The winners of its first ever innovation awards for the 'Truck/Equipment' and 'Component/Control Technology' categories have been announced by VAK (the German Municipal Vehicles and Equipment Industry Association). The panel of judges, composed of representatives of user associations and companies, recognized MAN’s entry: a flexible, all-season truck. Public service trucks with application-specific body types – such as street-sweepers or winter service spreaders – are generally only needed and deployed during specific seasons, and such seasonal workloads can lead to difficulties with high acquisition costs.
MAN’s solution, unveiled at the trade fair: 'one chassis – many tasks.' The range of combinations available delivers flexibility, efficiency and economy.
Ann-Kathrin Kieler, who is the Segment Manager, Municipalities at MAN Truck & Bus, was delighted with the award. “Our aim was to produce a MAN TGM chassis that could be put to use all year round,” she explains. “This ensures good truck utilization for the company and affordable acquisition costs for the municipality. This product was proudly displayed right at the heart of our stand and generated a high degree of interest. This is where MAN’s extensive experience in the municipal sector and its relationships with body manufacturers really pay off.”
To achieve its goal, MAN had to solve several technical challenges in creating both a road sweeper and a winter service vehicle on a single MAN TGM chassis. A typical road sweeper uses a 4x2 chassis, has a steering wheel on the right-hand side and requires installation space between the axles for attachments. A typical winter service vehicle, on the other hand, is an all-wheel-drive truck with the steering wheel on the left and a mounting bracket on the front for attaching the snowplough.
At the IFAT trade fair, MAN showcased a TGM 13.250 4x4 BL. Its all-wheel drive provides traction for winter service use and off-road capability as a tipper truck for road maintenance and building yard tasks, while the build height of an all-wheel-drive chassis has the advantage of providing the necessary ground clearance for the sweeping and suction equipment on a street sweeper. MAN therefore installed a rack behind the cab to hold the Euro 6 exhaust system featuring exhaust gas recirculation equipment, the air tank and the battery box, as well as a central hydraulic fluid supply for all of the equipment.
