CSP043 - Cummins Commentary ISSUE 43

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

THE QUILPIE RINGER

RED GOES GREEN FOR DEERE

COMMENTARY

www.cumminscommentary.comIssue 43 - December 2014

Electronic Cummins QSB engines are delivering improved cost efficiencies for Western Flat farmer Mark Pridham in South Australia.

The potato, clover seed and lucerne grower has both mechanical and electronic Cummins engines for pumping water to his centre-pivot irrigators, but he has no doubts what he’ll be standardising on in the future.

“Our plan is to get the old mechanical engines out and replaced with electronic units,” he says. “We’re saving thousands of litres of fuel a year with the electronic Cummins engines.”

Mark Pridham and his wife Jo have around 1300 hectares (3200 acres) of arable land at Western Flat in the Naracoorte region. Some of that land was acquired by Mark’s grandfather back in the 1930s, and then further developed by Mark’s parents Trevor and Di.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Mark Pridham worked in a number of jobs in agriculture before returning to the family farm at Western Flat and growing it into a profitable enterprise through cropping rotation.

Prime and first-cross lamb production was also established as a key element of the Pridham business portfolio.

“We use around 390 hectares (960 acres) for cropping and work on a five-year rotation – potatoes for one year, clover seed for one year, and lucerne for three years. The lucerne is grown for certified seed production,” Mark Pridham explains.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on soil renovation so that our crops can thrive. The land is very sandy, so we’ve mixed clay into it at 300 tonnes per hectare and spaded it to a depth of 30 centimetres. We’ve done this three times over the last 15 years.

“This has given us a good horticultural type soil with carbon and fertilizer retention and much higher water holding capacity.”

The Pridhams use around 150,000 litres of diesel for irrigation in a dry year and they have 14 centre-pivot irrigators in operation, so any fuel savings are keenly sought.

At one centre-pivot, an electronic 4.5-litre Cummins QSB Tier 3 engine rated at 130 hp is now using 9 litres/hour while pumping at a rate of 130,000 litres/hour from a bore supply. The engine it replaced, a mechanical 3.9-litre 4BT, used 12 litres/hour.

“The QSB was installed in 2012 and is doing around 1500 hours a year, so the fuel saving with the electronic engine is 4,500 litres in one season,” Mark Pridham points out.

The QSB is running at lower rpm than the mechanical engine while doing exactly the same job. This came about when Michael Huddleston at Naracoorte Pumps and Electrical changed the pump drive ratio so that the engine was turning at lower speed – 1500 rpm, which is the QSB’s peak torque point and also the ‘sweet spot’ for fuel economy.

The initial cost outlay for the electronic diesel is higher than its mechanical predecessor, but that additional cost will be quickly recovered in the Pridham operation with a targeted first life of 20,000 hours which the older mechanical engines have shown is achievable. Pridham has done the sums and clearly sees that the additional spend at the time of purchase will equate to a significant saving over the life of the engine.

A second Tier 3 QSB4.5 rated at 130 hp is recording fuel savings on the Pridham farm while operating 1500 to 1700 hours a season. It is doing exactly the same job as the engine it replaced, a mechanical 5.9-litre 6BT pumping 200,000 litres/hour to a centre-pivot irrigator. The QSB, operating at the same speed as the 6BT (around 1680 rpm), is using 11.5 to 12.5 litres/hour compared with 14 litres/hour for the mechanical engine.

Both the Pridham QSB Tier 3 engines are set up as Cummins CustomPaks which are self-contained power packs that power the pumps supplying the bore water to the centre-pivot irrigators. The Australian designed CustomPak incorporates a cooling system that provides continuous full power operation in ambient temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius.

A new generation control system monitors the engine and the pump discharge during operation and protects the package in the event of a fault. The operator interface on the control panel has an easy to navigate digital display screen to read system values during operation, including instantaneous fuel consumption data. n

FUEL SAVINGS FEED FARMER’S CROPPING SUCCESSOne of the 14 centre-pivot irrigators on the Pridham farm.

Mark Pridham…plans to replace the old mechanical engines with electronic units.

the fuel saving with t h e e l e c t r o n i c e n g i n e i s 4,500 litres in one season

Cummins QSB4.5 CustomPak is using 9 litres/hour while pumping at a rate of 130,000 litres/hour. A fleet of nine Atlas Copco MT6020 underground trucks is

hauling 1.1 million tonnes of gold-bearing ore and waste to the surface a year at St Barbara’s Gwalia mine in Western Australia.

Underground mining contractor Byrnecut put the first of its MT6020 trucks to work at Gwalia in late 2012. The fleet is currently being loaded at a vertical depth of 1.5 km and is operating on a decline of 10.5 km in length.

All nine trucks are powered by the 19-litre Cummins QSK19 rated at 760 hp. Seven are Tier 2 units, fuelled via the MCRS modular common rail system, while the other two are Tier 1 engines with the HPI unit injection system.

The Atlas Copco trucks are working in historic mining terrain.

The Gwalia operation continues the development of an ore body that has produced more than four million ounces of gold from both open cut and underground mining.

The mine was originally established in 1897, and Herbert Hoover – later to become president of the United States – served as mine manager in Gwalia’s early days.

St Barbara acquired the mine early in 2005 and after a three-year redevelopment, resumed production in September 2008. More than one million ounces of gold have been produced since the mine was recommissioned.

The MT6020 trucks are among several makes that have been operated at Gwalia. “We’ll try any truck to gain an advantage,” says Barry Scanlon, Byrnecut’s maintenance area manager. He says the MT6020 “hit the nail on the head” for what Byrnecut wanted at the time.

Today, the Cummins-powered MT6020 is “bang on” in terms of tonne/kilometre per hour (tkm/hr) productivity, Scanlon asserts.

The immense strength of the QSK19 is laid bare on the Gwalia decline, where the engine is expected to perform at maximum effort – for minimum cost – in one of trucking’s greatest tests of endurance.

Carrying 55 to 60 tonnes of payload and weighing over 100 tonnes all up, the MT6020 trucks are achieving 11 to 12 km/h on the 1:7 (14%) grades that dominate at Gwalia. Combined with the haul distances from 1.5km below surface, the trucks operate under full load for up to an hour per cycle.

Byrnecut is targeting a 16,000-hour life to overhaul with the QSK19. Engine oil change intervals are 250 hours, while transmission and final drive oils are changed every 500 hours. Routine servicing of trucks is carried out daily.

A high-speed, twin-engine underground truck originally developed by Powertrans is working in the Byrnecut fleet at Gwalia.

