First published in Commercial Motor, 05/06/08They do things differently in the Netherlands, especially when it comes to local construction and use regulations for ‘heavy’ tippers that work off-road on construction sites. And when we say ‘heavy’, that’s exactly what we mean. In the Netherlands, local laws allow a 10x8 tipper to run at a total gross vehicle weight (including payload) of 50 metric tonnes (or 18 tonnes more than a normal 8x4 in the UK).
This strange anomaly is unique to the Netherlands, you won’t find it anywhere else in Europe, so local importers and manufacturers have responded to the situation by building their own heavy tippers for the job. To see how a bunch of five-axle tippers perform, we asked Commercial Motor's Dutch transport colleagues to put together a special test, and they came up with no less than five of them, which they promptly put through their paces. Our five-axle contenders consisted of two ‘home grown’ 10x8s from the factories of specialist manufacturers Ginaf and Terberg. The two Dutch truck constructors use driveline components and cabs from DAF and Volvo, but on their own chassis and come complete with special suspension systems.
But where these two local boys once ruled supreme in the heavy tipper market, these days, others such as MAN and Mercedes-Benz have also dipped their proverbial toes into the water, building their own five-axle construction specials. And finally, the Iveco in the test came with an extra fifth axle fitted at the Schouten Iveco dealership.
In each case, we’re talking about a four-axle 8x8 rigid with an extra steered axle in the middle – there to make sure axle loadings remain in the legal limit. Once you lift the extra axle on-site, what remains is a basic 8x8. Thus, the 10x8 configuration is only there to save you from being booked every time you have to report to weighbridge or pass over the Dutch WIMS (weigh-in-motion system) scales sunk into the surface of many major Dutch roads.
The two Dutch brands, Terberg and Ginaf, both have steering axles right at the back, as does the MAN, with the conversion carried out by one of the German truck-maker’s dealers in Holland. Thanks to this steered and driven wide-spread-bogie, these trucks are easier to handle both on- and off-road.
They also have a much higher payload than a typical eight-legger because of that bogie. My, how things have changed… Nowadays, tippers hardly drive through thick mud or deep sand on construction sites. Usually, there’s always a solid surface, or man-made steel plates to drive on so you don’t need to engage drive on the front axle. However, once in a while, the surface is bad enough for you to have to engage drive to eight axles, and a 10x8 configuration can plough through rough terrain. The extra driven axles are activated by switches on the dash.
Of course, there’s nothing quite like experience, and a driver needs to know when and where to call on that extra traction. And it’s not just off-road. You need to know how to drive these heavies downtown and on the motorway, which requires almost as much skill. A 10x8 is a big lump, and with 50 tonnes on the road, you soon learn to drive defensively, not least because it takes a while to turn one of them around.
Our test circuit included off-road terrain as well as the open road. And although four of the trucks were equipped with 440hp engines (one even had 510hp on tap), you really need to apply that horsepower carefully.
Too much power and you go all over the place. Too little and you end up stalling. Fortunately, some of our heavy hitters came with an automatic box, which always helps. In fact, even on tipper work, we don’t think it will be long before the latest generation of smart-thinking autos replaces the tried-and-trusty manual box. Finally, having driven our quintet, CM’s panel of experienced drivers came up with their own preferences and final choice.