Capital Equipment News June 2018

CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES

“We needed a ridge vehicle that was robust and could endure the long-haul distances, tough underfoot conditions and could load these huge off-road payloads to meet deadlines without going the ADT route due to the massive cost difference between these two vehicles. Scania was the only OEM that was prepared to customise the vehicles to our specifications.” Eddie Simpson, Plant Operations Manager at Amalgated Plant

The 16 G460 8x4 units run by Polokwane Surfacing are deployed to haul asphalt from the asphalt plants to jobsites.

axles; a front axle rating of 8,5 t, as well as a 13 t drive axle with light hub reduction. “We also specified a steel front bumper, bearing in mind the arduous nature of the application. We specified a rear diff ratio of 3.96, which gives us the torque to pull heavy loads out of the borrow pits, but also offering us suitable cruising at 80 km/hour,” explains Simpson. The trucks offer an off-road payload capacity of 26 t, and on-road payload of 15 t. “We needed a ridge vehicle that was robust and could endure the long-haul distances, tough underfoot conditions and could load these huge off-road payloads to meet deadlines without going the ADT route due to the massive cost difference between these two vehicles. Scania was the only OEM that could customise the vehicles to our specifications,” says Simpson. Polokwane Surfacing spec The 16 G460 8x4 units run by Polokwane Surfacing are deployed to haul asphalt from the asphalt plants to jobsites, and are sometimes used to haul aggregate from the pit to the asphalt plant. “We have specified 15 m³ Alup-tip tipper aluminium load bodies on this range, giving us a payload of 18 t. The trucks also pull 15 m³ Alup-tip tri- axle aluminium pup trailers, and the combination gives us a 36 t payload. The limiting factor is the bridge formula that the Traffic Department uses to calculate

The company also owns a G460 6x4 lowbed truck and a G460 6x4 flatbed crane truck.

maximum loads between various groups of axles,” explains Freestone. Simpson explains that they specified an air suspension with an on-board weighing system. “In most instances, there isn’t a weigh bridge on most loading points to check the axle loads to ensure that we comply with the payload limitations, thus we requested for Scania’s on-board weighing system. With the air suspension, the system automatically changes the braking system to EBS disc brakes,” explains Simpson. To achieve the 18 t payloads on both the ridge and the trailer, Polokwane Surfacing specified a longer chassis, thus increasing the wheelbase, thereby helping with the bridge formula and increasing payload. “We specified a gearbox with the overdrive top gear and the Opti Cruise, thereby reducing the rpm needed when cruising and keeping the revs in the green band, thus greatly increasing our fuel

consumption,” says Simpson. Simpson adds that these units were specified with a rear diff ratio of 3.8:1, which offers the ideal ratio for cruising at 80 km/h at low rpm. “We also specified aluminium rims, which helps reduce tare weights, thereby increasing payloads,” he says. Happy hauling The Scania range has so far performed to expectations and Freestone is particularly impressed by the availability, which he says is “excellent”. The running costs, especially fuel consumption, have been good, although the two companies are continuously working hand-in-hand to further improve. “We have seen a huge improvement in our running costs compared with the previous range. Scania trucks come with modern technologies, such as the FMS telemetry solution, a set of services that connects our vehicles and drivers with

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JUNE 2018 10