In the Wiltshire drizzle of Moreton C. Cullimore’s Dairy Farm quarry Tipper Light 2006 was held for the second time under the Commercial Motor banner. Nine 3.5 tonne tippers from East and West clashed for supremacy with resident van expert Julian Milnes and his assistant Kevin Swallow the adjudicators.
With all the van manufacturers developing new drivelines and revamping or replacing chassis cabs ahead of the Euro-4 deadline next year it was chance to see whether all that investment mounted up to the sum of its parts.
The Europeans continue to offer refined drivelines combined with comfort and interior space, with all the manufacturers appear to have gone for the cheese wedge look. You can only design the perfect aerodynamic truck once.
Asian products though have gained ground producing much stronger engines, continued all-round productivity with attractive payload options and better driving experience. It’s worth noting that the only auto option at the test was from Isuzu.
Tipmaster’s presence was everywhere. It had more than half the bodies in the tipper class, and brought Citroen, Peugeot and Nissan chassis cabs to the event. To find out who the winner is purchase 2 November 2006 copy of Commercial Motor.