the Wacol-based operation.
Already operating one of north America’s largest truck rental fleets, it was only a matter of time before the Australian arm of the Penske business looked at introducing a similar division into our domestic market. But there’s more to selling trucks and renting trucks than just being open for business. You have to market them and provide excellent customer service, both topics that company CEO Roger Penske understands only too well. The job of demonstrating the latest models and showcasing their performance falls on the shoulders of veteran Pat Cook. With a background in driver training and truck marketing, Pat has been developing the ideal test bed to showcase the vehicle range. That resulted in a visit to Melbourne trailer manufacturer, Vawdrey, and a chat with Paul Vawdrey, the company’s national sales director. Out of the conversation came an order for a brand new B-double trailer set that incorporates all the items any operator might have on their ultimate wish list. As TrailerTorque’s road test editor, Dave Whyte, found during his test drive of the latest Western Star Constellation recently, this latest B-double is really something. The introduction of higher standards of braking and safety being implemented from January next year meant that the new trailer set would be built with
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all future safety upgrades in mind. This meant immediately jumping from the requirement for a minimum of ABS or load apportioning braking systems to the higher level of Electronic Braking Systems with roll stability. The lead trailer and tag trailer are based on the Vawdrey Titeliner flat deck design for carrying a total of 32 pallets (10 pallets on the lead trailer and 22 pallets on the tag trailer). With an overall height of 4300 mm and width of 2500 mm, the main rail has a standard profile neck with a singleposition 50 mm bolt-in king pin and a coaming height raised 20 mm above floor level.
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Winch tracks are fitted together with a standard 1200 mm length toolbox on each trailer, and load retention and safety is ensured through the use of load retaining curtains, negating the need for individual gates. JOST landing legs are fitted to both trailers, while the fifth-wheel coupling on the lead trailer is by K-Hitch. The Titeliner is Vawdrey’s traditional curtainsider and is available in flat deck, drop deck and rigid truck body configurations. Its development has seen the added options of multiple styles of mezzanine decks and post variations, and both ambient and chiller specifications. As Justin Simmonds, national sales manager of Vawdrey Trailers, commented to TrailerTorque, the Titeliner comprises around 60 percent of production for Vawdrey, being one of the most successful and popular designs it manufactures. It’s from here on that the specification becomes more relevant for the future design upgrades, with the inclusion of a full WABCO EBS system matched to a BPW lightweight ALII series tri-axle air suspension running with BPW ALII
grease-filled ten-stud steel hubs. Alcoa 8.25x22.5 ten-stud alloy rims are fitted with the latest low energy Bridgestone Ecopia R109 tyres sized at 11R22.5, with BPW air-operated disc brakes on all axles. BPW developed the ECOdisc as the world’s first disc brake system specially designed, engineered and tested for heavy commercial trailer use. The benefit of the new ECOdisc is its compact design, which enables the disc brake system to be fully integrated into the BPW running-gear system. BPW has succeeded in connecting the brake directly to the axle beam, providing the advantage of greater stability and less weight, resulting in improved efficiencies and higher payloads for the operator.
OKING
There’s a lot more to consider when buying a new trailer, with added safety requirements changing the build spec’
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any visitor to the IAA show in Hannover, Europe’s largest transport event, will undoubtedly find plenty of interesting designs and developments, especially when examining the diversity of car carriers. The show offers the chance to compare different options from all the European manufacturers, with Italy a major contender for innovative designs.
But car carrier design is not just confined to Italy. Holland is credited with possessing one of the largest truck fleets per capita of population, and, not surprisingly, a Dutch couple that moved to Australia brought with them knowledge of the transport business in Europe that translated ideally to the Australian requirements.
Transmech today builds a comprehensive range of car carriers in a variety of sizes, ranging from four cars through to eleven on a B-double configuration. For car carriers operating road train combinations Transmech has raised the bar further, with each of the two trailers carrying a maximum of seven vehicles, plus a further medium-sized vehicle on the roof section of the prime mover. The company has remained very much a family business, with Theo managing the design and manufacturing processes, Annelene managing human resources issues and daughter Vanessa overseeing the finance and administration duties. General Manager Scott Hilditch is responsible for all operational processes. Reliability and durability are at the very core of each Transmech design, and for this reason the company is a strong advocate for using BPW axles wherever possible.
c r e v e l c
Theo and Annelene Heuft arrived in Australia from Holland in 1980, and in 1984 the couple registered their company Transmech, beginning their own enterprise which, through the intervening 25 years, has grown to become recognised as one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of car carriers.
