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TRUCKING

April 2013

New Zealand

MACKsimum BULLDOG

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NZ

TRUCKING
April 2013

MACKsimum BULLDOG
Trucking in France Cruisier Colorado Win v8 Tickets

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MACKsimum Loyalty

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Baird

MACK simum loyalty


By Bryce Baird
When Macks current line of trucks first poked their snouts out the kennel, those that had a soft spot for the brand gave a sigh of relief. Mack was back. The French influence had been culled out of the breed, and now Macks Trident looks as staunch as. However, an automated transmission, AdBlue tank and other features show that Macks pooches havent been killing time by sleeping on the porch...

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he word loyal has never been quite the same since the ocean yacht racing crowd hogtied it to their advertising campaign during the glory days of the Americas Cup. However, down in the lower half of the South Island it still means something other than the contrived manipulation the word has been degraded to. Down south loyalty is earned, not created during a brain-storming session in an ad agency. In the lower half of the South Island there are plenty of companies that are either brand heavy or brand absolute, thanks to loyalty. Those salesmen that had the energy to throw on a thick coat, chuck the snow-chains in the boot of the HQ Holden and head south to cold-call and hard-sell products that were at the time unknown, found fertile ground in the south, where once a product proved itself, and they got to trust the salesman, loyalty was an unspoken part of the deal. Mack was one of those unknown brands once upon a time believe it or not. Apart from the recollections of war veterans whod seen the Yanks use them in military applications around the globe during both World Wars, they were once as rare as a Ferrari seven-tonne side-tipper on our shores.

The small number of Macks that ended up here after the war were used mainly in heavy haul or house-shifting, but apart from those old war horses, the brand was just a big question mark for those first few intrepid buyers. However, there were plenty of operators in the South Island that could see the potential in the brand, and the lower half of the island became a bit of a Mack Mecca by the time legendary truck salesman Ron Carpenter had finished with it. Stan Francis of North Otago Road Metals could see that these big burly Yank rigs were just the ticket for the work his companies were engaged in, and that they were a huge improvement over the British gear hed started with back in 1955. The N.O.R.M. R-series Macks eventually became legendary down south, and together with the other brand they took a shine to, Volvo, the die was set. The company has since changed its name to Road Metals, however their loyalty to the brand has never wavered. In a great example of synchronicity, their two brands of choice eventually became entwined, as Volvo now owns Mack, which is reaping the benefits by having an increased amount of Volvo technology built into its trucks. Current Road Metals managing director, Murray Francis, (Stans son) knows the strengths of both brands and their place in his fleet, but you dont have to scratch him very hard to find that his favourite brand has a pup bolted to the bonnet.

Having said that, he still gets misty-eyed when talking about the Leyland Octopus he spent three and a half years driving for his dad, when he was barely out of his teens and working on some of the think-big projects of the day at Twizel and Manapouri in the seventies and eighties. The Road Metal boys take great pride in that pup on the bonnet so it was almost inevitable that a Trident was going to appear in the colours after a long run of R-series, CHs, Visions and then a Granite. Road Metals went all out with this Trident, blitzing it with chrome and accessories and making the Christchurch based truck a standout rig in a city that probably has one of the highest densities of bulk truck and trailer rigs working in the world at present. Road Metals runs 23 mainly truck and trailer Mack combinations in the operation that includes four Volvo FM series and a couple of Mack eight-wheeler MC models converted to water trucks, and a crane truck. They have 68 employees spread between their Christchurch and Oamaru bases, and have three quarries in Christchurch, one a joint venture with Isaac Construction, and another 214 hectare (500 acre) quarry about to open at Rolleston, making four in the area that should provide 100 years of resource Murray says. Its been an expensive process that has taken three and a half years in the environment court and $1.5 million in costs that Murray says, aged me ten years I reckon! I wont see much benefit from this, but the next generation and the one after that will thank me for it! he predicts. Murray has a great sense of history and brand loyalty, and Road Metals long term plans for the future will probably mean good things for Motor Truck Distributors.

Mack have increased the rating of their MP8 power-plant to 535hp and have gone to SCR to meet Euro 5. The cockpit is classic Americana with lots of woodgrain, buttoned lining and silver bezels giving the cab a plush feel. The lack of a gearstick on the floor opens up the cab as well giving more room for the operator.

