Pictured: The Quon GW26 410
This is the first of a series of articles where Transport World Africa intends being in the cab of a truck, experiencing what it is like keeping the wheels of the economy turning. Sitting in the cab of the Quon GW26 410 TT towing a 34 tonne pay load and a GCM at 49 tonnes along an established test route, taking in the highways and byways of northern Pretoria in normal traffic conditions, is a breeze. As you effortlessly traverse the winding roads and hilly terrain of the country roads, you realise that this is what trucking is all about. At all times you have great visibility all round, which is critical when driving on South Africa’s roads. This truck tractor 6×4 extra-heavy vehicle is capable of handling your typical South Africa road condition with ease, when towing a full load. The UD Trucks’ GH13 engine is a 13-litre in-line 6-cylinder turbo-intercooled engine. This is a Euro 3 engine that offers a more environmentally friendly option as it decreases an operator’s carbon footprint. The automatic gearbox effortlessly ensures the terrain is tackled with ease. These automatic derivatives have innovative features like Easy Hill Start. The Voith retarder, which has a braking torque of 3 250 Nm, slows the vehicle with ease, maintaining a steady speed on the decline without the vehicles running away from you, especially with a full load on the back of the horse. It offers a range of speeds for peak deceleration torque.
The ability to freewheel on a decline and be in control of the truck is great and to engage the gears while freewheeling takes a slight touch of the automatic gear lever.
The seats are firm and ergonomically designed ensure both driver and co-driver are comfortable and able to see what is happening in their immediate vicinity. The cabin itself is available in two variants, depending on what your business needs are and the height of the load box on the horse. All new Quon trucks are accompanied by UD Trucks’ Managed Maintenance initiative. Through Managed Maintenance, UD Trucks provides the company’s complete management and overseeing of all repairs and service costs on behalf of its customers. Tailor-made for South African road and operating conditions, the vehicle is a culmination of extensive customer feedback and local engineering trials. The Quon also adheres to stringent local requirements Standard features on this model, with a standard roof, is seating for two, one bunk, air conditioning, radio/CD, on-board computer with multi-display function and a speed limiter at 90 km/h.
