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NEWS
Iveco Eurocargo has honey producer buzzing
New medium-duty model ticks all the boxes for Victorian apiaristBeehives must be moved regularly to keep bees healthy and producing premium honey, and one Victorian honey producer has found Iveco's new Eurocargo to be the perfect companion for shifting hives and boosting his business.
Third generation apiarist, Ashley Smith, from Lakeside Honey, works with father Eric. They've grown the business over several years to now own and manage almost 1000 hives, providing their produce to leading brands including Capilano and Archibald honey.
Based in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, the father and son duo are regularly on the road moving hives to chase flower blooms. The recent purchase of their new Euro6 ML 180, an 18t GVM model with sleeper cab, makes this task easier and more efficient, with the vehicle having replaced a smaller 8t GVM truck.
"Typically the hives need to be relocated every six to eight weeks to keep the bees from running out of nectar," Ashley said.
"With around 1000 hives to manage, this sees us regularly travelling to different locations in search of flowering trees and plants, we're also called upon by agricultural companies to help pollinate their commercial crops, particularly the almond industry which is very reliant on bees to produce the nuts. These requests see us driving to a lot of areas in regional Victoria.
"During the day the bees are away from the hives collecting nectar, so we normally work at night to shift the hives to different areas. This means I often sleep in the truck.
"The Eurocargo provides a good-size sleeping area and the high roof and compact transmission tunnel also allows easy movement around the cab."
The truck is fitted with a 28-foot tray providing sufficient space for up to 98 beehives. It also has an 'Ezyloader 125' crane to allow efficient loading and unloading of the hives, which can each weigh 90kg when full of honey.
Other modifications include a steel bumper to minimise damage from animal strikes when driving in rural areas. Given the time spent out on the road, Ashley also plans to equip the Eurocargo with a few creature comforts in the near future, including a DVD player and fridge.
With its Iveco 'Tector 7' 280hp (206kW) engine with 1000Nm of torque, ZF 9-speed manual transmission and rear airbag suspension, Ashley said that the truck is both easy and very comfortable to drive, but even more important to him is the model's unique 'HI-SCR' emission control system.
"The Hi-SCR system works through fresh and clean air intake rather than exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), keeping exhaust gas temperatures low," he said.
"Often we're out driving in paddocks and reserves amongst really long grass, so it's comforting to know we're not going to set the place alight."
Ashley said the honey industry was growing strongly year to year.
"The industry is going great and aside from the honey production, the demand for bees to do their pollination work on a commercial basis is also increasing," he said.
"I love the industry, the variety of the work and I'm looking forward to clocking up many more kilometres in my Eurocargo doing this."
Click here to read the Trucksales review of the new generation of Iveco Eurocargo trucks, following their local release earlier this year.
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Written byTrucksales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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