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really want to be put into a truck with an automated transmission, but he had grown fond of the old Mack. He says that when he drives manual transmissions, I dont use a clutch, and Murray said, well you wont mind the auto then! Damn hes got me I thought! His dedication to the job and his attention to detail and how thoroughly he prepares for and carries out his tasks is quite something to behold and it didnt take us long to see why Murray wanted Quenton on the Trident, as he treats this rig like it was his first born. Quenton considers that hes found a good workplace, he says, thats what I love about this company, they have a real passion for trucking. Road Metals drivers have long been regarded as amongst the best on the road down south and their level of professionalism and how well they present their gear is bordering on legendary. Its probably unfair to single anyone out from the old brigade, Road Metals still have five of the original dozen drivers they had in the Twizel days on the payroll, but Billy Sergeant is probably the best known of that team down south and itd be fair to say that Quenton is carrying the torch that Billy lit when he jumped into his R-series Mack back in the seventies. In fact, Quenton said that the only drivers hed like to see in this truck if he took a break would be either Billy or Murray. And we suspect Murray would only be allowed a drive because he owns it! Quentons passion for trucking was ignited when he worked at a local garage at Washdyke, where some of the customers were truckies. His first experience behind the wheel was in a TK Bedford artic which he used to cart urea between Ravensdown and Timaru Port when he was working for Bob Merhtens. He progressed to driving Hino FS and Nissan CW330s for City Care on landfill cartage in Christchurch, shuttling between the refuse facilities at Bromley, Styx and Parkhouse and the Burwood landfill carting rubbish and green-waste. But he had ambitions to drive bigger gear and hopped over the ditch to Perth where he attended a driving school attaining the credentials to drive road trains. He achieved a 99 percent pass rate which gave him his MC (multi-combination) rating, and then started working for West Australia Freightliners in a K104 Aerodyne B-double doing a Perth-Brisbane-Sydney run two-up. Eventually the work overwhelmed him, with the distances and time on the road burning him out and he returned to New Zealand and started driving for Neta New Zealand on a 450hp Nissan Diesel which he specd with extra lights, air-horn and other items. He was hunted down by Steve Laing in Oz who convinced him to come back and drive again and he stepped into pocket-sized road trains of 90-tonne all up carting from Iron Knob for BHP Steelworks. After a spell in a C-15 powered Sterling B-double in Wollongong, he eventually found himself running a crushing plant in Queensland. Hed rented a place for two and a half years that came with a German Shepherd dog, Heidi, as part of the deal. He moved on and to cut a long story short, he found out a few months later that Heidi was in a terrible state with the new tenants not looking after her. He phoned the owner, who was overseas, and said he was taking the dog. He brought her back home to New Zealand, where she regained her health and blossomed. He still hankered for Australia and made his way back there, with Heidi of course, but neither were happy, so he came back again which was when Murray came into the picture. Heidi was the only reason I came back to New Zealand, Quenton mused, and he effectively gave up his road train dreams to care for the dog. Murray Francis heard the story and even though he didnt have a position at the time, took him on because, anyone who would do that for a dog has got to be a good person in my book, and being a dog lover himself, he helped house Quenton, and Heidi who lasted another five years. Quenton still had the itch to drive road trains and had one last spin of the dice to get it out of his system, however the job didnt meet expectations. He was driving a Mack Titan with a Cummins 620 doing the sweating. With gross weights of 171.5 tonne, four trailers and an overall length of 57.5 metres, that Cummins probably didnt do much grinning, as Quenton says, the work was tough on the trucks. It was preferred that you didnt use your engine brake with these combinations, you ease up and roll for a couple of kilometres before intersections, he remembers. But the real crunch for him, besides the terrible living conditions (the accommodation was right beside the workshop) was that animal strikes were an inevitable part of the job. If we hit a horse or a cow we had to finish the job with what we had on the truck, usually a hammer. Being animal mad, I couldnt physically do it, and was lucky that I never had to, Quenton says. Murray had held his job and his old truck open for him, and even paid for his flight back gambling that road train work isnt always what it is cracked up to be and picking that Quenton would be back.

