Allison Transmission has proved to be the solution for Romaquip’s 40DAF LF refuse trucks.
Story by:
Team CV
Refuse trucks are a specialised lot. Their needs and ways of operating differ from those of the other trucks by a good measure. It should not come as a surprise therefore that 40 out of the 160 DAF LF180 trucks ordered by the UK kerbside collection market leader Romaquip were fitted with Allison 2500 fully automatic transmission. The Allison automatic transmission has been mated with the four-cylinder 4.5-litre Paccar PX-5 engine that powers the new twelve-tonne trucks. The engine could be had in three variants, and the power rating ranges between 150 hp and 210 hp. The peak torque ranges between 580 Nm and 760 Nm. Offering Euro 6 technology with the lowest emissions, the PX-5 engine can go up to 60,000 miles between service intervals. The active particulate filter only needs cleaning after 320,000 km or five years. Various engine functions and components are clustered in a single module.
Said Romaquip technical director, John McKeown, that the preferred transmission for the refuse and municipal sector is an Allison due to its quality, reliability and the ability to protect the driveline. He mentioned, “We were able to work with the DAF engineering team based in Leyland to secure the release of an ideal specification for our application.” An Allison automatic transmission was selected over an automated manual transmission as it was not found to be suitable for the creeping speed and multiple stop-start conditions the vehicle would face. Explained McKeown, “The creeping speeds and multiple start-stop conditions that the vehicle would face meant that an automated manual transmission would not be preferable.” “We chose Allison because there was no option available in case of the 4-cylinder Euro 6 engine,” he added.
Romaquip, according to McKeown, also considered the six-cylinder DAF LF220 with an Allison 3000 Series transmission. That configuration however would have added half a tonne, putting too much additional weight on the front axle. “The Allison 2500 model is a godsend to our sector,” expressed McKeown. Romaquip entered the kerbside collection market in 2011 with its Kerb-Sort vehicle, the first with a fully automated unloading system. Able to separate 10 kinds of fully segregated, unpolluted waste in a single pass, Romaquip guarantees off-loading in just seven minutes. A stainless steel, compartmentalised body extends the normal vehicle life of five to seven years to 10 to 14 years, reducing lifetime ownership costs by protecting against corrosion and high maintenance costs. The inclusion of Allison transmission is expected to help Romaquip to be assured of its driveline being protected. This would reduce the unnecessary maintenance expenses, requiring only scheduled fluid and filter changes. Since the vehicle can compact up to four tonnes of payload into a 35 cubic metre collection space, McKeown opined that the vehicle weight was critical in the specification process. The first 40 trucks are now in operation for local authority fleets in Wrexham, the Lake District, Devon and Flintshire.
Claimed to be the most efficient kerbside collection vehicle on the market, Romaquip’s Kerb-Sort is ergonomically designed, user friendly and efficient to operate during collection and offloading. Capable of functioning effectively with two operators and is set up for maximum health and safety, the Kerb-Sort vehicle is also fuel-efficient. As befits a recycling vehicle, it has impeccable green credentials. Helping it to achieve impeccable green credentials are features like compartments that can be assigned to different materials depending on the recycling priorities; on board compacting to ensure a higher payload, and an ability to unload in seven minutes flat – that too with the operation carried out from the cab.
Allison’s 2500 fully automatic transmission incorporates a torque converter and planetary gears apart from advanced electronic controls. Featuring Continuous Power Technology, which prevents power loss during shifting to deliver the highest productivity and fuel efficiency, the 2500 transmission employs a torque converter with a lock up clutch and five forward and one reverse gear ratios.
