Howard Shanks•27 Oct 2017

REVIEW

2017 Drake Swingwing trailer: Operator Review

Name: 2017 Drake Swingwing trailer: Operator Review
Brand: Kenworth

Drake's unique and adjustable 'Swingwing' low loader gives heavy haulage operators the flexibility to carry a wide range of oversize loads…

In Launceston early one Monday morning, the thick blanket of fog that rolled in from the Tamar River during the night had lifted by the time Craig Wivell finished chaining down the new Komatsu WA500 wheel loader.

Hitched behind the smart Kenworth T950 he drives for Les Walkden Transport, the Komatsu was loaded onto a three rows of eight Drake Swingwing low loader, an innovative and adjustable trailer that gives heavy haulage operators a real edge when it comes to carrying a wide variety of over-dimensional loads.

This morning Craig was delivering this new WA500 loader to Grange Resources' Port Latta iron ore pellet plant and port facility. Found approximately 70 kilometres west of Burnie, the facility produces in excess of two million tonnes of premium iron ore pellets annually. Grange Resources also owns and operates the Savage River magnetite iron ore mine located 100 kilometres south-west of Burnie.

The operation is unique in that concentrated iron ore slurry is pumped 83 kilometres from the mine at Savage River to the pellet plant at Port Latta via a 229-metre wide pipeline, the journey taking around 14 hours. which takes approximately 14 hours. In mining terms this project is considered to have a long life, with the current predicted lifetime of the mine extending to 2034.

At the Port Latta plant the cleaned concentrate is pressed into pellets using bentonite as a binding agent. The pellets are then fed into one of five vertical shaft pellet furnaces, where they undergo heat-induced processing for approximately 4.5 hours. The finished pellets are screened to grade excess coarse and fine material then transported by conveyor to the stacker-reclaimer, where the pellets are stockpiled to cool and wait for shipping.

This new Komatsu WA500 will replace one of three that feeds slurry into the processing plant; Craig will reload the out-going wheel loader onto his three rows of eight Drake Swingwing low loader and return it to the Komatsu dealership.

Kenworth T950

Craig's Kenworth is an old school T950, with a Gen-II Cummins that he reckons has been one of the most reliable engines he's ever had.

"Apart from regular maintenance, we've hardly touched it," he says.

"It's really been a great engine. It's got plenty of power for this type of work. Today, with the WA500 weighing around 30 tonne plus the weight of the dolly, low loader and truck all up, the gross weight is over 60 tonne."

And the economy?

"Considering the weight and terrain we travel, it's pretty good," says Craig.

"If I can get 1.6 kilometres per litre or better, I'm pretty happy."

Glance at the speedo and take note of the kilometers this T950 has clocked up (incidentally, those numbers are on their second lap) since it hit the road in the early part of this century, and this truck is a testament to the quality of Australian-built Kenworths. The doors open and shut just like a new truck and the interior is showroom condition, also reflecting Craig's meticulous attention to detail.

Craig has added some personal bling to this T950 to give it a touch of class and it’s a regular participant at many of the Tasmanian truck shows.

Up front there's a highly polished King Bars Warrego 4-post FUPD complete with 'Oversize' signs and covers, as well as a row of traditional and LED driving lights.

Built to last

Craig says the average Kenworth life cycle is something few if any other manufacturers can match.

"I can park this next to a new T909 and looking at the two trucks it would be hard to pick which truck is almost 15 years old and has done over a million kilometers," he says.

"It just comes down to keeping on top of your maintenance and operating the equipment correctly. There's no reason why we won't get another 15 years out of this T950. Sure, we'll have to rebuild the engine and re-race the transmission and diffs, but that's just maintenance."

The Cummins under the hood punches out a healthy 600hp, with the output run through an Eaton 18-speed transmission to Meritor RT50-160GP axles all mounted on a Kenworth six-rod rear end.

When the Gen-II Signature engine was released it was said that the dual overhead cam design allowed Cummins engineers to optimise both engine and braking performance. It was suggested that one should look at the engine front on, from the timing cover, and note that the left-hand camshaft drives the high-pressure fuel-injection system, which itself is massively robust to handle pressures up to 2380 bar (35,000psi) to handle future emissions regulations.

The right-hand camshaft operates the valves. It also incorporates a set of lobes dedicated to operating the Intebrake, the fully integrated engine brake system. This enables the engine to deliver the same braking power as horsepower, without additional stress. According to the spec sheet these Signature engines retard at an awesome 600hp, which is unprecedented for an engine braking system.

The bottom end of the new engine sees a crankshaft that has been extensively computer-modelled for weight reduction and lower rotating mass, which benefits response. The right-hand camshaft also drives the fuel pump that supplies the fuel rail. The pump is one component of the Integrated Fuel System Module, which mounts to the side of the head.

