Mini-trucks make it to NZ
A NEW TRUCK MAKE HAS GONE TO WORK IN NEW Zealand, with 10 Italian-made concrete mixers and tippers now in work in Auckland.
But don’t expect to see them driving down the Southern Motorway – or even on city or suburban streets.
The Diecis are mini-trucks – four-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-steer, with 4.5-litre four-cylinder FPT engines producing 125 horsepower/93 kilowatts, driven through servo-controlled two-stage hydrostatic transmissions.
The dumper model can accommodate a seven cubic metre level-body load, with a maximum 12-tonne capacity.
The F7000 concrete mixers have an unladen weight of 7400kg and have a seven cubic metre bowl fitted.
The Diecis can be legally driven on NZ roads, but this particular shipment of the mini-trucks – brought into NZ by agents Webbline Agriculture to work on “a major Auckland infrastructure project” – will be working onsite only.
Webbline’s Tim Currie says that “Dieci has recently become one of the innovation leaders when it comes to telehandlers in NZ – and they offer the same level of performance and reliability in these dumpers and mixers.”
Currie says the design of the machines opens up a wide range of options when it comes to the applications they can be used for – “from working underground in enclosed spaces, to offroad environments, such as bridge-building or other areas where access may be difficult.
“Both the concrete mixers and the tippers have a much smaller footprint than standard trucks, but still have a comparatively large payload capacity, given how compact they are,” he says.
“This makes them ideal for worksites that have limited space or where larger vehicles are impractical.
“One of the really key features for us is the manoeuvrability, which is outstanding because of the four-wheel-drive and four-wheel-steer. This makes these trucks highly functional in situations that would normally be really difficult to work in.”
The mini-trucks also have a reversible driving position: “This allows the machine to be driven directly to and from a tight worksite without needing a turning bay, or requiring the operator to reverse the machine in either direction, adding improved functionality as well as increasing safety and productivity.”
The fully-enclosed cabs are rated for both roll-over and falling object protection for improved operator safety.
T&D