Powered by twin 15-litre Cummins QSX engines, each punching out 550 hp, the double articulated truck carries a 60-tonne payload.

While pointing out there have been issues with the 1100 hp truck, Barry Scanlon says the concept “has its merits” and that Byrnecut is “fine-tuning” the design.

He points out that where the MT6020 does 11 to 12 km/h on a 1:7 grade, the twin QSX-engined truck does 17 to 18 km/h.

As underground mines go deeper, this kind of performance takes on even greater significance.

Atlas Copco showed at MINExpo in 2012 that it too is developing a dual-engine truck – the largest articulated underground mine truck in the world. Known as the MT85 due to its 85-tonne payload capacity, the truck is powered by a 760 hp QSK19 and a 250 hp Cummins QSB6.7. In six-wheel-drive configuration, the QSK19 drives the front and middle axles while the rear axle is driven electrically from the smaller 6.7-litre QSB on demand. n

Atlas Copco MT6020 is meeting productivity targets at Gwalia.

Dual Cummins-engined truck “has its merits” according to Byrnecut.

Mark Pridham with Cummins Adelaide’s Ian George.

ENDURANCEA TEST OF

2 3CUMMINS COMMENTARY DECEMBER 2014 CUMMINS COMMENTARY DECEMBER 2014

He describes the power station as “very impressive” and an example of what can be achieved when two companies like Cummins and Sinosteel forge a partnership.

The Rocklands power station is a showcase facility, certainly a credit to the Cummins team – steered by project leader Shane Rigney and general manager of power generation projects Birol Guler – who ensured it was completed on time.

Cummins’ scope for the project extended well beyond the supply and installation of the 16 generator sets powered by one of Cummins’ biggest diesel engines, the 60-litre QSK60.

“Our work included all civil, electrical and mechanical engineering; design and construction of the steel-framed acoustic building housing the generators; design and construction of the high voltage switch room and supply of all low voltage switchgear; supply and installation of the Cummins digital master control system; and supply and installation of an auxiliary transformer in a kiosk,” says Shane Rigney.

He points to other features such as the dust filtration system which incorporates 48 filters and two massive fans per engine with the ability to deliver 26 cubic metres per second. The fans draw air through the filters, pressurising the room and supplying cooling air for the generator sets.

Cooling is also provided by remote-mounted radiators supplied by Air Radiators which allow the C2250 D5 generator sets to operate continuously in ambient temperatures of 50 deg. C. The vertical exhaust stacks are 20 metres high, an EPA requirement.

The C2250 D5 generator set has a prime power rating of 1600 kW but in the case of the Rocklands project the units are rerated to 1349 kW to allow for continuous operation in high ambient temperatures. The fully integrated system incorporates Cummins PowerCommand digital paralleling equipment and a Cummins DMC200 digital master control system. All underground cabling for the power station – 20 km of it – is chemically treated for termite resistance.

The noise level requirement for the acoustic building housing the generators is 80 dBA at 1.0 metre.

Engine oil and coolant changes are a simple procedure via a remote control system. A 10,000-litre fresh oil tank is installed on site along with a 5,000-litre waste oil tank and two 20,000-litre diesel day tanks.

OH&S was a key consideration in the design. In fact, the heaviest item a Cummins technician will have to lift during routine maintenance is an oil or air filter. n

Termites, copper dust, fierce heat, remoteness… these were just some of the challenges facing Cummins when it set out to design and build a new power station for a copper mine in north-west Queensland.

The power station for Cudeco’s Rocklands copper mining project is one of the largest power generation projects undertaken by Cummins in Australia.

Sixteen Cummins generator sets, delivering a total of 18 MW, will be vital to the operation of the Rocklands processing plant which will produce copper, cobalt, gold and magnetite at a rate of 3.0 million tonnes per year.

The Rocklands project is 15 km west of outback Cloncurry, a town that claims to have the highest official temperature recorded in Australia at 53.1 deg. C. Obviously the region is parched by intense heat, a major factor influencing the design of the power station.

Cummins built the power station on a site that was nothing but a patch of red dust covered in termite mounds.

Cummins was selected to design and build the power station by Chinese giant Sinosteel Equipment and Engineering Co. Sinosteel is currently building the Rocklands processing plant which it owns and expects to complete by mid-2015.

“Cummins is a well proven brand in China, one of the key reasons we were selected by Sinosteel for the Rocklands project,” says Shane Rigney, who has headed up the all-encompassing project for Cummins.

“Our ability to design, supply, install and commission a complete turnkey power station was another key factor behind Cummins being awarded the contract.

“In fact, with the exception of laying the concrete, we built the entire power station on a site that was nothing but a patch of red dust and dirt covered in termite mounds.”

Sinosteel’s commercial manager for the Rocklands project, Yu Peng, says the turnkey power station “reflects Cummins’ reputation globally…we’ve had no concerns from day one”.

Sixteen Cummins generator sets deliver power to the copper mine’s processing plant.

Dust filtration system housings incorporate 48 filters per engine.

Two massive fans per generator set draw air through the filters, pressurising the room and supplying cooling air for the gensets.

Starting batteries are mounted in their own wheeled container which can be moved out of the way for easy access to the genset for servicing.

Cummins project leader Shane Rigney (centre) with Sinosteel commercial manager Yu Peng (left) and project accountant Li Haoming.

Cummins was responsible for the design and construction of high voltage switch room.

our ability to design, supply, install

and commission a complete

turnkey power station

was a key factor behind cummins being awarded the contract.


With the first whisper of daylight, Dick Loveday is up and about, planning the hours ahead. He eases a quad-trailer roadtrain into his workshop for a couple of maintenance items before it departs for a cattle station on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

“Anyone would think you’re the boss,” quips daughter Skye, as Dick rattles off a couple of jobs for her to do.

Dick Loveday’s cattle carting business is based at Quilpie in far western Queensland, a business started 10 years ago and today has an equipment line-up of five Western Stars with Cummins Signature 600 power, and a trailer capacity of 33 decks.

“I may not be able to spell that good, and I may not be all that good with a computer, but I know exactly how much it costs to run a truck and I know cattle,” declares the man who does nothing to hide his earthy demeanour.

“We’re managing our business a lot better today in terms of the deck combinations we can put together for our customers… three, four, four and a half, five, six, six and a half decks. It’s like a jigsaw...our customers like it.”

Dick Loveday obviously prefers the simple, uncomplicated life, a life he embraced from an early age. He was raised in the northern NSW town of Inverell. “I was a bit of a problem child…too much energy I think,” he reminisces with a laugh.

He wanted to be a jackaroo, so moved to outback Queensland to indulge his passion for horses, cattle and the land.