The company have had most of the range of Mack conventionals over the years as well as COE Qantum and MC versions under their colours. Murray admits that hes been very happy with the Granite, but he thinks the Trident has more to offer his operation. Weve got three now, and we like the better cooling and think they are a stronger truck for the job and we probably now prefer the Trident over the Granite to be honest. Compared to the Granite, you get a bigger, harder, more capable tool for the job with the Trident, it can be specd with a GCM of 131 tonne whereas the Granite only gets 106 tonne. The Trident gets a power boost and a stronger spec if you need it too. That suits Road Metals as they are air-horn deep in the Christchurch deconstruction and rebuild work and know there is plenty of work for the rig over the next few decades. Murrays son Dan Francis, the third generation in the company, was happy to throw a bit of bling at the truck when he specified what they wanted, as its going to be around for a long time and much is going to be asked of it over the next few decades. The attention to detail on this rig is impressive, such as the Ali Arc bumper, stainless air-intake caps, and even white aerials to better match the company colours! Quenton Cattle, who at 39 has ticked off a lot of boxes on his driving wish list, is plenty thrilled to be entrusted with Road Metals new flagship. We caught up with Quenton at dawn on a typical day at the coal face that would see him scooting around the city carting aggregate from quarry to wherever it was needed, but the main focus at the moment for the Mack is a massive new subdivision on Prestons Road north of Christchurch, that is being readied for a couple of thousand new houses. It has to be said that Quenton didnt want to be put on the truck in all honesty, Murray claims, he liked the CH he was on and it was hard to get him out of it. Quenton had a couple of reservations, the prime one being that he didnt

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The ride and traction capabilities from Macks AP460 Air Suspension is impressive compared to the other Macks hes driven says Quenton Cattle, the Tridents driver.

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The Road Metals boys are known for keeping their gear looking stand-out, and this rigs Transport Trailers bin and four-axle trailer are equally as impressive as is the Mack.
The other major improvement is that this pup has Macks keenly awaited mDRIVE transmission. Its taken a while for Volvo to slide this technology over to the Mack desk, but it was worth the wait as it fills a gap in the Mack option sheet which didnt have Eatons Ultra Shift lurking there like many of its competitors. Its not hard to understand why Mack has waited for the Volvo automated box of cogs when Volvo arguably leads the herd with automated transmission technology. Theres still a lot of engineering time and money that has to be spent to integrate an Eaton Ultra Shift and that money was better spent implementing in-house products. The 12-speed, Tm D12AD (direct) transmission is one choice in a five option list, with Macks highly regarded T31821 18-speeder still on offer for true traditionalists, and the three remaining options being increasingly beefy Eaton 18-speeders. The rear axle options are equally comprehensive with Mack, Meritor and Dana options from 44,000lb to 50,000lbs (18 to 22.7 tonne). This particular truck has Meritors well proven RT46160GP diff-locked axles riding on Mack AP460 Air Suspension, and the combination of the MP8, mDRIVE transmission and Meritor axles has to make for a robust toolset. The extra torque of the 535-horse version of the MP8 lends itself well to having fewer cogs and follows the path that most European manufacturers have been on for a few years now more torque means fewer cogs are needed. One thing that Quenton would like is a few more notches on the engine brake as even though the Powerleash unit offers 315kW (495hp) of engine retarding at 2100rpm, which is effective, it is either on or off and doesnt offer fine control. Add to the mix that this Mack has disc-brakes all around, ABS, front under-run protection, alloys all around, polished alloy fuel tanks both sides combining to give 610 litres of fuel, 240 litres of hydraulic fluid and 125 litres of AdBlue, this truck has plenty of range and is right up there with modern safety equipment initiatives. At the moment the truck will probably be sticking around Christchurch for the time being, however the Road Metal boys often get to roam over much of the South Island including the West Coast and Fiordland, so that extra fuel capacity may well come in useful sooner or later when the big pup points the snout south. Macks new Trident has an overwhelming sense of bulk when you take a walk around it. Quenton says Its a lot of truck to drive, it feels much bigger than the other Macks, but the view out of this thing is remarkable for the height of it. The extra bulk probably means extra weight, however its hard to judge against the Granite as this truck has AdBlue, more fuel tanks and plenty of extras. Road Metals Granite is carting around 500kg more than the Trident. He does miss the mirrors on the Vision which could toggle up and down, and reckons the Tridents mirrors, look dated as if they should be on a 95 CH. As far as the drive goes, Quenton says, for traction this would be the best of the three [Macks] Ive driven, and its far better than the Vision. The front wheel is so far forward that the weight is over the axles. The only time Ill dump the airbags is to be a little lower if Im under a little digger to give him more room to work with. The Vision gave quite a rough ride, I dont miss the Vision at all. The 6x4 has a 5445mm wheelbase and an axle spread of 1370mm. With 16,500km on the clock, Quenton says he can start to feel the engine loosen up, at the moment hes averaging 1.8 km/litre, but the Vision managed 2km/litre and he reckons the Trident will improve over time. Inside the cab the feeling is luxury with deep burgundy buttoned linings, walnut dash, the optional Elite leather grip steering wheel and sheepskin covers on the ISRI Big Boy driver seat. We couldnt think of many better places to spend a day. Its great that Volvo has recognised that the classic American cab has plenty of appeal and shouldnt be homogenized with their European designs. Perhaps the only thing that jars is a couple of blanks above the radio that ideally would have been filled with coms devices, however the MCX780 Road Metals use wouldnt fit in the dash. Quenton points out that the lack of a gearstick means he can have the hand-pieces down low and handy. He doesnt like having them above the windscreen. Road Metals have even ordered the full windscreen over the two-piece, an option more commonly ticked by the fuel cartage industry. Together with the stainless steel intakes, exhausts, the big grille and other touches, this truck has plenty of presence. Adding to the presentation are the Transport Trailers four-axle trailer and the bin they created for this combination. Theres some real pretty engineering on show here, and Quenton has added extra mud-flaps in strategic locations to further protect the underpinnings. There is little doubt that the CH Mack provided the benchmark that all future Macks will have to meet. With an axle forward distance of 737mm against 1297mm on the Granite, an adequate turning circle, as well as extra grunt under the pedal and good cooling on paper the Trident looks to be an even better tool for this application than the Granite. Quenton summed it up by saying, Its quieter and smoother and I think this is a much, much better truck than the Granite. Despite his reluctance to get into the Tridents saddle due to losing the gearstick, Quenton is impressed by his new mount. Hes not the type to make rushed decisions, but we reckon that the combination of the mDRIVE, more horsepower and great ergonomics of this big pup may yet unseat the CH someday.

