A council in NSW’s Riverina region is relying on the durability and comfort of Hino trucks to help maintain its local road network which includes over 800 kilometres of gravel and sealed roads.
Junee Shire Council, located approximately half-way between Melbourne and Sydney, added two Hino 700 Series FS 2848 ProShift 16 Air heavy duty trucks to its fleet in February, and both have already covered over 30,000 kilometres.
The FS 2848s were fitted with steel tipping bodies prior to delivery and tow Superdog trailers in 48-tonne configuration. The FS 2848s are fitted with Hendrickson HAS airbag suspension, ProShift 16-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) and 480Hp (353kW) 2157Nm intercooled six-cylinder turbo-diesel engines, making them highly suited to hauling road-building supplies and equipment.
According to Junee Shire Council’s works engineer Peter Harris, the trucks have been driven at full capacity since their commissioning.
“The Hinos are driven all day on gravel and blue metal roads, and their trailers have never been removed since they commenced duties,” Mr Harris said.
Mr Harris said the FS 2848s were purchased for a number of reasons, including high levels of specification and good value for money.
“We found that the Hino 700 Series had more features and technology, and are better value for money,” Mr Harris said.
“The ProShift 16 AMT acts like a true automatic transmission; it takes the guesswork out of driving.
“The FS 2848s also had the right wheelbase for the 48-tonne capacity we needed, and we didn’t have to spend any money on chassis modifications.”
In addition to the major operational features of the truck, Mr Harris is also happy with a number of other details which make the Hinos better to drive.
“The seatbelt is properly integrated with the driver’s suspension seat, so it’s comfortable to use,” he said.
“The way the transmission’s auxiliary intarder brake works is phenomenal – it’s not just off or on like on some other trucks, and it has the ability to almost fully brake the truck.
“The side-mirrors offer a proper perspective of what’s going on around you as do the rear cameras on the truck and the trailer, which were easy to set up because it comes equipped with the provisions to hook them up to the standard 2-Din Bluetooth-equipped radio,” he said.
Mr Harris also had positive things to say about their dealer, Wagga Trucks.
“The sales experience and aftersales support from Wagga trucks has been very good, not that we’ve really needed anything from them since we got the trucks,” he said.
“Overall, the boys are very happy with them.”