Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 395 i Deals On Wheels Australia

Steve Taylor, owner and operator of Steven Taylor and Co Electrix, has been servicing the Brisbane area for more than 20 years. Appliance testing, lighting design and installation, rewiring, and safety switch installations are all in a day’s work, and keeping him mobile from job to job is Iveco’s ‘International Van of the Year’-winning Daily. Like many in the trade, Taylor considers his van to be one of the most important tools of his business, as it is essentially a workshop and stock vehicle combined. To that end he says Iveco’s new Daily 50C17 — the largest volume capacity of any van available in Australia — has been his single best investment in recent times. “The Daily is half a metre longer in the back than my previous van, which…

He’s polite and quick with a smile but Bob Brereton doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to likes and dislikes in matters of the mechanical kind. “Whatever the equipment is, it either does the job well or it doesn’t, and I’m just not interested in anything that promises one thing and delivers something less,” says the sharp-minded founder and proprietor of Western Australian scrap metal and used machinery company Millennium Metals. High on the list of likes is the venerable Cat C15 engine under the snout of a Cat CT630SC. Delivered earlier this year, the versatile SC hauls ‘pocket’ roadtrain loads of scrap metal from stockpile sites at Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Esperance and Albany to the company’s processing facility in the industrial outskirts of Kwinana south of Perth. As Brereton…

Delivering brake pads and components over the past 60 years, Australia’s leading automotive brake manufacturer Bendix is celebrating a milestone in innovation and technology-driven manufacturing in Australia. Founded in 1955, Mintex, as the company was originally known, was established to meet the needs of Australian motorists. Located in Ballarat it was a modest manufacturing plant initially employing just 30 people however a short time later the fledgling company was bought by the United States company Bendix Corporation and Bendix Mintex was formed. During the 1970s Bendix Mintex developed new manufacturing processes for the production of disc brake pads that would see it begin exporting Australian technology overseas. These developments continued as the company began working on new friction materials to further improve the performance and competitive pricing of Australian brake…

Scania’s New South Wales ‘Wizards of Aus’ Top Team of skilled workshop experts is on for a ‘three-peat’ having won its regional final in China on September 19 and 20 against rivals from across Asia. The Wizards of Aus team from Prestons in Sydney’s west will now defend its 2011 and 2013 back-to-back victories in the Top Team World Final, upholding Aussie honour as they go. Top Team is Scania’s bi-annual internal battle of knowledge and wits, which invites teams from 1,600 workshops across the Scania world to compete; with national and regional heats, culminating in a world final, which will be held in Sweden at the end of this year. Scania Top Team requires excellent product knowledge and technical competence, the ability to swiftly diagnose and rectify mechanical issues,…

In brief When you are operating a body truck that tares in at 29.5-tonne, you’re talking a decent piece of machinery. Steele and Angie Childs own and operate a fleet three trucks that service the earthmoving, mining and civil industries changing tyres on their heavy equipment. Based in Emerald in central Queensland, the Childs Earthmover Tyre Service fleet consists of a 420hp (313kW) FH12 Volvo and two 2005 K104 Kenworths. “There’s a bit of weight in them. The 8x4 Kenworth tares at 28-tonne and the 10x4 at 29.5-tonne. “All the large tyres we service are delivered straight to site, and we cart them around the site occasionally. “Some hang over by a metre either side, they’re that big. The 8x4 K104 has a 550hp (410kW) Detroit, and the other a…

Hunter Engineering’s heavy-duty customers can now diagnose tyre wear conditions in one-third of the time, according to the company. The new technology from Hunter claims to provide accurate, 3-axle wheel alignment readings in just four minutes. Hunter’s previous generation aligner took over 12 minutes. Hunter says its improved WinAlign HD Alignment System uses four or six revolutionary DSP700T heavy-duty alignment sensors. DSP700T sensors use exclusive roll-forward Quick Comp compensation to compensate all sensors at once without the need to jack each axle. Hunter’s WinAlign HD Alignment System includes turn plates that automatically lock and unlock to allow shops to align heavy-duty vehicles on the floor or with a truck rack or pit. Cordless DSP700T sensors are said to be compensated at the same time by Hunter’s pusher, with its DSP700T…

