Kenworth T6 Legend Dolly Logger: Review

It was a little before three in the morning when the alarm on the bedside dresser broke the stillness. Damien Cassidy reached out and quickly turned it off, and headed to the kitchen to make a coffee. While the kettle boiled he gently placed a few pieces of wood in the heater.

Moments later, Damien stepped outside and headed towards the Kenworth T6 parked beside the nearby shed. The wind was ice cold and the rain undecided as to whether or not it would turn to snow, but that’s how it is most Julys in Tasmania.

This morning was like most others, Damien would take the Kenworth T6 he’d loaded the day before to the port at Bell Bay an hour or so to the northwest. It was just on daybreak when he arrived and luckily enough there were only a few trucks ahead of him. By the time Damien had taken off the chains, a huge loader had turned up to lift off his logs.

Once the logs were off the trailer, it became pretty obvious there’s something different about this Kenworth T6 and its jinker, and that is what we were here to see.

Some time back Tasmanian based logging equipment builder Graham Elphinstone quietly unveiled another of his industry-leading firsts. It’s called a Dolly-Logger, however some folks down here also refer to them as the Elph-Link after it’s inventor. Apart from the fact it gives an average increase of nine and half tonne payload over a conventional jinker, vehicle stability is also increased.

The mainstream press in Tasmania like all the other states on the mainland, rate any truck-related incident with the same importance as world-war-three. Needless to say, that some weeks, truck rollovers can make up the bulk of the news headlines in Tassie.

The next thing there’s a conference, followed by the knee-jerk reaction where politicians vying for a few quick votes basically want to reduce payloads.

“Not so”, says Graham Elphinstone.

Graham’s had a lot of experience in the logging industry and he and his company has been at the forefront of some innovative concepts that are now embraced in similar industries as well.

“The Dolly-Logger is a concept we experimented with some time ago to reduce the overall height of the load of logs which in turn lowers the centre of gravity of the vehicle,” Graham explained. “We were able to adapt some of the technology from our Easyloader self-loading trailers which enabled us to make the Dolly-Logger and jinker fold up into a compact unit for the empty run back to the bush block.

To better understand how the Dolly-Logger works, Graham gave us a quick rundown of the driving force behind its evolution: “For some time log truck rollovers have been on the increase here in Australia, similarly as they were in New Zealand some years ago, Graham recalled.

“Something had to be done to reduce this and there are still several proposals currently up for discussion. However, the most common thread, if you like, that all the proposals contain was a reduction in the overall centre of gravity of a log truck.”

“We’d done some research on how trucks roll over and there is a lot of data readily available on the subject as well,” Graham explained. “One thing we discovered was that in a lot of cases it is the trailer that rolls over first and in most instances the driver is unaware that the trailer has passed the threshold of no return before it was too late. Subsequently, to us it became logical to make the trailer more stable, basically to reduce its rearward amplification.”

“What we ended up achieving along with enhanced vehicle stability is productivity gains through payload increases,” Graham added.

“Loading of the unit when empty is simply done by using a standard loading ramp or bank of earth,” Graeme explained. “No hydraulics or winches are required. The rear trailer is folded onto the ElphLink trailer then the slider on the truck is unlocked. By simply reversing, the ElphLink slides up onto the chassis of the truck and the slider locks it in place for the empty run back to the bush.”

“Unloading is basically the same as a normal jinker,” Graeme continued. “Apply the trailer brakes, unlock the slide, move the truck forward and the ElphLink slides off and is ready to be loaded with logs, it’s that simple.”

Damien drives for Springfield based Andrew Lette who runs one of the tidiest logging operations in the north east of the state. Along with this T6 Andrew also has two other T6s, one similar to Damien’s with the Dolly Logger and the other with a traditional jinker. Then there are two Kenworth T9s.

Andrew’s been logging since he was teenager and started out on his own about ten years ago. He is the first to admit that logging is a hard way to make a quid, but insists that it has its own rewards. And, a quick glance around at Andrew’s equipment reveals a man who is meticulous and organised, all the machines even down to the chainsaws are impeccably clean and that is no small achievement considering the muddy conditions they are operating in.

