New IVECO ACCO nearing release

Iveco has begun testing its 2019 ACCO models with customer fleets, with the new platform poised to make its public debut at the Brisbane Truck Show in May.

In late 2018 Iveco previewed the 2019 ACCO range that is based on the latest Stralis X-Way chassis and cab, and will continue to be produced in IVECO's Dandenong factory, in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs.

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The new model configurations are 6x4 and 8x4, with IVECO's electronically controlled air suspension (ECAS) and Meritor tandem-drive axles, the latter with active traction control and driver-controlled diff locks.

Front suspension on 6x4s are two-leaf parabolic springs and on twin-steers, ECAS, incorporating load-sharing.

ACCO 2019 models feature Euro 6, Cursor 9 engines with 310-360hp and 1300-1650Nm of torque. The emission control system is IVECO's simple Hi-eSCR setup.

The engines are matched to Allison's Generation Five 3200 Series, six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, with optional Parker Chelsea PTO.

Dual-control, two-steering-wheel models have been developed for refuse collection work.

Safety features include an impact-tested cab structure, adaptive cruise control (ACC), ABS, EBS, advanced emergency braking system (AEBS), electronic stability program (ESP), axle load indicator, electronic battery cut-out, LED daytime running lamps and rear LED lights.

The new cabin design provides additional visibility – including driver- and passenger-side heated and powered mirrors – and improved comfort and ergonomics over previous ACCOs, but retains ease of access.

A three-piece steel front bumper with headlight mesh protection is also preserved, along with easily cleaned interior surfaces and trim.

Although not formalised as IVECO Trucks Australia until 2002, IVECO took over International Trucks Australia in 1992 – 37 years ago. At that time the ACCO dominated the Victorian production line, as it still does today.

Had it not been for the success of the ACCO, IVECO may well have become an importer, not a maker of trucks in this country.

The cab that will be phased out in 2019 has been manufactured since 1972, making it the longest-running production truck model in the world, as far as we can discover.

The contrast between the ACCOs of those early days and the 2019 models could hardly be starker.

The first twin-steer ACCO-1840TS was launched in 1967, with a choice of International V8 petrol engines: the V-345 with 177hp and 302lb-ft, or the V-392 with 212hp and 330lb-ft. You get higher outputs in some utes these days!

A Cummins V185 diesel option was introduced in the following year and led subsequently to the 210 and 555 (Triple Nickel) variants.

The standard 'two-stick' transmission was a five-speed Fuller T-54 constant mesh, coupled to a three-speed AT-501 'joey' box. The auxiliary box had a direct ratio, a 2:1 'underdrive' ratio and a 0.73:1 'overdrive' ratio. Compound gear shifts required the driver to put his right hand through the steering wheel, onto the auxiliary box lever, while the left hand shifted the main box!

Fortunately for agitator operators, there was an Allison MT-40 six-speed automatic transmission option behind the V-392 engine.

Today's Cursor 9 horsepower figure is only around 50 per cent more than the old V-392's, but the Euro 6 diesel engine puts out that power at less than half the revs of the petrol's 4000rpm and there's more than three times the torque, again at half the revs.

The latest Allison is still a six-speed, but it's electronically programmed to suit the engine's characteristics.

Suspension is radically different, with load-sharing air springs front and rear, and the brakes are ABS/EBS/AEBS full-air, compared with vacuum-hydraulic. Traction and stability control were unheard of in 1972.

It's been quite a journey, eh?

Iveco Australia Business Director, Bruce Healy, said the ACCO was an Australian transport industry legend and that given its status in the market, Iveco was working tirelessly to ensure the new ACCO would do the iconic nameplate proud.

"In developing the new ACCO, IVECO has combined many of the much-loved attributes of the previous model with cutting-edge technology from the Stralis X-Way platform: it's been a joint effort between our local engineering department and the design team at IVECO's European headquarters," he said.