Twelve months after the official launch of the new M5 Pacer range, Seddon Atkinson, part of the Iveco Group, exhibited two bodied examples of its latest refuse collection chassis at CIWM Torbay 2005.

These vehicles were joined by three other municipal vehicles from Seddon Atkinson’s EuroMover and Strato ranges, which span the 18 to 44 tonne commercial vehicle sector.

The M5 Pacer range features the latest Iveco Group cab technology. The range benefits from low unladen tare weights and high operational payloads, with good legal weight distribution.

The two M5 Pacer exhibits were selected from a stream of similar vehicles which are in the process of being delivered to a mixture of private contractors, contract hire companies and local authorities across the country.

For example, the first of the M5 Pacers on display was an M526275NDD, awaiting delivery to Noblet Municipal Hire. This 26 tonne Pacer 6×4 double-drive will join a fleet of 350 commercial vehicles, 60% of which has been supplied by Seddon Atkinson, and is fitted with a 22m3 Geesink refuse collection body and Terberg bin-lift.

Designed by Stile Bertone, the new Pacer six-man crew cab offers a spacious and well laid out 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 for added safety.

This vehicle was joined by a second M5 Pacer 6×4 double-drive, which has been ordered by West Lancashire District Council, and is fitted with a 22m3 Heil Powerlink body.

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 and rear crew bench seat (also with seatbelts) in the crew cab.

The driver benefits from a fully adjustable steering column, plus an automatic electronic tachograph and engine tachometer, ensuring they are constantly updated by a state-of-the-art LCD cluster built into the dashboard which displays diagnostic information,

engine oil levels and warning lights.

Both vehicles are 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.

Low-entry Pacer

Joining the two M5 Pacers on display was an L626275FDD EuroMover 6×4 double-drive, which offers a solution for low-entry refuse collection chassis as its cab is mounted forward of the engine and much lower than normal, allowing a floor height of 650 mm. The cab stands 2,950 mm tall allowing ample interior headroom of 2,300 mm. It will comfortably seat the driver and crew of three, with each seat being equipped with a three point lap and diagonal seat belt.

Finished in Biffa’s traditional white and red livery, this vehicle was fitted with a Semat refuse collection body and uses a quiet, economic 7.8 litre Iveco Cursor 8 engine which develops up to 275 hp.

Completing the line-up of Seddon Atkinson exhibits at CIWM was a 23 tonne 6×2 with a narrow-track lift-axle and a lightweight 26 tonne rigid.

The smaller 6×2 R518275NSD Strato on display was fitted with a Terberg 28m3 Toploader recycling body, and was due to be delivered to the London Borough of Richmond after the show, where it will join several new M5 Pacers which are already in operation.

It was joined at the exhibition by a lightweight 6×4 R526275NDD Strato which has been purchased by West Dorset District Council. This vehicle has been fitted with a hook lift body, complete with a HIAB crane supplied by Hiab-Multilift.

Seddon Atkinson has won its first contract with East Hertfordshire Council for the supply of three low-entry EuroMovers for use on its new domestic recycling collections.

The delivery comprises three 18 tonne EuroMover 4×2’s, each fitted with Trio bodies and Maclift bin-lifts, and funded through a grant from the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The vehicles will initially be used to collect paper, but their responsibilities will expand as the council extends its recycling scheme to cover plastics, cans and glass during the next 18 months.

All three vehicles are powered by Iveco’s 7.8 litre Cursor 8 engine rated at 245 hp and driven through an Allison World Series five-speed automatic gearbox.

M5 Pacer for Scotland

Earlier this year Glasgow-based Alex Inglis & Co (Blantyre) Ltd was the first operator in the UK to take delivery of Seddon Atkinson’s new M5 Pacer refuse collection chassis.

The 26 tonne M5 Pacer 6×4 double-drive benefits from the latest Iveco Group cab technology making it one of the most up-to-date refuse collection vehicles on the market, with a cab which can comfortably seat a crew of five plus the driver.

“We have a long history of operating Seddon Atkinsons and have found them to be the best chassis on the market for refuse collection and recycling operations,” says Alan McKechnie, Chairman and Managing Director of Alex Inglis.

The new vehicle has been fitted with a Geesink Norba Vulture refuse collection body with a 22m3 capacity and an Otto low-level split automatic bin lift. It will be available for both short and long-term hire across Scotland and the North of England.

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