Allison Transmission answers Romaquip’s call to equip 4-cylinder DAF LFs

DAF, Allison and Romaquip collaboration leads to new kerbside recycling trucks across UK

OFFALY, Ireland – UK kerbside collection market leader Romaquip has ordered 160 new DAF LF180 trucks, 40 of which were recently delivered. Romaquip requested that the Allison 2500 fully automatic transmission be made available with the 4-cylinder PACCAR PX-5 engine in the new 12-tonne vehicles.

“The preferred transmission for the refuse and municipal sector is an Allison, due to its quality, reliability and ability to protect the driveline,” said John McKeown, technical director at Romaquip. “Along with Allison’s UK team, we were able to work with the DAF engineering team based in Leyland to secure the release of the ideal specification for our application.”

According to McKeown, an automated manual transmission (AMT) was not suitable for the creeping speeds and multiple stop-start conditions customer vehicles face, but there was no Allison option available with a 4-cylinder Euro 6 engine.

“We also considered the 6-cylinder DAF LF220 with an Allison 3000 Series™ transmission, but that configuration would have added half a tonne, putting too much additional weight on the front axle,” said McKeown. “The Allison 2500 model solution is a godsend for our sector.”

Romaquip entered the kerbside collection market in 2011 with its Kerb-Sort vehicle, the first with a fully automated unloading system. Able to separate 10 kinds of fully segregated, unpolluted waste in a single pass, Romaquip guarantees off-loading in just seven minutes.

A stainless steel, compartmentalised body extends the normal vehicle life of five to seven years out to 10 to 14 years, reducing lifetime ownership costs by protecting against corrosion and high maintenance costs. Likewise, the Allison transmission protects the driveline and reduces unnecessary maintenance expenses, requiring only scheduled fluid and filter changes.

Since the vehicle can compact up to four tonnes of payload into a 35-metre-cubed collection space, McKeown said vehicle weight was also critical in the specification process. The first 40 trucks are now in operation for local authority fleets in Wrexham, the Lake District, Devon and Flintshire.

About Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

Contacts

Claire Dumbreck                                            Miranda Jansen

Propel Technology                                          Allison Transmission Europe

claire@propel-technology.com                      miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com

+44 (0)1295 770602                                       +31 78-6422 174

Unit 4, Manor Farm Offices                           Baanhoek 118

Fenny Compton, Warks, UK                          Sliedrecht, The Netherlands

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