DAF comes up trumps for trade waste

Doing around 65 collections a day, six days a week, a new DAF eight-wheeler with a Heil rear end loading body is proving productive for Staffordshire company H Brown & Son (Recycling). The truck is being used on an intensive trade waste collection service throughout Staffordshire and South Cheshire. Collections are made from a range of industrial and commercial customers, including blue-chip companies. All materials are deposited at the company’s waste transfer station at Burslem, in which it has recently invested £2.5M. More than 80% of materials are recovered for a second life use.

The 32-tonne FAD CF85 has been built to a precise specification determined by Rod Brown, managing director of the family-run business. He is using it as a test bed to determine what features will best contribute to overall performance, minimum downtime, and the lowest cost of ownership over the whole life of the vehicle. Air suspension has been specified on the rear bogie to improve service life and avoid problems of spring breakages previously experienced with steel-sprung vehicles. With its tall body, the DAF also has a high-centre of gravity, and the air suspension helps to cushion the rolling motion and improve the vehicle’s stability. Hub reduction axles have also been specified for increased durability and better off-road performance.

The company is also trying out the automated AS-tronic gearbox. With the DAF’s daily work involving a lot of short runs and constant stopping and starting, the automated transmission considerably eases the effort on the driver, which contributes to increased productivity and safety. Power for the DAF is from the 12.9 litre MX engine rated at 410bhp (300 kW). At 32 tonnes gvw, this gives a comfortable power to weight ratio of 12.8bhp/tonne to help maintain good journey times in road and load conditions. The engine also delivers 2,000Nm of torque across a band from 1,000rpm to 1,410rpm.

Driver Steve Angel is in and out of the DAF cab repeatedly through his working day, and appreciates the lower cab entry provided by the drop beam front axles, the wide, well spaced and illuminated steps along with the big doors and conveniently placed grab handles. When on the move, the cab is quiet and he has ample storage space for his personal items, including his wet-weather and other PPE gear.

A Big Bite compactor body from Heil is fitted to the DAF. This has a capacity of 31m3 and a large 2.5m3 hopper, which helps reduce collection times on each trip by increasing the volume packed in each cycle. It can lift bins from 1,100 litres to 16 cubic-yard capacity and has a cycle time of between 27 and 32 seconds. Browns Waste Management has been a family run business for more than 80 years. Today it employs more than 40 people to operate its fleet of skip and rear end loaders, its sophisticated waste sorting system, and its car and scrap metals crushing, shearing and baling equipment.

Like all the vehicles in the fleet, the DAF is smartly turned out in the company’s distinctive colour scheme of brown,white and grey with red detailing and yellow lettering. The truck was supplied by the local DAF dealer, Imperial Commercials of Stoke.

DAF www.daftrucks.co.uk