MAN’s Torquey Tippers Leaves You Grinning
John Henderson hits the roads of Cheshire in MAN’s new TGA 35.400 8x4 BB heavy duty tipper, which delivers an impressive performance that leaves him grinning like one of the county’s famed cats! EIGHT wheeled tippers are the virtual backbone of the country. Whether its construction, earthmoving, demolition or a thousand other related tasks, you’re sure to find a selection of these workhorses right in the middle of the action on any work site. Not that many years ago MAN forged an enviable reputation with their F series multi-wheeled rigids, which proved virtually unbreakable whatever their operators asked from them, so a recent invitation from the Munich manufacturer’s office at Middlewich saw me head south with great anticipation, to see if the latest generation TGA could live up to its ancestor’s legendary standards. Walking across to my steed for the afternoon the first thing that struck me was how robust this new eight wheeler looked. Straight beam front axles raise the cab height just a degree or two and this combined with the Continental mixed surface tyres and visible radiator/sump guard just under the front bumper give a tough, go anywhere appearance. Weather conditions for my afternoon test were absolutely perfect, with clear blue skies, virtually no breeze and warm spring sunshine taking the temperature up to a pleasant 14°C. The obligatory initial vehicle walk round proved interesting as the first thing I noted was just how well this chassis is put together. With bolted and riveted 8mm thick frames supporting front and back axles featuring; parabolic springs (two inverted on rears) hydraulic dampers and stabilisers, the TGA looks well capable of carrying its 32 tonne gross vehicle weight with ease. Ancillary equipment is well placed too, with a large 300 litre diesel tank filling the offside gap between the axle pairs and across on the other side, a well secured body access ladder and battery box are located above the three air tanks. The flexible bottom step caught me out on my first climb into the cab, as I wasn’t used to my foot moving slightly with my weight on it, but this becomes second nature after a short number of uses. Our test vehicle was fitted with MAN’s ‘M’ day cab which may well be the smallest version offered in their range, but once aboard there is more than enough room for a driver and all his or her associated kit that requires storing. The right hand seat comes standard with air suspension, a built in ‘high back’ head rest and all the required adjustments to set up your desired driving position. All round visibility is superb with the large windscreen and the one piece side windows, which dip towards their front edges, giving more essential viewing zones around the rear view mirrors and arms. The standard TGA dash layout must be one of the best in the business. Its simplicity of design and clear layout allow quick ‘at a glance’ monitoring whilst on the road. An electronic central warning panel and digital gear/range display indicator logically divide the speedo, rev counter, fuel, temp and air gauges. Other switchgear for indicators, cruise control, lights, wipers and heaters etc is well placed and to hand, whilst displaying the robustness required for everyday tipper use. The centre engine cover graduates in height from the front to the rear wall, but still permits an easy walk across to the nearside. The fitted trim is light coloured and looks hardwearing, and the overall interior quality looks as if it will easily stand the test of time. Our clockwise circular Cheshire test route from Middlewich took us east on a variety of A roads through Congleton and then the long way round south to Kidsgrove. After some hill descending and climbing just west of Tunstall, we then made up the return leg with a mixture of dual carriageway and motorway sections, eventually returning to MAN ERF’s northern regional office. The first few miles covered encompassed some pretty narrow two-way roads, putting the emphasis on precision steering and positioning. MAN’s standard TGA steering wheel has a marginally larger diameter than most of its rivals, but after a few minutes on the go, you realise that in this particular case, size does not matter! The rear view mirror set up works well, with blind spots at a perceptible minimum. The 35.400’s kerb to kerb turning circle is impressive and the ZF 8098 Servocom hydraulically assisted ram system coped admirably without fuss on some tight square junctions and mini roundabouts. Much has been written about the D20 common rail engine and this unit continues to surprise me every time I drive it, with its incredible low rev lugging power and its quietness of operation. The D2066LF32 -6 cylinder turbocharged unit has an almost flat torque curve from 1,400 revs upwards, meaning that more often than not it just digs in with real staying power when the going gets tough. My MAN minder for the day informed me that our test truck’s ABBA Commercials Predator steel body was loaded to the 32 tonne gross maximum with industrial sand, but it was not until the first real hill climb that I was convinced it was loaded at all! I did of course, check it later, but such is the power and muscle of the 400hp unit. Behind this Euro 4 EGR motor, a reinforced single plate 430mm diameter clutch feeds the drive through a ZF 16 speed synchromesh unit. Manual gearboxes are becoming a bit of a rarity for us road testers these days, but once on the go I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of changes I had to make, whether in a 30 or 40mph zone. Even loaded to the maximum this eight wheeler would, on the level pull away happily in third, then fifth upwards etc with the splitter only really required on the top two gears mainly for finer speed adjustments or slight undulations on the route. The gearbox ‘H’ gate is fairly narrow, but easy to gauge after just a few miles, whilst the gear change operation was naturally a bit tight with it being such a low mileage, brand new motor on a 07 plate. This should of course ease up in service and become slicker with age and time. Receiving encouragement from the passenger side to ‘let it lug right down to 900 revs,’ I was amazed by the sheer flexibility of the engine power and driveline. Two rear hub reduction axles with cross and inter axle diff locks put all this rotational inertia onto the tarmac with smooth efficiency. A steep downhill gradient brought the exhaust and ABS equipped service brakes into play for their first true test, but both units demonstrated powerful and immediate action, quickly bringing the rigid into check at a predictable rate. The TGA utilises an Electronic Braking System with vented discs on the front axles and drums on the rear. The last part of our run gave me a chance to open up the MAN a bit, with a good run along the A500 dual carriageway and then northbound on the busy M6 motorway. Bringing in the cruise control at the legal maximum speeds, the TGA sits effortlessly in top gear and is stable, quiet and well mannered whilst making maximum progress. Enjoying a clear run on these latter arterial routes, it seemed all too soon when I had to turn off and head back to base, past the town’s famous salt plant, located alongside its picturesque canal system. There is absolutely no doubt that this bullet proof tipper really makes the grade on every criteria, with its superb ‘built to last’ quality construction and it’s certainly tough enough to withstand the daily punishment of rough surfaced sites, muck away work and any other industry demands. This heavy duty 8x4 rigid was the last variant in the TGA range to be launched, but its been well worth waiting for and if our test truck is anything to go by, MAN’s new kid on the block will no doubt be appearing in a tipper fleet near you sometime soon!