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Renault weighs up lighter tippers
Page 15
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• by Craig Sheer
As predicted by CM, Renault Is expected to launch lighter versions of Its heavy construction range within the next six months. A refined Kerax fouraxle rigid, specifically aimed at the UK market, is undergoing final evaluation and, according to product manager Nick Smith, will better fulfil UK operator needs: "Twenty-one tonnes is seen as the necessary payload for an eight-wheeler in the UK, so we are looking at providing a lighter Kerax to meet that requirement.
"The Kerax was Initially designed for heavy duty applications but, in the UK, on-road work is the dominant application for a four-axle rigid."
The lighter Kerax will feature Renault's medium-duty chassis with a rubber-suspended bogje providing a one-tome weight saving over the steel-sprung heavy-duty chassis.
Smith would not be drawn on the possibility of a new sixwheeler based on Midlum cab and components, although he appeared to hint at the possibility in an address during the Kerax celebrations. He said Renault recognised that "light weight is crucial for the UK sixwheel rigid market''.
Kerax project head Bernard Faupel added that the concept of a Midlum-based three-axle rigid is "not something that's being ignored".
A light six-wheeler would allow Renault to go head-tohead with competitors such as Mercedes' Atego and MAN's LE range, not least as a mixer, with the narrower cab also permitting improved access in tight construction sites.