Craig cites the Cummins' engine braking as the best he has ever experienced.

"Operating in the hilly conditions around Tasmania and with the weights I'm towing, I need all the braking power I can get and the Cummins has plenty of that," he says.

Thorough success

For Kenworth the T950 model was one of its most successful and popular models, so much so that when it released a limited edition production run of 75 units in 2015, they sold out in under 24 hours. This was followed up by a limited-edition Legend T900, officially launched at the 2016 Brisbane Truck Show.

The T950 with its forward-set front axle was introduced in 1992 and originally modeled on the iconic SAR. It has everything that comes to mind when you think of a traditional, American-style long-bonneted truck.

As well as looking the part, the T950 was designed to operate in almost any application – from heavy-haulage to livestock to logging, whether pulling a single trailer or a triple road train.

The truck's high mounted cab is set back from its engine so there's no engine intrusion into the cabin. This allows for easy all round access to the engine and delivers exceptional visibility over the gently sloping bonnet.

During its 15-year production run the T950 built up a considerable fan base and is remembered fondly with other legendary Kenworth classics like the W-Model and SAR. In fact, Slim Dusty immortalised the T950 in his song, Mechanised Swaggy.

End of an era

One question that is often asked of the T950 then, is that if it was such a popular model, why was it phased out in 2007?

The arrival in 2008 of the Cummins ISX and Signature engines with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to meet the ADR 80/02 emission standards of the day demanded increased cooling capacity.

Increasing the size of the radiator on the T950 in a vertical direction basically turned it into a T904, that consequently evolved into a T908 for the 2008 model year. So the decision to phase out the T950 was imminent.

The Swingwing

The three rows of eight Swingwing lies in Drake's hydraulic widening low loader range, and it boasts an impressive range of standard features. That list includes stainless steel hydraulic tubing, hydraulic controlled ramps and level deck that's open at the inner rear, all driven by a 5.5hp, pull-start hydraulic power pack.

On the operational side, there are two horizontal spare tyre carriers, drop legs, dunnage trays and lockable tool boxes, plus a rear push point and LED lights. The entire low loader is grit blasted and painted in two-pack paint.

The deck is 2.5 metres wide in the closed position but it opens to 4.27 metres using Drake's unique 'Swingwing' widening system. The gooseneck features two king pin positions: one for when it is connected to the 2x4 dolly and the other when it's connected direct to the prime mover.

The trailer's suspension has hydraulic height adjustment that enables Craig to lower the deck height for loading and unloading and then raise the deck to a safe travelling height.

Today, with this Komatsu WA500, he is running the deck at a height of 900mm.

"The Swingwing trailer means I can widen the full deck to any width between 2.5 metres and 4.3 metres, depending on the machine I'm carrying," Craig says.

"It means the machinery is stable on the deck and the trailer's wheels are directly under the load, which gives additional stability."

Roughly three hours after pulling out of Komatsu's Launceston dealership, Craig wheeled the Kenworth T950 into the Port Latta facility, where the crew were keen to fit the new bucket and put the new machine to work.

Kenworth T950 specifications

Engine: Cummins Gen-II Signature

Horsepower: 600hp (447kW) at 1850rpm

Torque: 2050lb/ft (2780Nm) at 1100rpm

Gearbox: Eaton Fuller RTLO22918B

Air cleaner: Dual Cyclopacs with raised air rams

Fuel filter: Fuel Pro with fuel/water separator

Electrical: 160A isolated alternator and power distribution box

Front axle: Meritor MFS73 7.3T

Front suspension: 7.2t multi-leaf

Power steering: TRW Ross TAS 85

Rear axles: Meritor RT50-160 with diff locks to both axles

Rear axle ratio: 4.56

Rear suspension: KW6-60A 21 low profile, 21 tonne

Brakes: HD (P-type) drum brakes with auto slacks

Windscreen: Two piece, flat

Interior: Ox Blood Trim with HD diamond pleating

Seats: Black leather ISRI 6860/870 air suspended

Air dryer: Chicago Rawhide Turbo 2000 air dryer

Bumper: King Bars 4-post Warrego bar (polished)

Battery box: Slide tray under cab and above tank

Turntable: Sliding Holland

Toolbox: RHS under cab above tank

Extras: Stainless Elephant ears, stainless air cleaner surrounds, stainless rear guards, stainless headlight surrounds, stainless bug deflector, stainless drop visor, stainless window surround, stainless high-rise air rams, 7-inch slash cut stacks, stainless step covers

Drake Swingwing low loader specifications

Type: 3x8

Hydraulics: Honda pull-start power pack

Storage: Internal dunnage trays

Ramps: Hydraulic

Spare wheel carrier: 4 x gooseneck mount

Lights: LED

Kingpin: 2 x removable