Allison autos aid specialist excavator

A non-destructive excavation specialist, RNR Vac Worx, says the Allison automatic transmissions fitted to its two Isuzu FVR 165-300 work trucks are delivering major benefits – to the extent that the business is now looking to convert a third truck, a Hino, from a manual gearbox to an Allison automatic as well.

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Randall Church, who owns the business with partner Ray Behan, says the Allison-equipped trucks improve safety and boost efficiency, and allow driver to navigate tight and hazardous work site with great precision.

RNR Vac Worx utilise the two Isuzus as working platforms to transport and operate the specialised high-pressure turbo nozzle and heavy-duty suction unit that is used for non-destructive excavations on sensitive work sites.

"All of the sites we work on by nature are tight and in difficult locations, which often is the reason they need a non-destructive excavation solution," said Church.

"Unlike a manual transmission, the Allison automatic moves smoothly without jerking and the imprecise movements that result from trying to operate a clutch. This is critical because we are often backing up to a ditch or a fence and need precise, smooth movement to correctly position our truck.

"The Allison automatic allows the driver to edge slowly and smoothly into location in a way that just can't be achieved with a manual truck."

Church also said the Allison autos deliver safer and more efficient progress in congested Sydney traffic.

Church and his crews travel all over the Sydney metro area to various work sites and they have been operating for the last few months on the major road works for Sydney's new Northern Beaches Hospital.

"That site is a 120-kilometre round trip from our base in Camden on the south-west fringe of the city, so we often have a long drive to reach work sites and the automatic makes driving those distances much easier and safer," he said.

"At the end of a long day that starts around 3:00am, the last thing you want to do is drive 60 or 70 kilometres through traffic pushing a clutch all the time – it becomes very tiring very quickly.

"Any new trucks we buy will from now on only be automatics, because they have made our job so much easier."

The RNR Vac Worx Isuzus carry about five tonnes of equipment. The gear includes a large pressure-washing turbo nozzle unit to water blast soil and turn it into a slurry, which is then extracted with what is essentially a large high-powered vacuum. The process leaves delicate or fragile cabling or pipes intact and undamaged, while also being more precise and less damaging than mechanical excavators.

The Isuzu FVRs are powered by a 300hp, eight-litre turbo-diesel engine mated to an Allison 3000 Series fully automatic six-speed transmission (below).

The company has been operating for the past four years, with the two Isuzu FVRs purchased in 2016 to replace manual trucks. The firm now says it's planning to replace a third truck, a smaller Hino manual, to an Allison automatic transmission in the near future.