The Iveco Trakker (Tipper Truck)

The quarry and construction vehicle market is extremely complex, because of the many applications: vehicles with 2, 3 or 4 axles with or without all-wheel drive; a wide range of power deliveries; trucks and tractors; models designed for limited off road use or full off road and special variants for specific applications. New Trakker boasts a product range, in both left and right hand drive, wider than ever before allowing customers to tailor the product to their specific mission.

Trakker is a work tool designed to meet every kind of extreme off-road mission on wheels ranging from 18 to 72 ton. The real innovation with new Trakker is mainly the new Stralis-based cabin, resulting from the work carried out with great determination, in collaboration with the dealers and customers who took part in the design, to improve its driving comfort and the life on-board - which is now widely acknowledged as being vitally important to productivity and safety.

Cabin Design 

The most obvious distinguishing feature of the new range is seen from the front of the vehicle: new Trakker has a typical design, developed by Iveco Style Centre in compliance with the needs pointed out by the customers, because respecting who drives also means providing him/her with a good looking truck.
The latest evolution of Iveco’s off-road range, new Trakker, arrives to the market very much with the customer in mind. The latest evolution, new Trakker, matches the robustness with enhanced driver comfort and on road levels of interior noise and driver refinements. A key aspect of the operation of new Trakker in service involves driving. The close family relationship between new Trakker and new Stralis is clearly evident in use of Stralis’ Active Day (AD) and Active Time (AT) cabs.
The AT cab benefits from a new external equipment locker on the passenger side, in addition to the current one on the driver’s side of the cab. The locks for both lockers are electrically controlled.
Driver comfort is enhanced by improvements in the location of key controls: decompression engine brake, hydraulic retarder, radio, cruise control can all be operated without taking the hands off the steering wheel. Also the EuroTronic gearbox selector is mounted on the steering column.

Power 

For Trakker, Power means offering the extremely modern Cursor Euro 4 and 5 SCR engines with a swept volume from 8 to 13 litres, power from 310 to 500 HP and maximum torque from 1,300 to 2,300 Nm. Efficient, reliable engines, with optimized power and torque delivery over a wide range of engine speeds to ensure maximum power availability in arduous conditions.

Performance 

Trakker Performance is supporting the customer’s business value. It means raising productivity and reducing running costs. Trakker assets are optimised bodybuilder intervention, servicing downtime, and consumption. Trakker’s new chassis electrical system improves flexibility for body builder intervention and periodic servicing. Periodic maintenance time is minimised in order that the vehicle spends as much time as possible working hard. Always a vital consideration is fuel cost. Trakker’s Euro 4/5 Cursor engines return excellent fuel consumption.

Braking system

All non-driven Iveco front axles are fitted with disc brakes and Iveco rear axles of the hub-reduction type, providing excellent off-road tractability, are fitted with drum brakes. Meritor single-reduction axles are used for the lighter on/off road 6x4 and 8x4 models and feature disc brakes giving those models disc brakes all round. Front axle platings range from 8ton to 9ton. All engine variants retain the Iveco decompression engine brake and, for the Cursor 13 – 410 engine, the new CEB (Compression Engine Brake) has been adopted. This is a constant counter pressure engine brake providing enhanced levels of engine brake performance suspensions. Steel parabolic and multileaf road springs are carry over as is the light duty on/off road air suspension used on 6x4 and 8x4 models. A new air suspension system for heavier duty off road applications in combination with the Iveco hub-reduction axle bogie for 6x4 and 8x4 applications. 

Commitment 

Trakker Commitment is the sense of responsibility for the customer’s business without forgetting the comfort and safety of he/she who spends most of his/her time in a truck. The close family relationship between Trakker and Stralis is clearly evident: highly ergonomic cabins, enhanced driver comfort comparable with road vehicles. But Stralis customers are also offered a unique design, because respecting who drives also means to offer him/her a truck in which it is nice to be seen. 

Reliability 

For Trakker it means keeping promises: product reliability, durability and high safety standards in every situation. Reliability for Trakker means also flexibility for body builder intervention supported by a wide range of transmission, direct engine-driven expandable PTOs, easily dependable body builder electric connections, and more.

Body building requirements 

Construction site vehicles are basically trucks. The most popular outfit is certainly the tipper body, but there are also some very specific applications, such as cement mixers that carry concrete ready for use. Many have platforms, often fitted with handling cranes. Clear from the start is the fact that body builder intervention will be required, if not for the tractor models but certainly for the rigid models. New Trakker makes life easy for the body builder with both electrical and mechanical provision for the body building process.
Body building activities supported by product features of new Trakker as follows:

• 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 CANopen 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. 

Minimised running costs 

- Periodic Maintenance 
New Trakker reduces maintenance costs minimizing downtime with prolonged engine oil change intervals (once per year) and through a quick and accurate diagnostics onboard. Periodic maintenance of new Trakker is assisted by the EasyMux electrical architecture. This system provides for optimised communication of all the major components and vehicle systems using much simpler electrical wiring, reduced number of cables, fuses and relays. Resulting in rapid and accurate fault diagnosis - should the need arise - in order that the vehicle spends as much time as possible working hard.
- Fuel consumption 
Always a vital consideration is fuel cost. Iveco cannot influence fuel price but new Trakker - in either Euro 4 or Euro 5 engine emission level - does return excellent fuel consumption thanks to the advanced combustion system employed by the Cursor engines and the SCR exhaust after treatment which allows the engine to be tuned for power and economy. Cursor Euro 4/5 engines are a reference point in terms of torque, life, maintenance and operating costs: they consume 2 to 5% less compared to the already economic Euro 3 versions.

Vehicle Gist by www.jandmotors.com Africa’s Import Ready Vehicles Marketplace.

4 simple tips on how to secure uptime as a driver. Trucks.

Downtime can be defined as unplanned stops. Sometimes they are unavoidable. However, there are many things a truck driver can do to maximize uptime. Here are four useful tips to consider everyday.

I. Walk around your vehicle – look and listen
Make time for a pre-trip inspection. This is often overlooked, yet many problems can be avoided if this is done correctly. Are there any hydraulic leaks visible, or any defects on washers, mirrors or lights? Check your load and trailer if applicable. Listen for any audible faults – how does the engine sound? It’s also advisable to make sure that you have enough supplies for your journey, like extra windscreen fluid and spare bulbs for example.

II. Report any problems
Preventive maintenance is key. Most companies have fault reporting procedures. Be aware of these procedures and any issues can be taken care of during planned maintenance. Report problems early. If possible, fix any smaller faults right away.  After all, small and inexpensive problems can easily become big and expensive ones.

III. Know your vehicle on the road
How you drive your vehicle is crucial in determining uptime. Driving efficiently means there’s less fuel used and less braking, meaning less work and wear on the truck’s drive-line. Be aware of how your vehicle warms up and cools down. Understanding your vehicle’s response is important in terms of being able to anticipate prospective problems.

IV. Take good care of yourself
Sticking to service plans will help to maximize your uptime. Yet it is not just your truck that can be maintained preventively. By looking after yourself and driving safely and responsibly, you can help to safeguard your truck against any unplanned stops. When driving – always be strict about resting times. Go for a walk, drink water and eat healthy. And always make sure to get a good night sleep before a day of driving.

Source: Volvo Trucks Magazine.

Vehicle Gist by www.jandmotors.com Africa’s Import Ready Vehicles Marketplace.