

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
JUNE 2016
31
Volvo Trucks now offers Euro 5 five-axle trucks
directly from the factory to meet a growing
need for higher legal payloads. Combination
weights of 50 to 76 tonnes are already al-
lowed on some markets.
“Distributing the load on five axles reduces
the risk of overloading the axles. This solution
eliminates the need for an external bodybuilder
and costly retrofitting. All in all, it gives fleet
owners quicker delivery, direct from Volvo and
all the benefits of a full Volvo warranty and
aftermarket support,” said Gush.
Severe conditions
Severe conditions imply situations or
applications that involve off-road or rough-
road driving, requiring an engaged front
drive axle. In this case, customers require
manoeuvrability in tight areas and maximum
traction so the trucks don’t get stuck.
This could mean the transportation of heavy
loads that require special permission to
travel on public roads. Customers in this
segment are looking for dependability,
startability, maximising hill gradients and
loading capacity.
To address fleet owners’ exacting require-
ments in this segment, Volvo Trucks has
introduced Automatic Traction Control as
standard on the Volvo FMX with all-wheel
drive or a driven front axle – an industry
first. The front-wheel drive (4x4, 6x6, 8x6
and 10x6) is automatically activated when
needed, providing all the necessary traction.
This innovation is already at work in Volvo
Construction Equipment and has proven to
be a reliable, highly-effective solution to
tackle even the toughest of worksites.
The new technology is set to give operators
reduced fuel consumption, better manoeu-
vrability and uncompromised traction, as
well as ultimately reducing powertrain wear
and damage as Automatic Traction Control
is engaged only when it is required.
Volvo Trucks Dynamic Steering was first intro-
duced in 2013, but is now available for the
dual front axles on the 8x2, 8x4 and 10x4
derivatives. This feature is set to reduce the
strain on the driver, contributing to improved
driving comfort, as well as to increased safety
and productivity.
“The poorer the roads, the higher the loads,
the lower the speed – the greater the ben-
efits with Volvo Dynamic Steering for dual
front axles,” said Gush.
In addition to the crawler gears, Volvo Trucks
launched a reinforced version of the I-Shift,
making it available for customers driving
in extremely demanding conditions – what
they call ”very hilly” and ”very rough”. This
I-Shift is made for severe duty applications
conditions found in some of the toughest
quarries and mines.
“Technically, what we’ve done is to rein-
force the gearbox and adjust the software
so that it is better equipped to handle the
frequent gear changes that are common in
these environments,” said Gush.
Volvo Trucks knows the value placed on high
load capacity within the construction indus-
try. This is why the company increased the
maximum front axle loads for leaf-suspend-
ed trucks with double front axles from 18 to
20 tonnes.
“In a mine or a quarry, every extra tonne a
truck can carry is extremely valuable. This
feature will increase the productivity and
fleet owners will have better profit mar-
gins,” said Gush. “Customers driving on
regular roads may not be able to increase
the maximum payload, but they still ben-
efit in terms of load distribution flexibility
without overloading the axles. These two
extra tonnes in the front are good to have
for trucks like crane trucks and concrete
pumps.”
For customers in heavy haulage, it’s an op-
portunity to take on heavier assignments,
and to take on lighter ones without requiring
a costly special permit.
Volvo Trucks believes that the new specifi-
cations added to their already-proven range,
combined with the brand’s increasing foot-
print in the region, will give their African
fleet owners the edge in these competitive
and demanding local industry segments.
“Innovation, yes it’s a buzzword. But for us
it’s the result of our continuous, relentless
and uncompromising effort to find the best
solution for our customers,” concluded
Gush.
b
TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS
Malcolm Gush, Sales Director at
Volvo Trucks South Africa.