To Stand – Bennett’s Next Chapter
Forget the logs they’ve hauled; if you had a dollar for every time a Bennett opened the door of a log truck and climbed in, you’d more than likely make the rich list. Kane Bennett is the latest generation of this esteemed Bay of Plenty log hauling and trucking family. He recently took delivery of ‘Tumai’, the truck with which he will write the next chapter in the family’s story.
He’s like his Uncle Wayne, eh?” reflects Russell Bennett, and for an instant, you can see in his eyes that memories of his late brother Wayne fill his heart and mind. “A thinker. He thinks about things, won’t say much, takes it in. But he knows what he wants, and he backs himself. Yeah, he’s more like Wayne than me, really.” Then he bursts into laughter, “I just shoot from the lip.
“Na, but that truck’s bloody nice. It’s a beautiful machine; he’s done well. We’re proud of him.”
‘He’ is Russell and Tina Bennett’s son Kane. One of the current generation of Bennetts in the famous Bay of Plenty trucking family.
Then, of course, there’s Uncle Murray, equally as well-known as his brothers in the New Zealand truck driving scene; he’s here with us also, pouring over photos, laughing, and reminiscing.
The reason we’ve all come together isn’t here; it’s parked all by itself down the road in RMD’s Mount Maunganui yard on Aerodrome Road.
It’s Kane’s brand-new Kenworth T909 6x4 log truck and equally brand-spanking Koromiko Low-Boy four-axle log trailer. An absolute Kiwi classic in terms of log truck configuration and brands.
Like all Bennett-owned machines, it’s more than just a truck; it’s the next intergenerational symbol. Its name ‘Tumai’, drawn from Kane’s grandfather and Uncle Wayne, means ‘to stand’, and there’s a dedication to Wayne on both air cleaners.
“Yeah, it’s all come together as I’d hoped,” says Kane. “The culmination of a dream,
I guess, dedicated to Uncle Wayne, the next truck in the family line, and having it blessed by Tipi Oholson before it went on the road, that was a really special moment.”
Yes, he is a thinker.
Let’s go loggin’
Bennett trucks are working trucks. There’s no room for excess technological dross hanging from machines that purport to enhance efficiency and productivity yet may end up the reason you’re stranded on the roadside somewhere. It takes a lot of ‘efficiency’ to make up for a lost load or two and a repair call-out. Put logs on trucks, and get them to where they need to go, driving so the truck lasts a long time — that means steady and safe. Press ‘Repeat’. It’s as simple as that.
We meet Kane and Tumai at RMD’s yard at a most respectable 8.00am.
“G’day,” Kane says as he appears from around the corner of the bonnet and extends a hand. “I was up until late giving it a polish, hoping this weather would be kind to us.”
Tumai is a visual festival, eye candy in the extreme.
The T909 Kenworth is a big machine, and as we said in last year’s ‘Truck of the Decades’ competition, it is the current baton holder of the traditional classic squarebonnet W-Model look … and we have to say it does indeed carry the baton well. It’s high, commanding frontal presence came about for reasons of cooling requirements in the EGR era. Interestingly, the modern Cummins family would be quite happy behind a smaller frontal area as SCR systems don’t get quite so hot under the collar. That’s essentially what has allowed Kenworth’s heritage series trucks to come about.
In we get and as Kane sorts the administration, we find where everything we want to take along for the ride can
happily sit.
It’s an amazing job, this one, when you think from month to month how much our world changes. Jarrod in the November IVECO X-Way, Owen in the Christmas edition’s Scania, and Garry in last month’s Volvo, could all raise the tare of the trucks they drive by a tonne if they weren’t careful about the amount of stuff they filled their cabs with. Not so, Kane. As huge as the T909 might be, it’s all truck. There’s a fridge between the seats that Kane rates as invaluable in terms of accommodating better food choices but, generally speaking, you have to be picky about what comes in.
The reality is, though, Kane’s is a different world. Carting logs back from the Central North Island, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, and Waikato into the Mount or to local sawmills doesn’t require a stay-away home. Kane’s farthest regular pick-up would be lower King Country, about three and half hours from his Mount Maunganui base, so this’ll do fine. Besides, big high-maintenance cabs and log trucking – in terms of cleaning – never cohabitate well. Hoe into a T909 cab for an hour on a Saturday morning with the ‘vaccy’ and a wet cloth, and she’ll look like new.
Kane dips the clutch, let’s the stick find its first slot for the day, release, and the Swan on the end of the bonnet moves slowly toward the gate. Right-hand-down and the big snout cuts one of the most famous arcs in all of trucking as Kane snaps through the gears.
