First Allison-equipped Volvo FM480 gravel truck is “sensational” says Swedish aggregates company

Vehicle is praised for high productivity and effortless no ’roll back’ starts even whilst fully laden on steep grades.

The Hall Brothers Company in Hässleholm, Sweden, has become the first company to specify a Volvo FM480 truck with an Allison Transmission. In a very short space of the time, the gravel producers are already reporting productivity and cost reduction benefits. Established originally as agricultural harvesters in the 1920s, Hall Brothers operates one of the first stone crushing production facilities in the Europe. Today, the third and fourth generation of the family run the business with 38 employees. Rock materials are broken from three company-owned quarries while sand and gravel materials are mined from four of their gravel pits. Hall Brothers produces about 500,000 tonnes of ballast per year, and about 400,000 tonnes are transported by trucks to their end users. It was a positive experience from an Allison-equipped Scania truck that brought the automatic transmission to the firm’s attention, explains Peter Hansson, who now drives that Scania. “We'd been running with Volvo trucks for as long as we can remember but when we bought a Scania G480 we wanted to test an Allison fully automatic transmission. We have had this truck for over a year now and the transmission has been working perfectly. I'm incredibly happy with the product,” he enthuses. “When the time came to buy another Volvo, we chose an FM480 equipped with an Allison fully automatic with integral retarder and VEB+ (Volvo’s intelligent engine braking device) right from the start,” says Kent Hall, finance manager of Hall Brothers. “It is the first Volvo FM480 gravel truck equipped with an Allison Transmission, and it is sensational.” There have been other benefits too according to Hall. “With an Allison automatic transmission you get a much smoother ride, which protects the entire drivetrain,” continues Hall. “We will definitely save money with less time in the workshop.” The Hall Brothers’ new, 13 litre FM480 uses a seven speed Allison 4700R model with integral retarder that offers excellent traction. “Thanks to the torque converter and the full power-shifting, engine power is transmitted to the wheels very smoothly and without jerks,” says Hall. “This allows you to start a fully loaded gravel truck on a gradient of 14 percent with no fuss. The extra planetary gear module and a 4.5 rear axle ratio ensure the optimum performance for our tough duty cycle. According to the firm the truck also offers good on and off road performance. “It performs well and is productive in the gravel pit with low revs on the highway for optimum fuel economy,” suggests Hall. Lars Andersson, the driver of the Volvo is equally impressed; “It is so comfortable driving a fully automatic transmission. The Volvo starts smoothly and without slipping its wheels even in the gravel pit. I hardly notice the gear changes and the fact our FM480 with Allison transmission can start so easily on the gradients makes the driving much safer and the gearbox takes care of it itself and you can focus on driving.” Compared to automated manuals (AMTs) Andersson also notices an Allison advantage; “With an AMT the engine loses power in every gear change, while the Allison automatic transmission delivers traction without interruption to the power,” he concludes. About Allison Transmission, Inc. Allison Transmission, Inc. (Allison) is the premier global provider of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world‘s leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, refuse, fire, construction, distribution, military and specialty applications. Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 3000 people. Regional headquarters with dedicated support staff are located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Japan. With a global presence in 80 countries, Allison has over 1,550 distributor and dealer locations. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com. Press Enquiries Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0)1295 724130 / +44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com Miranda Jansen, Allison Transmission Europe B.V. Marketing Communications, Baanhoek 188, 3361GN Sliedrecht - The Netherlands , Tel: +31 78-6422 174. miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com

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