His days as a stockman bring back images of remoteness, adversity, mateship. Where his mind was free to drift within the enormity of a vast land. Where horizons seemed to stretch on forever. Where survival was dependent on nothing less than a deep respect for the land.

“I’m just a ringer,” he remarks today, a comment that conceals an astute business brain.

Much of Loveday’s work is bringing cattle in from the Birdsville region, up to 800 km away on the fringes of the Simpson Desert, to Quilpie and then transporting them a further 800 km to Oakey on the Darling Downs for final transfer to the abattoirs at Grantham and Dinmore.

“It’s tough on man and machine out here,” he insists. “One of the keys to success is having the right people.” Two of his drivers don’t fit the ‘man’ category. Daughter Skye pilots the roadtrains when she isn’t working at her other job as a motorcycle mechanic, while Annie Rae has been driving for Loveday for eight years.

His five Western Stars – four 6900s and one 4900 – use Cummins Signature 600 muscle to pull roadtrain combinations up to four trailers. Four Signatures are Gen II EGR/DPF units, while the fifth is an earlier EGR engine in a 6900 Western Star. The latter will be replaced early in 2015 with a Signature EGR/DPF in a new 6900.

Dick Loveday sells his trucks after four years or 600,000 km. This keeps major maintenance costs to a minimum while resale value is also improved. All his current trucks are under four years old, and engine oil change intervals are at 200 hours – intervals he rigidly adheres to.

Loveday holds Cummins’ service support in high regard.

“The thing about Cummins is they look after you. The Roma fellas know their job. They get to a problem quickly,” he says.

The “Roma fellas” are Cummins’ two technicians based in the western Queensland town of Roma – Dylan Knight and Andrew Boiteau.

The level of technology in today’s trucks is something of a worry for Loveday, the reason he rates support from his suppliers as critical.

“We want product that gets us out to the desert and back without a problem, or if we do have a problem know that we will get someone out to help us.

“We don’t want a truck broken down in Birdsville country in 50 degrees of heat with cattle on board and no one prepared to come out and help us.”

Thoughtful for a moment, he adds: “To be honest, we have few problems with our trucks, and that includes our Signature engines. Once we get them settled down they’re fine.”

High engine load factors are the norm in the Loveday operation. “There’s no such thing as fuel economy out here,” he says. “We’re under maximum load most of the time. When we’re in sand and bulldust the best we’d be doing is 400 metres per litre.”

All but one of his Western Stars run on 4.56:1 rears which help achieve a good balance between performance and fuel ‘economy’. “In good going I like to have the trucks running at 1500 rpm which is just under 90 km/h,” he points out.

“We get a good run out of the Western Stars,” he adds, mentioning that support from the dealer, Brisbane Truck Centre, is another good aspect of using the brand.

His Western Stars are fitted with spacious 68-inch integrated sleepers and they’re furnished with all the creature comforts and conveniences including double bunk, Icepack air conditioning, TV and microwave oven. “I lived on a horse and in swag for nine years so I know what it’s like to be without creature comforts,” he quips.

Dick Loveday exudes genuine bush hospitality once the sun dips below the horizon and a few cool ales are consumed.

A genuine pride in what he has built up over the past 10 years is obvious. “Don’t ever lose sight of your customers,” he says, reflecting on what he thinks makes a successful business.

Then, in a moment of calm sincerity, he offers just a few words: “I’m just a ringer.” A smile creases his face. His past is his present. n

Roma-based Cummins technician Andrew Boiteau with Dick Loveday.

Loveday with daughter Skye who pilots a roadtrain.

Annie has been driving roadtrains for Loveday for eight years.

Dick Loveday… “I know exactly how much it costs to run a truck and I know cattle.”

One of Loveday’s five Western Stars with Cummins Signature 600 EGR engines.

the thing about cummins is

they look after you.

the

quilpie ringerLoveday with Cummins Toowoomba operations manager Angus Short (centre) and truck engine business manager Ben Clark.


“Nothing runs like a Deere” is the slogan of the iconic US tractor manufacturer John Deere. Now that slogan could well read: “Nothing runs like a Deere…with a Cummins QSX15”.

This follows the launch of John Deere’s latest 9R-series tractor powered by the 15-litre QSX15. The largest 9R tractors now leap ahead to rated outputs of 570 and 620 hp, with the Cummins engines painted green to match the famous colour of the Deere brand.

This is the largest expansion of the top-line four-wheel-drive and track tractor series in John Deere history, intended for large-scale farmers who need to cover a lot of acres in tough field conditions and hillside terrain.

While rated power for the 9R-series tractor reaches a new height of 620 hp via the QSX15, the 15-litre Cummins actually punches out a peak of 670 hp at 1900 rpm while achieving near-zero emissions under the US EPA Tier 4 Final standard.

Along with the QSX15, John Deere is offering its own engines – 9.0-litre and 13.5-litre units – in the 9R-series tractors in Australia and Zealand, and these too meet theTier 4 Final emissions standard in PowerTech PSS form. Both engine brands share a common technology approach to achieve the near-zero emissions.

The QSX15 is essentially the same base engine as the ISX15 – the biggest selling on-highway truck engine in North America – and uses a combination of EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technologies for near-zero emissions.

Other key elements of the QSX15 package are Cummins’ XPI (Xtra-High Pressure Injection) common rail fuel system and variable geometry turbocharger.

The QSX15 is built by Cummins to John Deere specifications with a unique power and torque delivery for the 9R-series tractor. In fact, extensive work has been done between the two companies on software development and other engine/tractor application interface points to provide the same engine response and shift quality that customers have come to expect from John Deere.

“Large producers have no time to mess around with slow, undersized equipment that is not up to the task,” says John Deere. “The 9R-series offers an unmatched combination of power, efficiency, technology and operator comfort to get the field work done quickly and help all types of operations be more productive.” n

QSX15 punches out a peak 670 hp in the top-line John Deere 9620 tractor.

RED GOES GREEN

Surrounded by jungle and located in one of the least accessible highland regions in the world, a new airport in Papua New Guinea – its electricity provided by a Cummins power station – is proving vital to a $19 billion natural gas project.

Built at Komo and completed last year, the airport had to be big enough to handle the massive Russian Antonov AN-124 – one of the largest cargo planes in the world. In fact, Komo’s 3.2 km runway compares with the length of major international airports.

There were many who doubted an airfield could be built in such an isolated, mountainous part of Papua New Guinea. It certainly was an ambitious development – and a critical part of the giant PNG LNG project which has seen Papua New Guinea become the world’s newest significant energy exporter.