Narva has announced that a selection of its 9- to 32-volt LED work lamps have now been enhanced, the new features said to be well suited for extreme applications including mining, construction and forestry work. As well as upgrading three flood beam and spot beam models, Narva has also introduced an additional two work lamps, which it says will also benefit from these new features. Among the upgrades — and available on the five work lamp models — is an industrial strength mounting bracket, which is 5mm thick steel and powder coated to provide shock and vibration resistance. The Korean manufactured range is visually identifiable by the use of blue heavy duty rubber spacers, further isolating the lamps and providing increased dampening and impact absorption. Narva says all five lamps…

In what it says is a commitment to further strengthening and investing in the Penske Power Systems dealer network, Detroit has announced record breaking dealer training accreditation numbers for its DD15 engine platform. The engine manufacturer says that by year’s end 550 Detroit dealer techs will have completed vital factory-accredited training — including DDEC VI Diagnostic, DD15 Major Repair and DD15 Diagnostic modules — certifying the highest level of technical expertise on work carried out on the DD15 engine platform. The technical training is said to represent a win-win for Detroit’s dealer and customer network, which will mutually benefit from improved DD15 product knowledge to better diagnose and repair engine issues, ensuring up-time for customers. According to Kevin Dennis, director of Penske Power Systems on-highway business, the significant investment is…

Isuzu Australia (IAL) has released its intelligent new 2015 N Series range to the public, with a boost to its already impressive list of safety features, more power than ever before and a slick new look. Boasting intelligent engineering technology, the new N Series range positions Isuzu Trucks’ core product as a frontrunner for all Australia’s light-duty and urban freight needs. Featuring a new look and nomenclature, the new N Series boasts increased power and torque in several models, the introduction of enhanced, intuitive safety equipment and greater choice in key drivers’ licence models. Isuzu Australia’s chief operating officer Phil Taylor says the new models offer a comprehensive transport solution for operators of light rigid trucks, and the discerning tradesperson looking for performance and payload in a truck you can,…

Road freight is forecast to face a major skills shortage in the next five years, according to IBISWorld’s latest analysis of the industry. The current workforce is aging and the sector is struggling to attract new employees while there is no shortage in demand as it grows steadily with the improving economy. Transport and logistics specialist and partner at Ferrier Hodgson, Brendan Richards says this report comes as no surprise. “The road freight sector has been staring down the barrel of a skills shortage for a long time, and there is nothing to suggest that this will change anytime soon. “There probably hasn’t been a better time to look to capitalise on opportunities emerging in the road freight sector. “For new market entrants with the capacity to capitalise on new…

In late September, UD Trucks launched its full Quester heavy-duty truck range near the Thai city of Hua Hin where around 780 customers from Thailand and other south-east Asian countries including Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines were invited to test drive the range at the Kaeng Krachan Circuit. The Quester was first introduced in 2013, with UD Trucks stating that it was developed with a customer-centric approach, as well as complementing UD’s 80-year Japanese engineering heritage and Volvo Group’s global resources. Aimed at the growth markets in Asia and beyond, the Quester is designed to perform across various industries, from mining to construction, to logistics and long-haul transportation. The full range offers an additional 15 configurations, including a new 8-litre engine in addition to the current 11-litre engine,…

Coinciding with Hino’s 50-year anniversary of truck and bus sales in Australia, CMI Hino in Regency Park is celebrating a milestone of its own. This year CMI Hino is celebrating its 45th birthday. It has been associated with Hino since its inception, making it the longest serving Hino dealership in Australia. CMI is a part of the CMV Group, which was established in 1934 by Sidney Crawford. The CMV Group and CMI Hino have remained family businesses since their founding, and CMV Group joint managing director Paul Crawford is one of three Crawford brothers currently helping the business to prosper. “In the early ’60s we became involved with Toyota Motor Corporation through Thiess Toyota, and that then led us in the late ’60s to become involved with this new brand,…

Kennedy Trailers has commenced a partnership with Panus Semi-Trailers, with the two brands now working together to develop and distribute transport solutions for both the specialised and general freight transport sectors. Kennedy Trailers is known as a supplier of transport equipment for the resources and logging markets, however this new partnership will see its product offering extending to general freight trailers including skels, flat top and drop deck semi-trailers. Kennedy Trailers say more models will added over the coming months. Panus was introduced into the Australian market a little over 12 months ago. Kennedy Trailers general manager Cory Kennedy believes the strong synergies between the two organisations will allow both our brands to further consolidate their positions in the local transport industry and take both businesses to the next level.…