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THE NEW
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KE
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NWORTH, A LITTLE
LESS
CONVENTIONAL The release of a new Kenworth truck is traditionally a major event for the Australian trucking industry, and the launch of the new T610 proved to be no exception.
www.dieselnews.com.au
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here is little doubt that Kenworth has been the dominant player in the heavy-duty truck industry for more than 20 years. The company simply builds the kind of trucks Australian truck drivers want to drive. The changes which have arrived with the new T610 and T610 SAR from the Bayswater-based company suggest the tastes of the Aussie truckie have changed, but not that much. Any Kenworth model is always going to be somewhat of a compromise, the Australian trucking industry is just not big enough to justify designing and building a tailor-made local truck from the ground up.
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As such, Kenworth’s success is based on the art of utilising components that are readily available in the big truck markets of the world, namely the US and Europe, adapting and mixing them in such a way as to suit our conditions and climate. To aid in designing a bespoke solution for the Australian market, Kenworth parent company, Paccar Australia, has had the resources of Kenworth and Peterbilt in the US and DAF in Europe at its disposal, as well as a strong network of Australian component suppliers to draw on. The resulting ‘mix and match’ then had to be designed to become unified, with its own look and feel.
The time has come for the conventional bonneted truck in Australia to bring itself up to date. Modern electronics and assembly technology have introduced many new possibilities. The modern truck driver is also looking for a lot more from each truck in terms of productivity, information, driver safety and comfort. The Paccar Group as a whole is moving towards a unified cabin design, prompting Kenworth Australia to come up with their own unique adaptation of the brief. The results are the new T610 and T610 SAR. These two new truck models are a direct replacement for the T409 and T409 SAR, but we can expect them to also replace the T609, as the high power options are all available in the T610. The Cummins X15 will be available from 450hp all of the way up to 600hp in all models. This is due to the new improved cooling package, which reportedly has more capacity than the current package offered on the C500 from Kenworth. However, we must not forget that this is Kenworth, a very careful and conservative brand, with conservative customers who are willing to embrace change, but not too much in one go. The T610 seems to have hit just the right balance of old and new to keep most people happy. To begin with, the chassis remains unchanged. This is a tough and reliable set-up, undergoing constant customisation, which the industry has come to rely on. The driveline is also little changed in the actual metal, but
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THE CUMMINS X15 WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM 450HP ALL OF THE WAY UP TO 600HP IN ALL MODELS. THIS IS DUE TO THE NEW IMPROVED COOLING PACKAGE, WHICH REPORTEDLY HAS MORE CAPACITY THAN THE CURRENT PACKAGE OFFERED ON THE C500 FROM KENWORTH. the integration between the truck’s electronics, the Cummins engine and Eaton transmission will further enhance its reputation. The cabin itself is changed and is a combination of three basic sections. The driver compartment is the Paccar Group design used in Kenworth and Peterbilt product in the US, but adapted and beefed up for our conditions. The sleeper is a traditional design built in the same way as all of the current Kenworth cabs. The two
compartments come together under a newly designed roof. Introduce a new driver’s compartment, and a new dash must follow. This is one of the major changes in the new design. The new truck marks the move over from conventional wiring to multiplexed wiring, a move from the analogue to the digital age. With this comes its own advantages and its own problems. Less complicated wiring looms make plumbing easier and reduce complexity. Individual controls and sensors are now all digital and electronic control units handle a myriad of tasks many times a second.
Heavy Automatics is celebrating 26 years of operation in 2017, having evolved from the vision of owners, Ron Neville and Claude Dalese. Their vision was to provide highly-trained and motivated staff committed to outstanding customer support of the Allison product. 26 years on, Heavy Automatics has a network of five branches and 15 service dealers around Australia, supporting all transmission vocations including Waste, Agitator, Bus, Crane, P & D Distribution, Mining and Agriculture.
The steel bar structure the dash is built around tells us it was designed to cope with tough Australian roads. The actual look is not too far from the current crop, but will be the same across the ranges in the long run. It feels solid to the touch and has all of the information most drivers need. The classic colour remains, but gone are the gold bezels, they are now silver. The truck’s design has to be put together in a way that will fit the components, including a major upgrade to the cooling system, and still bring it within the constraints of Australian road regulations. The cabin is 300 mm wider than the outgoing T409 cabin and has been moved 300 mm forward over the engine compartment. The prime mover will therefore suit the 26m B-double market, with enough space for a decentsized bunk and plenty of headroom between the seats. At the same time, it will be possible to maximise mass by getting 6.5 tonnes over the steer axle. The doors are also new, with improved visibility through the new mirrors, which can be set lower to give a better view.
Heavy tics Automa old sG e iv e c re awards Status llison from A ion iss m s Tran
With more than 80 employees, and the largest Allison parts and transmission inventory in Australia, Heavy Automatics provides service and technical support to Australia’s leading OEM manufacturers, OE Dealers and major fleets. Its team of Allison factory-trained technicians use the latest diagnostic equipment to ensure fast turn-around times to help minimize downtime. In recognition of above, Heavy Automatics has received the Allison Gold Status awards for their service to the product.
www.heavyautomatics.com.au sales@heavyautomatics.com.au Contact your nearest HA branch Adelaide: 08 8243 2111 | Brisbane: 07 3272 4555 | Melbourne: 03 9768 2004 | Perth: 08 9458 3299 | Sydney: 02 8783 6255
TOP STORY Gone are the West Coast mirrors, but these are robust, vibration free and very effective. A couple of days after the launch, Diesel was able to take a couple of the launch trucks out on the road to see if they lived up to the hype and to answer the question on most people’s lips, does it still look, feel and sound like a Kenworth? The answer to all of those questions is yes. We are quite happy to be driving a more modern truck, as long as it still pushes our buttons. One of the first things the driver notices is the improvement in steering response. The wider cabin means the steering column runs straight down to the steering box without having to divert around the turbo. The feel is excellent, with minimal kick and zero play. The ride is also smooth, which comes as little surprise as the unchanged chassis has always felt surefooted. The pre-production models driven had little or no soundproofing fitted and the sound levels were just right in the
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SAR and perhaps a little loud in the standard T610. It’s always good to hear and feel the Cummins at work out on the highway, though. Yes, there are a number of items which look very much like those on the Kenworths sold in the US, namely the doors, mirrors and the front grille. But in fact, all of these have been ‘Australianised’. The doors are the same shape, but all of the fittings, seals and panels were designed for Australia. The mirrors, too, have been seriously beefed up in order to put up with the rough treatment our roads provide, and the front grille on the T610 is a similar shape but made from stainless steel, just down the road from the Bayswater factory. Is it going to be well received in the
market? Of course it is. Kenworth has a long loyal relationship with many of its customers. Does it take Kenworth forward into the modern era of truck manufacturing? Yes, and there is no alternative. The modern multiplexed truck is the industry standard in the kind of heavy-duty line-haul type work this truck is built for. Does it tilt the balance back from the cab-over to the conventional? We will have to wait and see on that one.