In fact, the PNG LNG (liquefied natural gas) project has been described as an engineering wonder because of the formidable challenges that had to be overcome in one of the most remote, rugged, and culturally and politically complex places on earth.

Construction began in 2010, and took more than 191 million work hours to complete. At peak, more than 21,000 people were employed on the project, including more than 9,000 Papua New Guineans.

It was recognised early on that PNG’s Highlands Highway was not a feasible option for transporting the huge volumes of large and sensitive equipment required to build the Hides gas conditioning plant.

So Komo airport was built as the gateway to Hides, with more than 80 Antonov deliveries of heavy equipment flown in over 100 days.

To prevent the Antonov from slipping in heavy rain, grooves had to be saw-cut into the 3.2 km long, 45-metre wide runway. In fact, 3,900 km of grooving was required along the complete runway surface – the same as cutting a groove from Sydney to Perth.

Three Cummins generator sets and a Cummins digital master control system are the heart of the power station that provides electricity for the airport infrastructure, including terminal building, runway lighting, ground-to-air communications system, navigational aids, fire station and fuel distribution facility.

All three gensets are C400 D5 units powered by Cummins’ 15-litre QSX15 engine. Two are prime power units while the third is on standby, and all are rated at 325 kVA which takes into account the site conditions – 1650-metre altitude, high humidity and high temperatures (up to 40 deg. C).

Cummins was selected by engineering, procurement and construction company Essar Projects to supply, install and commission the prime and standby power system.

Full of anti-malaria tablets and wearing insect repellent clothing, Brisbane-based Cummins project leader Shane Rigney spent 12 months in and out of the Komo construction zone, challenged by the remoteness and associated logistical problems.

“If we needed something urgently I’d jump on a plane back to Australia, get the parts, and fly back to PNG with the necessary customs approvals… that was the quickest way to do things,” says Rigney.

“Commissioning the power station took 40 days…that’s how stringent the test requirements were…and I had close to 8 gigabytes of documentation that were submitted for review.”

The airport today is used by charter flights that move the PNG LNG workforce in and out of the highlands.

By any measure, the PNG LNG project is huge with more than 700 km of onshore and subsea pipeline linking the gas resources in the highlands to a liquefaction, storage and marine facility 20 km north-west of Port Moresby. The maiden export shipment of LNG left PNG in May this year, bound for Japan. The project is expected to produce over 9.0 trillion cubic feet of gas over its lifetime.

Cummins generator sets, set up as Powerbox 20 units, have also been installed at the PNG LNG workforce accommodation and administration complex near Port Moresby.

The Powerbox concept provides a fully integrated power system with the generator set installed in an ISO container – a 20 ft container in the case of the Port Moresby units. These gensets are powered by Cummins’ long established KTA50, a 50-litre V16 that has set the benchmark for reliability and durability in numerous applications.

The Powerboxes at Port Moresby are standby power units but are prime rated at 1 MW because it is expected they will operate more than 250 hours a year due to PNG’s unreliable power supply. n

there were many who doubted an airfield could be built in such an isolated, mountainous part of papua new guinea.

Worker adorned in tribal dress during first landing of the Antonov.

First landing for the Antonov at Komo.

One of the three Cummins gensets that provide power to Komo airport.

Runway at Komo airport.

Antonov on the runway at Komo airport.

Runway to Riches


For safety’s sakeThere’s no one more passionate about the image of the trucking industry than Rod Hannifey, a man who holds down a fulltime truck driving job while delivering a message that’s simple but convincing.Since the late ’90s, Hannifey has been working tirelessly to score a better deal for the industry, interacting with politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders and the media in a concentrated effort to get the right message across to the right people.

As a safety advocate, his message has been about lack of acceptable rest areas for trucks, the need for improved road conditions, and the need for greater education of car drivers in sharing the roads with trucks.

Changing how truck drivers are perceived by other motorists is critical. “We have all these magnificent trucks, no one promotes us and what we do, and the only press we get is bad press with accidents involving trucks,” he says.

Hannifey drives for Dubbo (NSW)-based Rod Pilon Transport, and it was Pilon who provided him with the ‘Truckright’ prime mover and B-double trailers to adorn with safety and promotional messages and explain the importance of road transport to the nation.

Hannifey sought sponsorship from other transport operators along with industry suppliers such as Cummins to ‘dress’ the vehicle and ensure it is a billboard on the nation’s highways and at industry events.

It was in 1998 that the Dubbo native began using his job as a truck driver to spread the word. “I heard another truck driver on the CB bagging someone who was pulling a caravan. I thought, ‘there has to be a way to educate other people on the road about trucks’,” he recalls.

Hannifey carried out a survey in a caravan park in Dubbo, asking for ideas on safety initiatives. He also began writing for Caravan World magazine to give a truck driver’s point of view and emphasise the need for road users to work together to achieve better road safety for all.

Named the Australian Trucking Association’s Professional Driver of the Year in 2001, Hannifey continued to step up his efforts – taking shire engineers and politicians with him in his truck to emphasise poor road conditions, doing radio and TV interviews, writing newspaper columns – to get his message to a wider audience.

In 2004, the trucking industry ambassador gained recognition in the Federal Government’s House of Representatives magazine in an article entitled ‘Hannifey’s Rules’ in which he discussed a number of practical ideas for improving road safety.

The article followed his submission to the House of Representatives Transport Committee which was investigating how to improve national road safety. Hannifey put forward practical ideas on education of car drivers, the condition of roads, and the need for more and better rest areas along the highways and byways.

“I constantly ring authorities and ask them to fix something,” Hannifey said in the article. “There’s a gentleman in the RTA in Narrabri who has been excellent…he has fixed about 10 bumps in the Newell Highway for me, and that is just because I have rung him up,” he said at the time.

The Kenworth K200 Hannifey’s driving now is fitted with a system supplied by Tramanco which measures G-forces on the suspension. Every time a significant bump in the road is recorded a GPS reading is taken, meaning the site can be accurately located.

“It’s hard to get some authorities to act…they simply don’t understand how severe some road irregularities can be in a truck,” he says.

Rod Hannifey’s job and dedication to road safety take him away from home for long periods. He’s a shining light with his amazing determination and persistence. The trucking industry is certainly a lot better for his efforts.

Footnote: At the end of November, the Truckright trailers had clocked up one million kilometres

promoting the road transport industry and safety. See: www.truckright.com.au n

Rod Hannifey…dedicated to road safety.

Truckright vehicle promotes the road transport industry and safety.

we have a very good relationship with cummins…

Kenworth dominates in Annejeda’s roadtrain fleet.