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The new two-trailer road train combination operated by Kevin Schembri features the Transmech RTV2 design with each trailer being 45 ft (13.7 metres) in length and fitted with curtain side in-fill sections. The top decks are fully floating, as are the well decks, and these are moved into position through cables running on Nylatron sheaves. All locking bars are air operated.
With a 50 mm bolt-in type Holland Hitch king pin, the road train coupling is an Orlandi GE506 50 mm unit.
r e i r r a c With full airbag suspension throughout both trailers, the BPW axles are shod with eight-stud hubs and Michelin 265/70R 19.5 tyres on steel rims.
ore m s ’ e her s in bulk t s w sho ove car h c e m m Trans ne way to o than
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KNOWN as the “Land of Smiles,” Thailand is gaining a new identity as the “Detroit of Asia,” thanks to an increasing number of auto manufacturers establishing new factories in the region. Nearly all utes that arrive in Australia are manufactured in Thailand by Nissan, Mazda, Ford, Toyota and Isuzu. This leaves VW that manufactures in Germany and Argentina, Foton and Great Wall in China, SsangYong in South Korea and Mahindra and Tata in India. In recent years, the Thai heavy commercial industry has also expanded, with Isuzu building medium to heavy trucks in Thailand, together with UD Trucks building the Quester.
Joining the truck makers with a major investment in local Thai manufacturing is Heil Trailer Asia Limited, which, along with its fellow Asia-Pacific subsidiary, Heil Trailer Australia Pty. Ltd., is a division of Heil Trailer International, headquartered in Athens, Tennessee. With over 2000 employees globally, Heil Trailer International boasts a history of 113 years and is the world's leading aluminium tank trailer manufacturer, and the only global supplier of tank trailer equipment. Heil Trailer equipment can be found all over the world, built in ISO certified plants in North America, South America, and Asia. As a global manufacturer of specialty bulk commodity transport, Heil Trailers is geared for refined petroleum products, crude oil, low cube and high cube dry bulkers,
TRAILERTORQUE VISITS BANGKOK, THE HOME OF HEIL TRAILERS ASIA
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ISO containers, stainless steel chemical and food grade, platform, construction and oil field equipment hauling, military refuellers, wind towers, blades and motors.
The safety features reduce the opportunity for injury to people who utilise the products. Customer service is also important, before and after the sale,” added Mark.
The company commenced Australian operations in 2005 with the appointment of a local dealer to promote their products to the market. In February 2009, Heil Trailer Australia Pty. Ltd. was formed to continue operations in Australia under it’s own entity.
“We’re working on an aerodynamic package that will enable end-users to get better fuel efficiency. We’re also working to improve loading and unloading times to be more efficient and quicker, and to ensure all products are more versatile, and can be used for many different applications.
Heil now has in excess of 400 units in operation in Australia, and, as Mark Dale, Heil Australia’s Regional Manager, told TrailerTorque:
“The introduction of alternative and recyclable fuels has also impacted the company, such as customers that want trailers that can haul biodiesel fuel and recyclable oil.
“Quality is the crux of our heritage. There’s a lot of functionality testing and a lot of pride in our craftsmanship and workmanship to give us global certification under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
“We’re staying in tune with customers and modifying our product line as necessary. Waste oil reclamation is becoming much more profitable for our customers. They need a uniquely designed piece of equipment to maximise their profits, and we are there to help them with that design. Bitumen, tipping and stainless steel food-grade trailers are additional areas the company is looking at for expansion, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Mark.
“On performance, we have high market share in the areas we compete. For example, the way our product performs, the resale value and the ability for customers to get what they want, when they want it. Almost everything is customised. Heil works closely with its customers to pick the basic platform and then customise it to meet their requirements,” said Mark. The company also strives to ensure its equipment is easy to use and operate. Heil works closely with oil companies, fleet owners and drivers on ergonomic enhancements and safe operating procedures.
To see the standards of quality manufacturing at first hand, TrailerTorque visited the Bangkok manufacturing centre of Heil Trailer Asia where managing director William J. Brininstool took our reporter personally through the plant, which opened in 1996. “The company today employs 290 employees and we specialise in aluminium tankers for 90 percent of our business, the remaining 10 percent being stainless steel,” said Bill. “Although we could offer a mild steel product at this stage, we generally prefer to stay with aluminium and stainless steel. Tankers make up 85 percent for petroleum operations and dry bulk, with stainless steel taking up 10-15 percent.
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