THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

July 2008

An industrial off-road environment is harsh on trucks due to the stop-start nature of the work with engine idling and power-take-off applications.

There’s a vast infrastructural development occurring in Africa and especially in the Middle East. Time magazine in its May 26, 2008 special report points out – ‘While Lebanon burns, a new economy and society takes shape in the Gulf’. Thousands of South Africans – estimated at 40 000 – are now working in the new mega-cities in Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. According to Time, ‘over a third of the Gulf’s 37-million residents are foreign and South African construction companies, among many others, are there to participate in the trillions of petro-dollars being ploughed into construction projects. Our local SA R400-billion development is small by comparison to the Gulf States. So Iveco’s very focused, week-long ‘Trakker promotion’ in Madrid made sense. In five days Iveco pumped through 300 specially invited guests from 73 countries representing the media, Iveco body builders and construction equipment suppliers including major customers with their supplying dealers. Dave Scott, Technical correspondent for FleetWatch, was there. According to Iveco records their 2007 retail unit volumes increased by 27% to the Middle East and African markets and naturally they seek more growth through focused marketing. 

You read it correctly. Even truck builders, who are normally at the bottom of a promotional bash foodchain, were included in the rah-rah. And why? As our hosts pointed out, journalists are invited for their ‘voice’ but the body builders complete the product and are part of the quality chain. This is a refreshing approach to marketing a complete truck – not just chassis/cabs. 

What made Spain the ‘anchor country’ for a ‘Trakker-fest’? For a start, Iveco’s Madrid truck plant is the only factory in the world that produces their off-road ‘Trakker’ and where Iveco claims 30% of the truck market against seven competitors. The historic Pegaso truck plant that Iveco acquired in 1990 is situated there. (See Pegaso history). Apparently Spain now also ranks fifth in the world in automobile manufacture. Madrid is also ideal for conventions and tourism. The massive new Barajas air terminal, rapid bus transit systems, road networks and hotel/conference facilities makes Madrid a favourite destination for future group promotions and marketing. 

EuroTrakker & new TRAKKER H – what’s new?

It all began with EuroTrakker, a robust vehicle for arduous off-road applications. The latest evolution of Iveco’s off-road range, new Trakker H builds on proven development of Iveco’s construction vehicles, engineered to meet demanding operational conditions. Trakker H matches off-road robustness with enhanced driver comfort (read productivity instead of comfort for African operators) and on-road levels of interior noise. The close family relationship between new Trakker H and Iveco’s new Stralis is clearly evident in use of Stralis’ Active Day (AD) and Active Time (AT) cabs. The location of key controls enhances driver performance - decompression engine brake, hydraulic retarder, radio, cruise control can all be operated without taking hands off the steering wheel. 

EuroTronic 2, a fully automatic gear shifting mode, will also become an available option, enabling the driver to concentrate fully on the road and load. The EuroTronic gearbox selector is also mounted on the steering column. 

Trakker H attention to off-road detail is in the steel 3-piece bumper, headlamp protector and engine-sump guard.

Body building requirements 

Construction site vehicles are usually very basic trucks where most popular applications are dump trucks, but there are also some very specific applications, such as cement mixers that carry concrete ready for use. Many have dropside platforms, often fitted with hydraulic-powered cranes. Body builder equipment has a high priority factor for productive construction vehicles, if not for truck tractor models but certainly for the rigid models. And new Trakker H is designed to assist a body builder with both electrical and mechanical provision for body building processes with product features supporting the following body building activities – 

• A range of transmission and direct engine driven PTOs are available for customers to order. With the body builder expansion module up to 3 PTOs can be controlled and programmed for specific engine speed options to suit each PTO 

• For customers wishing to have PTOs fitted that are not available to order, a PTO management facility is available which provides the necessary controls and electrical relays mounted inside the vehicle cab; 

• Body builders electrical connections are provided both within the cab and on the chassis frame to provide power for body lights and accessories; 

• A feature of the expansion module is to provide an ISO 11898 CAN open data bus for exchange of data if required. 

• A new chassis electrical system improves flexibility for body builder intervention and periodic servicing. An electronic expansion module is included in the vehicle data bus providing a data bus specifically for the body builder. 

Manufactured in high-yield limit Fe E 490 steel, chassis frames for Trakker H come in two frame thicknesses, 7,7mm and a heavy 10mm. If tare mass is very relevant then the 7,7mm frame with parabolic suspension can be specified. The truck body must match the chassis. 

Driver productivity and driver comfort mean exactly the same thing.	Construction vehicles will work around the clock when penalties are looming for contract completion – they also have to be night capable trucks  Trakker is establishing itself as a particular brand name associated with heavy off-road applications

Off-road suspensions – axles – brakes 

Drum brakes still rule in off-road conditions and Trakker H is no exception to this. All non-driven front axles can be fitted with either drum or disc brakes; except 260T and 340T models available only with front disc brakes. Front driven axles feature drum brakes only while hubreduction type rear axles are also equipped with standard drum brakes. Apart from providing excellent  off-road tractability with standard inter-wheel and inter-axle differential locks, Iveco hub-reduction axles offer the best ground clearance. The size of the differential is reduced in allowing torque multiplication to occur in the wheel hubs. 

And in off-road conditions steel suspension also rules – why? Steel suspension offers the highest degree of axle articulation and  contact with the road surface. Multi-leaf suspensions are always advisable for most demanding terrain. In most cases steel parabolic suspensions are available for Trakker H as an alternative to multi-leaf road springs where a low tare mass is the main concern. Suspension anti-roll stabilisers are available from Iveco to suit a wide range of centre of mass heights and ensure a high degree of vehicle stability even for arduous under-foot conditions. 

The only real problem experienced with steel suspensions is an unloaded return trip on a bad road surface where the driver speeds and the harshness of an unloaded, jarring steel suspension is transmitted through the entire truck and its components. 

From left to below (clockwise)  Running at 41000kg GVM off-road on a steep grade requires matched driveline ratios and ‘lotsa-lowdown’ grunt  Iveco Cursor 13 turbo-intercooled engine is specially tuned for construction applications and ‘talking’ to the powertake- off  Multi-leaf suspensions remain the preferred choice for off-road suspensions.

Engines with hefty grunt at low r/min

The entire Trakker H range is powered by Iveco’s Cursor 13, a 6-inline, 12,8 litre turbo-intercooled unit that develops its maximum torque at 900r/min and remaining completely flat to 1500r/min. This is where the ‘grunt’ is best in off-road work – it’s not about speed, revs and kW but more about effort and start-ability. 

All Cursor engines are certified to  match Euro 3 exhaust emission limits. 

Is there a TRAKKER # in your construction future? 

Wouldn’t it be just ‘lekker’ if one could buy an on-road, fast-ratio, fuelmiserly, lightweight, highway cruiser that can morph into a heavy, off-road slogger when the occasion demands it? It’s just not possible. By making Trakker H available as a specific offroader, Iveco are doing the right thing for their African markets. An off-road spec can do highway work – even if not  as productively as a freeway spec unit – but the reverse is not true as an airsuspension, fast-ratio single-reduction axle, high-power unit takes serious mechanical strain off-road. 

Iveco South Africa appears to have the product – the pedigree and spec match the task. However, as the graph shows they have not been able to take advantage of the growth in extra-heavy truck sales that are now at their peak and may even decline from here. The new Managing Director, Ed Chvatal, and his team have a challenge on their hands to makes tracks for Trakker H in Africa.