Annejeda’s new headquarters features a hoist system that allows a complete roadtrain to be raised for servicing.

Operations manager James Howard and one of Annejeda’s three Hyundai loaders with Tier 3 Cummins QSL9 power.

38-tonne Hyundai excavator powered by Tier 3 Cummins QSC.

When Annejeda decided to buy Hyundai loaders and excavators for its Queensland operations, there were no shortage of doubters.

There’s a long way to go yet to determine whole-of-life costs, but the Cummins-powered Hyundai machinery – backed by a service contract with Hyundai – is helping Annejeda deliver customer projects on time and within budget.

Annejeda was established by Lindsay Reardon in the early 1980s in Roma.

His credentials in regional infrastructure dated back to the early 1960s when he worked with Thiess Contracting on construction of the 330 km oil pipeline from Moonie to the Port of Brisbane – the largest pipeline project undertaken in Australia at that time.

He was also instrumental in the rollout of above-ground electricity and telephone networks in regional Queensland, having built up a background in the construction and mining industries.

Lindsay Reardon’s son Andrew today heads up the business that services the burgeoning coal seam gas industry in the Surat Basin while also having a focus on road works and civil construction.

A fleet of roadtrains including tippers, water tankers and vacuum tankers, along with excavators and loaders, and mobile crushing and screening plants, are among the equipment used by Annejeda to carry out its business.

The company also has quarry resources at six pit locations, including one in Brisbane.

A number of eyebrows were raised when Annejeda increased its excavator and loader fleet in 2012-2013 and selected Hyundai over other brands considered to be the market leaders.

Annejeda operations manager James Howard says the Hyundai equipment had the running gear Annejeda wanted – Cummins engines for starters – and was also very price competitive.

“There were a number of doubters – mostly staff here – who questioned the decision to buy Hyundai,” says James Howard.

“That attitude has now well and truly turned around.”

The Hyundai machines include three 23-tonne HL770-9 wheel loaders, two 38-tonne R380LC-9 excavators, and two 32-tonne R320LC-9 excavators.

All have Tier 3 emissions compliant Cummins engines – the 8.9-litre QSL9 rated at 280 hp in the loaders, the QSL9 rated at 300 hp in the 38-tonne excavators, and the 8.3-litre QSC rated at 290 hp in the 32-tonne excavators.

James Howard says whole-of-life costs for the Hyundai machines will be the telling factor, but he is confident the product will prove viable over the longer term based on homework done on the brand by the company and also Hyundai’s level of back-up support.

Annejeda has service contracts with all its Hyundai machines for increased warranty coverage, discounted servicing, and access to a remote monitoring tool which notifies Howard of any problems via mobile phone. The service agreement also provides for a loan machine if required.

“Hyundai is able to provide the kind of back-up service some of its big name competitors can’t,” declares James Howard.

This kind of support is vital, especially when the big projects are in play. Last year, for example, Annejeda crushed 360,000 tonnes of rock for Fulton Hogan for road maintenance in the Dirranbandi region in south west Queensland, a project that also involved Annejeda mobilising up to 27 roadtrains and truck-and-dog combinations at any one time.

Service support is also a key factor behind the preference for Cummins engines at Annejeda. “We have a very good relationship with Cummins in Toowoomba,” James Howard insists, “and the fact Cummins also has technicians based in Roma adds up to excellent support capability.”

Annejeda has 12 roadtrain prime movers, nine of which are Kenworths. The latest units are T658s with Cummins ISX 550 engines using Gen II EGR/DPF technology.

Servicing of equipment is carried out at the company’s new headquarters in Roma – an impressive facility where a hoist system allows a complete roadtrain double to be raised and accessed from all sides for routine maintenance.

Annejeda is investing in its future, acknowledging that a successful company is one that delivers value for money to its clients…and also receives value for money from its suppliers. n


Focus

Comment by Andrew Penca, managing director – Cummins South Pacific

For my first editorial as the managing director of Cummins South Pacific, I thought I would continue our focus on what Cummins is doing to further build our customer support in the South Pacific. This year we have continued to invest more in tooling, training, service engineering and parts inventory holding than in previous years. Our focus remains unchanged: to further develop our capabilities in the key areas of service responsiveness; improve communication to our customers through the service event; quality of workmanship in the repair event; and building a supply chain that is second to none, always ensuring that we have a part to effect a repair.

The current business outlook in the region continues to be uncertain, signalling a challenging period ahead. We have seen an unprecedented level of requests and emphasis on cost efficiencies from customers across the board as they continue to focus on creating sustainable business models for the long term. We are partnering very closely with our customers to help them identify opportunities that will enable their success both in the near, and longer, term.

We continue to focus on uptime of our customers and I am pleased to see we have been able to maintain a healthy level of technicians in our network and have kicked off our process to bring on another new group of apprentices. A significant element of our focus in 2015, through both our apprenticeship program and normal technician intake, will be to increase diversity among our workshops. Specifically with the number and percentage of female apprentices and technicians, we believe that creating greater diversity in our workshops will enable us to further improve on our levels to fix issues right the first time and provide the level of support customers expect.

As with any organisation and individual, there is always room to improve and get better. We recognise the great work that has been done throughout the year but will not let up on our relentless effort to continuously improve.

I have spent much of my first four months outside of the Melbourne area visiting, and listening, to both our branch teams and our customers. It has been an incredible opportunity to learn from those closest to the work and the market. If there is a consistent theme that has emerged, it is this: Our differentiator and competitive advantage continues to be our ability to support our customers regardless of the situation. However, the competition recognises this and continues to make every attempt to minimise the gap which should provide us with the motivation to get even better.

As I close, I would like to thank our customers for their continued commitment and loyalty to Cummins. We very much appreciate it. And to our team members throughout the entire organisation, I want to thank you for all that you do to “Put our Customers First” and ensure we are continuing to make Cummins South Pacific a safe, and great, place to work!

Andrew Penca

James Munro is now a busy technician at Cummins Newcastle (NSW) branch but not so long ago he was a dedicated 4th year apprentice. His dedication and hard work have already been rewarded through early completion of his apprenticeship.

Further recognition has come in the form of apprenticeship awards at two separate functions.

At the 2014 Hunter Region Apprenticeship and Traineeship Awards he was named Apprentice of the Year and also Top Apprentice in Heavy Vehicle Trade.

At the 2014 Hunter TAFE Institute Awards he won the award (sponsored by Komatsu) for outstanding academic achievement and also the award (sponsored by SAE Australia) for achieving the highest average mark on completion of Certificate III in Automotive Mechanical Technology.

Awards haul for James Munro

James Munro (left) with Raman Badekar, Cummins regional apprentice program (NSW branches).