Cathedral of cool
We roll out of town, west over the Kaimais, aiming for a skid site nestled in the hills behind Ngaruawahia. The drop visor and bonnet frame the view top and bottom and the high-rise air cleaners and mirrors side to side. It’s hard to fault, really, if you’re a child of the era, and if you are, the capsule you’re in is a cathartic place that takes you from a crazy mucked-up world back to one far simpler and way more understandable.
Summer skid sites can be high, baron, and airless, or conversely, as in the case of G and S Logging’s perch just off the Waingaro Road, picturesque. A light skiff of rain had been through just before we arrived, settling the dust on both road and landing. The surrounding trees were still in the upright position, so the light was just right with no shadows. As Tumai backed up under the loader, the full scene was surely a Cathedral of cool, no question.
We asked Kane about the Kentweld bumper and its proximity to Mother Earth on the lower edge?
“Yeah, I’ve nicked the light bar once and given it a tweak, but I have a winter-bumper to go on shortly that’ll give us more clearance. I’ll just put
this on in summer months.” Gotta love this man’s style. The unit has a balanced look front to back, which isn’t always easy on a log truck. Often the spartan rear quarters mean too many adornments at the other end can make them look out of kilter visually. Not so here. The 7” stacks, stainless-steel step, door in-fills, and air cleaner light bars aren’t overbearing. Even the ‘visual’ weight of the nine bullet lights on the roof are offset by the lack of air-horns and the painted RedDOT unit helps draw the eye up beyond them. With no stainless bonnet flashes or name badge, the paint up-front is allowed to ‘breathe’ – again aiding in creating the front to back balance of the overall look.
“Darryn Caulfield sign wrote it, and one thing I was particular about was the scroll work on the side of the guards. We had a couple of goes at those,” said Kane. “He’s bloody great at what he does, there’s no doubt about that.”
The bling on the truck came courtesy of Willy Malcolm’s genius hand, and aside from the additional lights and things, there’s so many lovely yet practical touches. The locker built into the driver’s step and the fuel tank toolbox on the left-hand side
keep practicality high and aesthetics on point.
The fit-out on the truck was also done at Koromiko Engineering, and managing director Derek Haywood said his crew was excited to work on the Bennett project.
“Kane likes customised units, and he had input to the build, especially around the stainless and ‘bling’. We made the whole thing look as cool as we could. Everyone’s happy.”
“Jarvis Harrison in the Hawke’s Bay was doing his at the same time,” said Kane. “We’re mates and often chatted about them. People think they’re alike, but they are actually very different. We’ve done our own thing totally, and they’ve both come out great. We’re both rapt.”
It’s what’s inside….
Tumai has one of the
‘fullest’ dashes we’ve seen for a while, even on a Kenworth. Kane spec’d the full gauge suite in silver bezels, with silver switchgear to boot. He also put a big red cross through the smartwheel option.
“Bloody smart wheels!
No, not me at all,” he says. “Steering wheels are for steering. Chasing buttons around a steering wheel on a narrow winding bush track does nothing for me. Those switches are always right there,” he says, pointing to the dash.
“Evidently, it’s not that common spec’ing the full gauge pack, the data screen, and no Smart Wheel. It caused a bit of headscratching at the factory, they reckon.” (Yes, you did read right, there’s a data screen in a 909… more in a mo.)
It’s no standard ‘buttonless’ tiller either, or shifter-head for that matter. Tumai’s steering and cog-swapping furniture are aftermarket mother-ofpearl jobbies courtesy of Pearl Craft in Australia. We have to say they’re just delightful against Kenworth’s Charcoal trim interior. Like the outside, there’s a lot of thought gone into how this office looks.
For us, what sets it all off in terms of looks and lineage is such a simple wee touch. Kane got rid of the normal red Kenworth badge on the dash in front of the passenger, and replaced it with the coolest wooden ‘custom built for’ plaque. Designed by Darryn Caulfield – who else? – and etched in Rotorua, it in itself speaks to so much – the family profession, trucks of the past ... .
We’re not going to say much about ride and ambience. Firstly, if you complain about the ride in a long-wheelbase 6x4 bonneted truck, you’ll complain about anything. Secondly, it’s a Kenworth T909 cab. You either are, or you aren’t, and nothing that we or anyone else can say will make you change camps. Noise? Yes, it makes noise, a fantastic noise – 74dB of it, in fact.
This truck is not your tool, it’s your workmate. Trucks like Tumai aren’t somewhere you’re paid to be, they’re somewhere you’ve paid to be.
The long and winding road
Trailer off and hooked up, the height of the bolster beds – or lack thereof – on the Koromiko trolley became apparent.
“I wanted to keep it low