Daf Drops Weights

[Bran D]

After entering the second year of Drops owning/ driving, and looking at earlier posts on weights etc. I thought it would be interesting to show the individual axle weights as recorded during the brake test.

Plated weights: all in Kg

Axle 1: 7500 axle 2:5500 axle 3:9000 axle 4:9000

Empty: No rack or load

Axle 1: 5600 axle 2:4040 axle 3:5020 axle 4:5360

With rack and Saladin:

axle 1:6800 axle 2:5160 axle 3:7820 axle 4:7600

 

from the Saladin manual weights are: front wheel 3353, centre 3759, rear 4165 all in Kg Maximum all up weight.

 

Just shows that with an 11000 kg vehicle there is not much weight left to play with. The Saladin is mounted centrally on the rack so there is room for adjustment I guess. I am looking for something different to replace the saladin, i supose a cvrt variant is the obvious choice, but what else?

 

Anone got any accurate weights for stormer variants? I may like one in place of the saladin.

[paulbrook]

Stormer was a bit heavier than your standard CVRT and might even have been more than your 11 tons there. Neither can I recall the weight distribution but I think they were nose heavy so the extra weight needs to be back on the rack (maybe reversed on?).

[Bran D]

Thanks Paul , I seem to remember seeing 13 tons on the bridge plate for one of the variants. Reversing on is a good option. Thanks

[paulbrook]

I don't think they were 13 tonnes - 12 point something small rings a bell, and even that was fully bombed up.

 

If I have a moment I will chat to my contacts at the Defence School of Transport to see if Stormer on DROPS is in JSP 71.

[radiomike7]

After entering the second year of Drops owning/ driving, and looking at earlier posts on weights etc. I thought it would be interesting to show the individual axle weights as recorded during the brake test.

Plated weights: all in Kg

Axle 1: 7500 axle 2:5500 axle 3:9000 axle 4:9000

Empty: No rack or load

Axle 1: 5600 axle 2:4040 axle 3:5020 axle 4:5360

With rack and Saladin:

axle 1:6800 axle 2:5160 axle 3:7820 axle 4:7600

 

 

 

Bran, those figures cannot be correct, adding the empty axle weights gives an unladen weight of 20,020kg while adding the rack and Saladin only takes the laden up by 7,360kg to 27,380kg.

 

The two rear axles are balanced by a central pivot and would show similar weights except that the leading axle is heavier by virtue of the third diff and a prop hanging off the front flange.

[paulbrook]

I definitely recall that the suspension is set up so that the foremost axle does more work then the second axle - in other words it is not a central pivot (the second axle is undriven and were it to carry equal weight you would loose a lot more front axle traction than you already do).

 

That axle was added simply to "top up" the overall weight carrying capability whilst remaining within the then C&U regulations at the expense of mobility. By contrast the Scammel IMMLC dispensed with the second axle and was a straight 30 ton 6x6. (The improved medium mobility was seen as a first line Stalwart type vehicle and a decision was taken that Crown Exemption should be exercised and therefore it would not be constrained by C&U).

 

The second undriven axle on the MMLC was yet another difficult compromise that had to be worked through to meet the capacity and mobility requirement (which it still missed by the way) within the "civilian" rules (as they were then).

 

Experience showed that the second axle was detrimental to cross country performance even then; in fact at the start of Gulf War 1 consideration was given to removing the second axle altogether to maintain mobility.

 

That said, if those weights are the plated weights for the axles we can discuss the issue till the cows come home but if those are the weights the ministry says that they are then that is just about that!

 

My understanding is that since 1998 the GVW for a vehicle of this type is 30,000kg, so you couldn't go to maximum axle weights on all axles anyway as that would total 31,000kg.

[Bran D]

Hello Mike, yes I did notice the discrepancy, I guess that is the way it is measured on the rollers.

To work it out accurately I gues I would need to use 8 individual weight pads, and thats not going to happen!

For the purpose of testing the brakes the roller system only wants to know the axle weight so it can calculate the efficiency, as opposed to accurately calculating the overall vehicle weight. At least it gives me some idea, I dont want to turning up for an mot with an overloaded truck!