Lincoln Hodges has been appointed Cummins regional branch manager with responsibility for the Carole Park (Brisbane) and Toowoomba branches.

He has a broad range of experience in the airline industry, transport and logistics, and fleet and facility maintenance sectors.

Hodges served in various management roles for Qantas, including national fleet manager and operations manager. He also worked as an aircraft maintenance engineer for Qantas.

As national fleet manager for the Qantas group he was responsible for developing the specialist high-lift catering trucks to service the A380 fleet, wide body jets and regional aircraft.

Hodges has a Postgraduate Certificate of Business with a major in operations management, and he is also 6 Sigma qualified.

Hodges flies in

Lincoln Hodges

“Wyndham is very fortunate to have a multi-national company like Cummins South Pacific committed to the future of our young people.”

This is the commendation from Wyndham, a local government area in Melbourne’s south-western suburbs, following Cummins Laverton’s recognition as winner of the ‘Mayoral Award’ at the 2014 Wyndham Business Awards.

The commendation continues:

“While it could be easy for many large firms to focus only on bottom line profit, Cummins’ focus is much broader.

“The company’s Laverton operation is a great corporate citizen for the people of Wyndham. Its many contributions to the community have included the donation of diesel engines to the Point Cook Secondary

Cummins Laverton wins community award, named ‘great corporate citizen’

College Trade Training Centre and taking a lead role in the Young Ambassadors for Industry Program brokered by the WynBay Local Learning and Employment Network.

“The company is also actively involved in the Beacon Foundation that aims to inspire and motivate students to choose positive pathways to employment. Eleven Cummins staff are actively engaged in the program as Beacon ambassadors for the local area.

“In 2014 the company also employed five 1st year apprentices and its work experience program increased by 61%.”

Cummins Laverton branch manager Mick Cristaldi praised the efforts of the team members who contributed to the programs, specifically mentioning Kate Evans and Mark Pellington for their commitment to youth career opportunities.

Cummins Laverton’s Mark Pellington, Kate Evans and Cletus Panakkal with the Wyndham ‘Mayoral Award’.

NSW-based Rodney’s Transport Service (RTS) has taken delivery of its 200th Kenworth. The milestone K200, configured for 34-pallet B-double operation, is powered by a Cummins ISXe5 rated at 550 hp and features two 750-litre long-range fuel tanks, a 200-litre AdBlue tank, and a 2.3-metre Aerodyne sleeper.

The K200 cab-over was one of seven delivered recently to RTS and will join 27 other K200s in the company’s interstate general freight division.

“Our continuing success is a team effort by all of the employees at Rodney’s. It’s also the result of a close and long-standing relationship with PACCAR Australia, its dealers and the consistent performance of the Kenworth product. Put simply, Kenworth trucks are the driving force behind our business,” said RTS managing director Peter Rodney.

The milestone follows another significant event for the two companies. RTS purchased Kenworth’s 50,000th Australian-manufactured, heavy-duty truck which rolled off the production line in July 2013.

Another Cummins ISXe5 for Rodney’s Transport Service

The first installation of a Cummins QSK95 in a commercial project outside North America is taking place at the new $1.8 billion Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

The new 95-litre, 16-cylinder QSK95 is the biggest diesel engine ever produced by Cummins with its 4000 hp output.

Four QSK95 generator sets were delivered to the new hospital in early December where they will form the standby power system. The hospital is under construction and will open at the end of 2016 with around 450 beds.

Lend Lease is building the hospital and selected Cummins to supply the standby

Big lift for $1.8b Sunshine Coast hospital

power system which will also incorporate Cummins PowerCommand digital paralleling equipment and a Cummins DMC300 digital master control system.

The four 2500 kWe generator sets are being installed on level 3 of the hospital in enclosures that are 11 metres long, 3.65 metres high and 3.5 metres wide.

The photos show one of the QSK95 generator sets being lowered into an acoustic enclosure. The radiator is mounted on top of the enclosure.

See p.14 of this issue for full details on the new QSK95 series generator set.

PACCAR Australia managing director Mike Dozier (left) with Peter Rodney.

Paul Jackson has been appointed area director, responsible for Cummins’ operations in Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory and East Timor.

He replaces Tim Worme who is taking up a new role with Cummins in the US.

Paul returns to Australia after serving as general manager for Cummins in New Zealand.

He joined Cummins South Pacific in 1993 as an industrial application engineer and was then promoted to engineering manager for automotive accounts, working closely with truck manufacturers including Kenworth, Iveco, Freightliner and Western Star.

In 1997 Paul moved to Cummins headquarters in Columbus, Indiana, to work

Paul Jackson appointed area director for WA, SA and NT

in the high horsepower mining applications team, first as a senior engineer and then as a technical specialist. During this time he was account engineering manager for Komatsu Mining Systems and Liebherr Mining Truck.

Paul returned to Australia in 2000 and became one of Cummins’ original Six Sigma Black Belts in the South Pacific.

Since then he has held various business roles within Cummins South Pacific including general manager of Cummins MerCruiser Diesel, mining business manager, and major projects leader. He also led a global mining strategic growth initiative project.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and an MBA.

Paul Jackson

Cummins Commentary is published by Cummins South Pacific

2 Caribbean Drive, Scoresby Vic 3179 Australia

Tel: 61-3 9765 3222

Editor: Murray Clifford Tel: 0419 268 289 Email: [email protected]

James Munro (left) with Raman Badekar, Cummins regional apprentice program (NSW branches).


Cummins is ready if there’s a power outage at Adelaide’s first Krispy Kreme doughnut store.

Cult doughnuts…only in America? Well, no, they’ve been available in Australia for some time, just not in all states.

The tentacles of this cultish confectionary – Krispy Kreme doughnuts – are now reaching into a new market, South Australia.

The first Adelaide store – with 24-hour drive-through – opened on Port Road in July, creating frenzied scenes as customers possessed by a manic need to sample the “original glazed doughnut” waited for long periods to be served.

Krispy Kreme mania caused traffic congestion, with parking inspectors reportedly slapping fines worth $21,000 on diehard doughnut lovers within the first seven days of the store opening.

Thankfully, demand for the glazed treats has become more civilized. The first Adelaide outlet isn’t just a little store either, but has the capacity to churn out 5000 doughnuts an hour, with customers able to watch the whole process through a viewing window.

While there’s irrefutable evidence to argue for Krispy Kreme’s status as an urban cult, the need for a measured and reliable behind-the-scenes operation is obvious, especially where production is concerned.

