The two vehicles for the London council were purchased for the sole purpose of managing its new garden waste recycling service.

The delivery to Richmond marked the first two new 23 tonne narrow-track M5 Pacers to enter operation in the UK, each benefiting from a specialist chassis which is 300mm narrower than that of the standard-track 6×2 mid-lift model.

The vehicles are fitted with 14.1m3 Norba recycling bodies and join a municipal fleet which already includes a large number of existing Seddon Atkinson vehicles.

David Ingham, Green Waste Recycling Manager for the London Borough of Richmond, says: “The garden waste recycling collections operate on a borough wide opt-in basis, with collections currently required from eight per cent of domestic residences.

“This means the Pacers need to be able to access even the most restricted roads in the borough, which made specifying the narrow-track chassis essential,” he adds.

Both of the new vehicles are in operation five days a week, and are expected to remain on the fleet for their full working lives.

Cab comfort

The M5 Pacer benefits from the latest Iveco Group cab technology, with the cab able to seat comfortably a crew of five plus the driver.

Designed by Stile Bertone, the new cab offers a spacious cabin with a front bumper assembly which utilises a re-designed steel bumper bar complete with caged headlights, aided by an automatic headlamp levelling device. New front quarter panel air deflectors allow an improved level of airflow into the engine, and a front under-run protection system is included as standard.

Inside, the cab enjoys a high standard specification list which includes an air-suspended driver’s seat with integral seatbelt, and a single front passenger seat together with a rear crew bench seat (also with seatbelts).

The M5 Pacer is powered by Iveco’s 5.9 litre tector engine, rated at 275 hp and driven through an Allison MD3560P five-speed automatic transmission, with a wide ratio variant making it suitable for stop-start applications.

Dual role RCVs

North West Leicestershire District Council has added two new Seddon Atkinson M5 Pacer refuse collection vehicles to its fleet – marking the first delivery of this new model to the council.

Supplied by local Seddon Atkinson distributor Sherwood Commercial Vehicles of Blackwell, the Pacer 6×4 double-drives are fitted with 22m3 bodies with Terberg bin-lifts and are being used to collect domestic refuse and green garden waste.

They join a fleet of 17 refuse trucks and increase the number of Seddon Atkinsons operated by North West Leicestershire District Council to 13. They are expected to remain in operation for at least seven years, travelling up to 17,000 miles per annum.

“We placed the order based on the proven reliability and performance of the Seddon Atkinson chassis, coupled with the Pacer’s excellent whole life costs,” says Charlie Clarke, Transport Manager for North West Leicestershire District Council.

“The Pacer also has payload and weight distribution characteristics that are second to none, which is a crucial factor in this industry,” he adds.

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe