New Euro 6 emission requirements introduced across the heavy vehicle industry have led many truck body builders - especially those manufacturing complex bodies - to evaluate their OE partners, making early to market brands such as IVECO very attractive.

One such body builder is Goulburn, NSW's Vacvator, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of premium quality vacuum trucks for the hydrovac excavation and non-destructive digging (NDD) industries.

According to Vacvator General Manager, Con Alvanos, in looking for a suitable truck platform for its new HD 8-90 NDD vacuum body, it considered a long list of contenders before settling on the latest IVECO S-Way 460 AD 8x4 model.

"We extensively evaluated other European brands, Japanese and North American brands but none could offer the complete package we were after like the IVECO S-Way could," Con explained.

"Important considerations for us were payload and weight distribution and the ability to integrate our body design to the cab chassis in an uncomplicated way; we also needed generous horsepower, and it all had to come in a cost-effective package.

"The S-Way 8x4 platform gives us an industry leading legal payload of over 10 tonnes, with compliant weight distribution both over the steer axles and rear axles, so our customers and end users can rest assured that they're not falling foul of regulations."

When it comes to marriage of the body with the cab chassis, the S-Way offers a solution that few others have, a 'sandwich' PTO.

Sitting directly between the engine flywheel and transmission, the sandwich PTO harnesses more of the truck's power and torque to run the body, compared to a traditional transmission PTO.

In the case of the S-Way 460 AD, all its 460hp and 2,150Nm of torque is available.

A further benefit of the sandwich PTO is that it removes the need for the transmission to constantly operate when the body is in use, reducing wear and tear. For Vacvator, another plus was the location of the sandwich PTO at the back of the cabin which allowed for easier body integration, according to Con.

"The sandwich PTO was a major attraction for us. Previously we would have manufactured around the transmission PTO with a split shaft drive system which is more complex and requires more work," he said.

HD 8-90 NDD body - clever, powerful and efficient

Development of the latest S-Way-based HD 8-90 NDD vacuum truck took around 18 months from conception to delivery of the first unit to Queenland's Dynamic Hydro Excavations.

Designed from the ground up - and engineered to take advantage of the S-Way's payload benefits - the body features a 9,000L spoil tank and 4,000L of on-board water, meaning maximum time on the job site for added productivity.

For efficient operation, the body is equipped with a powerful 5,000CFM Jurop Helix blower, complemented by a bespoke silencer designed by the Vacvator engineering team - this allows the truck to operate at sub 82 dB, making it perfect for use in residential areas.

Also featured in the unit is a twin high volume, high pressure (32LPM @ 3,600psi) NDD system which allows two technicians to work simultaneously, while the on-board weigh scales are designed to shut down the blower when the truck is reaching maximum legal weight.

Operating and maintenance systems for the HD 8-90 NDD are similar to smaller versions of the body used in the company's 6x4 models, meaning simplicity and familiarity for operators. Improvements lie in the larger and easier to read control screen, which can now also be used to turn the truck on and off at the body, rather than needing to access the cab.

Con said that IVECO's assistance in developing and integrating the body to the S-Way cab chassis was invaluable.

"The service and support from IVECO from introduction to delivery of the final product was world class, I can't fault them," Con said.

"Their support through the development process was strong; they took time to understand the challenges and what we wanted to achieve in building this truck - they had buy-in.

"They were also very forthcoming with the information and technical data we needed for the build; the process was seamless."

This is the first of a series of 8x4 vacuum trucks that Vacvator is developing on the IVECO S-Way 8x4 platform, with its HD 8-90 NDD model recently completed and the HD 8-90 NDD-DRY variant well under development. For more information visit: vacvator.com.au