Cummins was selected to install the standby generator set at the Adelaide store to ensure reliability in the event of a power outage, especially during peak periods when the doughnut production line can be working 18 to 20 hours a day.

If there is an outage, the generator set comes on line within 10 seconds.

“The standby generator gives us peace of mind,” says Mark Hosking, retail manager at the Krispy Kreme store. “We know that we can keep on producing if there are any interruptions to our mains power supply.”

The genset is a 330 kVA unit powered by Cummins’ low-emission, 8.9-litre electronic QSL9 engine, and is covered by a standard acoustic Cummins enclosure. “The low noise level is critical because the genset is installed in a residential area,” says Ian George, who headed up the project for Cummins Adelaide.

He points out that Cummins has also value-added on top of the customer’s requirements, putting in place a service agreement, the focus being on 24/7 back-up every day of the year. n

Adelaide’s first Krispy Kreme outlet uses a Cummins generator set for back-up power.

How sweet it isCummins Power Generation has announced availability of the new QSK95 series generator sets, the most powerful diesel gensets ever produced by the company.

Long maintenance intervals, class-leading life-to-overhaul and fuel efficiency, and availability of the highest ratings for a 16-cylinder engine are among the features of the new line of high-performance generator sets.

The QSK95 units are powered by Cummins’ new 95-litre V16 engine, a high-speed diesel (1200 to 1800 rpm) that achieves higher output from its 16 cylinders than competitors’ 20-cylinder engines.

In fact, the QSK95 is the most powerful 16-cylinder high-speed engine ever built with its 4000 hp plus output.

The new generator sets are offered with ratings up to 3750 kVA (standby), 3350 kVA (prime) and 3000 kVA (continuous) – ratings that are inclusive of radiator fan loads. This is important because not all generator manufacturers rate their products inclusive of fan loads.

The QSK95 generator sets are also engineered with the highest kilowatt per square metre ratio in their class, resulting in a smaller footprint that achieves a 20 percent improvement in power density.

Reduced operating costs are achieved through long maintenance intervals that are up to three years or 1000 hours for oil and filter changes, while condition-based maintenance sensors monitor air and fuel filter restrictions and prompt filter changes only when required.

Life-to-overhaul of the QSK95 is 25,000 hours when running the generator set at near 70 percent of continuous rating. Mid-life intervention is minimal.

Aimed at mission critical markets such as data centres and hospitals, remote prime power applications such as mining and oil and gas projects, and utilities requiring high-output generators to support the grid, the QSK95 generator sets accept 100 percent of rated load in a single step, and are ready to accept facility load in less than 10 seconds.

Cummins’ latest generation modular common rail fuel system keeps the QSK95 combustion event extremely efficient. The high-pressure injection – up to 2200 bar (32,000 psi) – results in smoother, quieter and more fuel efficient operation while eliminating visible smoke across the entire operating range.

QSK95 at Cloudbreak mine

The first installation of a QSK95 generator set in the world is at the power station at the Cloudbreak iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region – a power station owned and operated by Perth-based Contract Power, a specialist in power management and supply for mining companies.

The QSK95 was installed in February 2014 and has been meeting targets for reliability, fuel efficiency, performance and serviceability, says Contract Power general manager Marc Grosser.

The Pilbara is a harsh environment for equipment, with Cloudbreak mine around 150 km from the nearest power grid. It is a dusty, remote region with limited accessibility and where temperatures can hit 50 deg. C.

“The QSK95 is a robust unit,” says Marc Grosser. “We’ve been very happy with its load acceptance, load rejection and stability, and it’s hitting the maintenance milestones set for it very well.

“We’ve also been very happy with the fuel efficiency of the QSK95 generator set. It’s impressive compared with the competitors it’s running against. This represents considerable savings to the mine at the end of the day.

“Oil consumption is also lower than the competitors, while the filtration in general is doing very well in the harsh environment of the Pilbara.”

Ease of access to major components and serviceability of routine maintenance items are other strong points, he asserts.

Marc Grosser points out that the QSK95 generator set is currently the most powerful high-speed unit available to Contract Power. “It delivers a more compact footprint per kW which equates to lower construction costs for us which we can pass on to the customer,” he says.

“Based on our experience with the QSK95 generator set to date, it will be our choice in our next construction build.” n

GENERATION

NEXT SWITCHES ON

Ian George (left), who headed up the project for Cummins, discusses the generator set with Krispy Kreme retail manager Mark Hosking.

based on our experience with the

Qsk95 generator set to date, it will be our choice in our next construction build.

First QSK95 generator set installation in the world is at Cloudbreak iron ore mine in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

The most powerful diesel generator set ever produced by Cummins.

Contract Power general manager Marc Grosser… very happy with fuel efficiency of QSK95.

QSK95 at Cloudbreak mine was installed early in 2014 and had clocked up 5000 hours by the end of October.

Power station owned and operated by Contract Power at Cloudbreak mine.


Farmer’s Leap is a well know wine producer in South Australia’s Padthaway region. Not only that, it grows a decent crop of onions too.

In fact, Farmer’s Leap onions are grown on 70 hectares (170 acres) of irrigated land in the Naracoorte region for both internal consumption and export.

Farm manager Mark Keller points out that 25 to 30 tonnes of onions are harvested per acre, with irrigation on the Lamattina property provided by four centre-pivot irrigators.

An electronic 6.7-litre Cummins QSB engine rated at 260 hp is part of the pumping package for the irrigators, and is delivering major fuel savings compared with a mechanical 8.3-litre 6CTA engine that was doing exactly the same job.

The QSB6.7 is Tier 3 emissions compliant and is set up as a Cummins CustomPak – a self-contained power pack. A 110 kVA Cummins generator set is also used on the Farmer’s Leap property to provide power for irrigation pumping.

The QSB6.7 CustomPak and generator set work in unison to pump water when all four irrigators are operating at the same time, and they also work independently when only one or two irrigators are in use.

Mark Keller reports that the QSB6.7 uses 14 litres/hour at 1590 rpm when working independently and 12.5 litres/hour when operating in unison with the generator set. The mechanical 6CTA installed previously used 22 litres/hour working independently.

The QSB6.7 and generator set communicate with each other via radio signal. When the generator set reaches a certain load point, it sends an auto start command to the QSB6.7 to assist with the required duty.

The QSB6.7 has clocked up close to 6000 hours and has proved trouble-free, says Mark Keller.

It seems the only tears in the Farmer’s Leap onion fields are those of joy!

Farmer’s Leap onions are grown on 70 hectares of irrigated land.

Onion farm peels off the fuel savings

Electronic QSB6.7 engine is delivering significant fuel savings.