Andrew cites the Kenworth trucks as the back bone of his operation and adds that the service he gets from the local Kenworth dealer in Launceston is first class.

“The gear that Graham Elphinstone builds is equally as impressive as the Kenworths that haul them,” Andrew told us. However, it’s when you see where these trucks and trailers operate that it really impresses, we’ve got some pretty rugged country down here.”

At the time of writing this Kenworth of Damien’s had clocked up 385,000 trouble free kilometres. A 550hp Cummins coupled to an Eaton RTLO20918B transmission is the driving force of this T6.

Meantime, the rear end is Kenworth’s Airglide with Arvin Meritor RT46-160GP rear axles with driver controlled diff locks (DCDL) at 4.56:1 ratio. Up front the steer axle is the heavy duty MFS-73.

Back on our test drive, and by mid-morning Damien was well into the high country of the Mathinna Plains on his way to the log landing at Mt Albert.

The sealed bitumen road of the low lands had long given way to a muddy track. Every now and then the trailer on the back rattled a little as the Kenworth T6 lurched through each pothole.

“They’re (pot holes) hard to spot when it is so muddy,” Damien mused as he pulled the steering wheel to the left to dodge another one.

“It’s not a real good time of the year to keep the trucks shining,” Damien continued. “They get a quick wash around the windows and mirrors each night and we pump grease where it is needed. There is too much mud on the roads this time of the year to keep them in concourse condition.”

Incidentally, we’ve seen these trucks in the summer months and they are truly a credit to their drivers as they glisten each day.

Damien cites the increased vehicle stability as a reassuring feature along with the fact there is only one bunk of logs, which means there are also productivity gains loading and unloading the unit.

“This is one of the longer coupes we cart from and I average my two and half loads each day,” Damien added.

From a traction point, Damien told us that once he lets the AIR-CTI (Central Tyre Inflation) down he can virtually go anywhere. “These trailers are surprisingly easy to tow and very manoeuvrable,” Damien said. “They don’t cut in any more than a normal jinker, if fact if anything with the two turntables they track better.

“We cut our logs to 14.5 meters that puts the combination at 19.5 meters long,” Damien explained. “We are permitted an all up gross of 54 tonnes (total payload – 37.5 tonnes) and you can see the overall height of the load is still below the top of the pegs, which is very low compared to a traditional jinker or quad dog configuration.”

By late afternoon Damien was on his way home with a load ready for the early hours of the next morning. On top of the plains, the dark clouds peeled aside and the sun for only a moment gleaned through providing one of those chilly but brilliant photo opportunities.
Back inside the warmth of the cabin once more, Damien guided the Kenworth T6 down the mountain with ease and to the observer there was no indication there was any additional weight or that the Dolly-Logger was fitted.

And, according to Graham Elphinstone that’s how it should be too.

Model: Kenworth Legend T6
Engine: Cummins X15 EuroV
Horsepower: 550hp (410kW) @1800rpm
Torque: 1850lb/ft (2508Nm) @ 1100rpm
Main Transmission: Eaton RTLO20915B 18-Speed
Air Cleaner: Dual Cyclopacs, with raised air rams
Fuel Filter: Fuel Pro and fuel/water separator
Air Dryer: Dual Turbo 2000
Front Axle: Meritor MFS73LA 7.3t capacity
Front Suspension: 7.2T Multi leaf
Power Steering: TRW Ross TAS 85
Rear Axles: Meritor RT46-160 with DCDL
Rear Axle Ratio: 4.56:1
Rear Suspension: Kenworth Airglide
Wheelbase: 5420mm
Brakes: HD (P-type) drum brakes with auto slacks
Elphinstone Dolly-Logger Specs
Model : ElphLink Dolly Logger
Axles: BPW
Suspension: BPW air
Rims: 285 PCD ten-stud
Brakes: Drum
Scales: 4 x heavy-duty on-board load cells