Kenworth K200: Operator Review

It was little after smoko one Wednesday when my phone rang. It was Utchee Refrigerated Transport owner, Graham Hampson.

"What are you doing on Friday?" he asked.

"Probably checking out one of your new Kenworth K200s," I cheekily replied. And sure enough, that's what he'd had in mind.

This K200 does a regular run from Far North Queensland, 1600-odd kilometres to the markets in Brisbane with fresh produce. Then it returns to Far North Queensland with much needed supplies before reloading with more fresh produce. It's a gruelling task for both men and machines, but one the Kenworth K200 and its Barker trailers manage with ease.

Banana growers, like Graham, are often at the mercy of a diversity of scenarios from cyclones through to impassable flooded roads – events that all chip away at their bottom line and sometimes wash away a whole season's income.

It was during the Queensland floods of 2010 that Graham had five B-Double loads with 2200 cartons of produce stranded in each truck, all incapable of reaching the southern markets. Graham was furious; he knew his freight could get through if only the trucks took the drier inland route … but that transport company refused to run the inland route, even after the offer of additional money to go around the floods.

Adding salt to the wound, the price per carton at the Sydney markets rose significantly as the supply of produce from North Queensland slowed due to the floods.

"We missed a rare business opportunity," Graham lamented.

"It's much the same in cyclone season; when growers can't get their produce to market on time they have to go another nine to 10 months without any income coming in."

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It wasn't long after that episode that Graham purchased two Kenworth K200 prime movers and B-Double trailer sets and took total control of the family farm's transport operation – creating a sort of a 'paddock to plate' service.

Since the introduction of those trucks in 2010, the fleet size has grown considerably – to half-a-dozen B-Double sets and a couple of road trains, as demand for the firm's homegrown service has increased.

Produce like bananas are temperature-sensitive commodities; there is certain acquired skill to get them from the tree to the market. The job requires meticulous handling, and fluctuations in timing can mean the difference between losing a crop or not.

The reliability of the equipment is paramount in such a time-sensitive operation, where produce is harvested just before it matures, and finishes ripening on the journey to the market. That's why Kenworth trucks, Barker trailers with BPW axles are Graham's chosen spec.

"If you've got the best gear you can deliver the best service," Graham said.

"Sure, the best gear might cost a little more up front, but you don't have maintenance issues or downtime when you have good gear."

The Utchee Refrigerated Transport K200s are typical fleet spec with 550hp (peak power 580hp) and 1850ftlb torque, coupled to an 18-speed Eaton UltraShift Plus transmission through to Dana D46-170 rear axles running a 4.10:1 ratio riding on Kenworth Airglide 460 suspension.

But that's where the similarities with a typical fleet spec ends, as these K200s boast a full complement of high-tech safety features that include discs brakes on the front and rear axles on the prime mover as well as the Barker trailer B-Double set, all matched up with electronic stability control (ESC) and an electronic braking system (EBS).

Improving safety for his drivers was the driving force behind Graham equipping his K200s with the latest disc brake technology.

On the other hand, research indicates modern truck stopping distances have reduced by almost 30 metres compared to trucks built before 2010. Over the past decade the tightening of regulations around the world regarding heavy vehicle braking is coercing brake manufacturers to improve braking performance, longevity and serviceability.

Graham is first to admit that when it comes to decided which style of brakes, discs or drums, was right for his trucking operation, the disc brakes certainly won the head-to-head challenge in terms of stopping distance, but discs didn't necessarily tick all the boxes.

Surprisingly, there is little difference in weight between drums or discs. On the long-haul interstate runs tackled by Utchee Refrigerated Transport's K200s and Barker trailers, there was negligible gain in terms of weight with either technology.

However, when it comes to maintenance, the discs offer considerable uptime benefits. Firstly, there is no required periodic lubrication schedule like there is for drum brakes. To make matters even easier, most disc brakes have a visual wear indicator that affords maintenance personnel or even the driver a simple, quick, easy-to-see method to check on the level of wear, and without having to remove a wheel.

Not only does this save a significant amount of maintenance time in the workshop, it also negates the cost of purchasing additional lubricants for the bake system.

Secondly, most workshop service managers agree that when it comes time to replace the disc pads, the job takes roughly half the time of a drum brake reline.

For Graham, the choice to go with the disc brake option was driven then not only by safety, but also the economic gains. Even though the initial purchase price of disc brakes is roughly $6000 more than standard drum brakes, it is the reduction in total cost of ownership over the life of the vehicle that really makes the discs the more economically viable option.

Pre-trip inspections are performed easily on the new K200 via a bright finish stainless steel access door covering the filler tube and dipstick.

Interior cabin appointments are luxurious and the instrument layout features a warning light cluster with easy-to-read prestige gauges. Vision from behind the wheel of this cab-over is excellent.

Yet it was how the K200 performed on the road in the Far North Queensland heat that really impressed. This particular K200 was powered by a Cummins X15 coupled to an Eaton 18-speed transmission. The Dana final drive on this K200 is somewhat taller than you’d expect of a B-Double at a ratio of 4.10:1, but this is what Cummins is suggesting: gear fast and run slow, with even taller ratios for some applications, to maximise fuel economy.

It quickly became apparent that the new-spec Cummins X15 certainly didn't lack any punch. It was more than willing to respond to each throttle input, even from as low down as 1200rpm. It literally marched away. The turbo-boost pressure gauge wound itself around to the end as the throttle went down.

From a seat-of-the-pants perspective, it's interesting to note that even though there's plenty of power getting to the ground, it can be somewhat deceptive when you're behind the wheel, because this engine is so quiet with the engine running at low revs.

The upshot to the improved cylinder air volume from the high-speed turbo is that the engine braking capability is 15 per cent higher through the engine brake rev range. In practice, the engine brake certainly has the goods where it counts, as it more than adequately held the fully loaded B-Double on the decent down the Cardwell Range, roughly halfway between Cairns and Townsville.

Graham is first to admit that the evolution in road transport is something he never would have envisaged when he first started sending his produce to market a few decades ago.

"These new K200s will probably have a million kilometers on them in four years," he explained.

"Compare that to the trucks that used to pick up our bananas back in the '80s and they never even came close to covering that sort of distance in that time. Back then you'd typically rebuild an engine at half a million kilometers and now we expect to get at least a million out of them before we put a spanner on them.

"There is no question we get a good run out of the Kenworth, Cummins and Barker product," he added.

"Mind you, over the years we've had our occasional moments with them too, but in the end we've been loyal to them and we do receive good service from Brown & Hurley and Cummins, which is ultimately what keeps us all going and why we specify Kenworth and Cummins products."

2010 Kenworth K200 specifications:
Make: Kenworth
Model: K200
Engine: Cummins ISXe5 Signature
Horsepower: 550hp (447kW) at 1850rpm
Torque: 1850lbft (2779Nm) at 1100rpm
Gearbox: Eaton RTLO20915B 18-speed UltraShift Plus AMT
Fuel filter: Fuel Pro with fuel/water separator
Electrical: 160A isolated alternator and power distribution box
Front axle: Meritor MFS73LA, 7.3t capacity
Front suspension: 7.2t taper leaf
Power steering: TRW Ross TAS 85
Rear axles: Dana D46-170
Rear axle ratio: 4.10:1
Rear suspension: Kenworth Airglide 460
Brakes: Dana disc
Windscreen: Two-piece flat
Turntable: Jost JSK37
Bumper: King Bars, polished road train
Extras: Remote diff breathers, extended grease lines to clutch, additional grill bars, stainless headlight protectors, stainless tank wrap, 7-inch straight-cut stacks, stainless visor, plus heaps more…