Flash forward a few years, and Quenton is wrestling with what to name the Trident. It was his partner Cyndi Friend, that came up with Leader of the Pack, which struck a chord with Murray as well. The Mack is undoubtedly the Alpha in the fleet and Quenton is meticulous in his attention to detail and how he drives it. Hell drive it in manual until its warmed up as he explained that when in auto mode, it uses the engine brake to slow the revs between changes, and I dont like that happening when its cold. I dont use the engine brake until it is up to temperature. A trucks life starts from day one, he emphasises and hes particular about giving this truck a good start in life, you are representing the company when you are driving it and you should treat it as if it is your own. Despite coming from the Volvo parts bin there is little resemblance to what you will find in a Volvo with how the transmission is controlled. Its a true two-pedal operation, however the auto on the Trident is controlled by a panel on the console, with plus or minus buttons instead of the more usual lever or control stalk to walk up or down the gears. The transmission controller is simplicity personified. Youve got a R, D and M button, for Reverse, Drive and Manual, and large plus and minus buttons for when you are in manual. It cant get any simpler, and Quenton said he finds it easy to use in the real world of quarry trucking despite his initial reluctance to an electronically controlled transmission. He has turned into a believer already. I dont think you can find harder driving than in Christchurch at the moment, he reflects, and reckons the auto helps negotiate the endless obstacles that rebuilding a city throws up in the way of roadworks, traffic jams and inconsiderate drivers. Having the auto has made the day easier Quenton reckons. I think Volvo have done their research and, as for fatigue at the end of the day, I dont go home tired. I would be at home with either [manual or auto] but for the nature of this job I dont think you can fault it. You do feel you have a lot more control. His last truck was a Vision,

and as youd expect, this truck eats the Vision for dinner. Its performance is impressive, especially when pulling away at the traffic lights. The auto gives a nice flow of power, but its the sheer horsepower that makes the difference. The Vision was slow off the mark and wouldnt start pulling until it was in the high box, he says. Quenton used to drive CX Appeal and Just Magic II, a CH, but the Trident has won him over. However, he still reckons that its too early to tell if this will be one of the great models. After all, he drove a CH so hes got high expectations! On paper however, theres not much to prove and plenty to like. This latest evolution of the new Mack range has become even better than its predecessor with a power upgrade to 535 horses from the 12.8 litre MP8 engine, which now features SCR to meet Euro5 (ADR80/03). It achieves 1920lb/ft of torque (2603Nm), which is a nice improvement over the 1770lb/ft (2400Nm) in the last Granite we looked at in late 2010. While it has slightly less horsepower than the 14.8 litre 560 horse DD15, it has more torque than the Detroits 1850lb/ft (2508Nm) and the 15 litre 550 horse (410kW) ISX EGR Cummins. It can be ordered with the 500 horse setting, but we doubt many will.Even though we never got to experience any real hill work with this Trident, wed expect to feel an improvement in pulling power over the 500 horse version of the MP8 and for the type of work this truck undertakes torque is king. Its also equipped with performance mode, Quenton says that will make the transmission change at 1850rpm, instead of the usual 1400, and use every gear instead of jumping over a few at the low end of the box. Hes used it a few times and it does make the truck strain on the leash a bit more, but hes happy with what hes got under the foot without engaging that mode.

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April 2013

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