Tiers without tearsThe electronic QSB engine currently offered in the South Pacific is Tier 3 emissions compliant and features a number of evolutionary upgrades over its predecessors.

Australia doesn’t have regulated emissions for off-highway diesel engines, so the fact that the QSB meets US Tier 3 standards may not seem significant in this country. However, a range of benefits were introduced with the Tier 3 engine.

Compared with the mechanical B-series engine and the original electronic QSB, the Tier 3 version – released in the US in 2006-2007 – incorporated reliability and durability upgrades, significant noise reduction, and performance improvements.

The original displacements of the B-series – a 3.9-litre four cylinder and a 5.9-litre six cylinder – were extended to 4.5 and 6.7 litres respectively with the Tier 3 QSB, providing higher power and torque capabilities.

The QSB Tier 3 upgrades included a new high pressure common rail fuel system, a new electronic control module, and a rear geartrain configuration. The engine was also designed to meet higher reliability, durability and power density targets.

The noise level of the Tier 3 QSB was reduced by as much as 9 dBA through utilising a rear gear train, an enclosed valve tappet cavity, and a sculpted block. In fact, the Tier 3 engine is as quiet at full load as its predecessor was without load.

The high pressure common rail fuel system on the Tier 3 engine is capable of generating up to 1600 bar (23,200 psi) injection pressures. This translates to refined and rapid power delivery, reduced noise, and improved cold start.

With the common rail fuel system, maintaining peak injection pressure isn’t dependent on engine speed, load conditions or fueling capability. Injection pressure can be virtually constant at all speeds, providing greater flexibility and precision in controlling both injection rates and timing.

Of course, the lower exhaust emissions dictated by Tier 3 are a major benefit in a number of applications, and also meet many companies’ business values in a world increasingly challenged by environmental compliance. n

Mark Keller… impressed with trouble-free QSB6.7.

Ivor Gainsford has owned 10 trucks since he started in the logging game in New Zealand’s North Island in 1990, and all have been immaculately presented and maintained.

That’s not surprising considering his background. After completing his apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic in 1973, he went on to serve in various workshop, field service and service management roles.

He also set up his own heavy equipment repair business, Rotorua Transport Repairs, in the late 1980s – a business he still operates today.

“I know how to operate and maintain a truck…do the little things and the big things stay away,” says the man who is known for his fastidious attention to detail. “I do all my own maintenance…100 per cent. Seldom does anyone else touch my gear.”

Ivor Gainsford’s latest truck is a K200 Kenworth powered by a Cummins ISXe5 rated at 600 hp/1850 lb ft. The 8x4 K200 pulls a five-axle trailer, a combination that operates at 54 tonnes under permit from central North Island forests to the Port of Tauranga.

The 61-year-old Gainsford recalls exact details of all his previous trucks, starting with his first in 1990, a Kenworth W924 that was bought with a small cam Cummins NTC350 but repowered with a big cam NTC400 before it went to work.

He credits a Western Star with a Cummins NTC444 as the truck that firmly established him in the logging business. Prior to buying his latest Kenworth, he had a K108 and before that a K104, both with pre-EGR Cummins Signature 620 power.

“Life-to-overhaul has never been less than one million kilometres with any of my Cummins engines,” he notes.

The ISXe5 in the K200 Kenworth has won over Ivor Gainsford in no uncertain terms. “I’m ecstatic with the ISXe5,” he says. “It has great throttle response and is very smooth, even when pulling at low rpm.

“There’s nothing about it that I don’t like,” he asserts. “It’s an awesome engine.”

The K200 went into service in August 2013 and had clocked up close to 248,000 km by November 2014. “These days we’re doing around 230,000 km a year,” he reveals. “I remember 15 years ago doing 320,000 km a year when there were fewer logging trucks and we were working 24/6 and double-shifting.”

The ISXe5 is averaging 1.8 km/litre, a figure that doesn’t include AdBlue consumption which is a low 2.8%. The fuel burn is in line with Gainsford’s expectations. He points out that the best economy achieved by his previous Signature 620 engines was 2 km/litre but that was at 44 tonnes gross weight versus 54 tonnes currently, and with one less trailer axle.

An ECM download at 248,000 km showed the ISXe5 engine brake to have been in use for just over 33,000 km.

Ivor Gainsford was close to slipping away from the logging scene in 2013 before buying his K200. However, a chance conversation with a mate changed his mind.

With a replacement looming for his previous Kenworth, it seemed like an opportune time for he and his wife Brenda to make a clean break.

However, drinks with a mate on a Friday night changed Ivor’s perspective completely. From being 100 percent sure he wanted out, he quickly realised there were still many advantages to be had remaining in business.

Ivor and Brenda have become heavily involved with alpacas and having the trucking business and its associated cash flow has allowed growth of their herd.

Logging remains in the Gainsford blood. And there are no regrets. n

ON THE

EDGECUTTING

i’m ecstatic with the isxe5

Ivor Gainsford (centre) with his two drivers Ricky Malcolm and Mike Willoughby.

Photos courtesy of TRUCK Journal.


direct transmission and 3.7 axle ratio. Cruising rpm was reduced to 1950 and the turbocharger provided for more efficient operation and improved fuel economy.

These trucks provided immediate savings and the initial order was followed by a further 10 SARs in 1979 and another seven in 1980, the last five boasting the Cummins Big Cam Formula 300 power. These were big orders for the day and Les’ good friend and Kenworth salesman, Lance Collins, would have been very pleased with himself driving back to Kenworth with these orders.

The fleet continued to grow and the roads continued to improve.

All the new SARs were fitted with windshields sporting the big E and from that time on that is what Eastoe’s was known as on the road… “gotta copy in the big E”

In 1981 the second shift from PACCAR took place with the purchase of five R686 Macks sporting Mack E6 350 engines and triple-countershaft 10-speed transmissions. These trucks proved a little less durable and reliable than the Kenworth/Cummins combination.

For this, and I am sure, other reasons the next vehicle order in 1982 went to Kenworth for 10 W925 AR trucks, this time powered by the Cummins Formula 350. The W models were to take advantage of the recently increased length laws. Another 14 were purchased in 1984.

Of the 14 W models in 1984 there was one more shift, this time from Cummins when Les specced one truck with a Detroit Diesel 8V92TA. Fortunately for Cummins this engine did not prove itself in the Eastoe’s fleet and a further seven Cummins-powered W models went into service in 1986. This would be the final time Les would sign a truck order.

In May 1986 Les decided it was time to retire and enjoy time with his family on the large ocean going boat he had built from scratch.

The company, now owned by Ingham Enterprises, appointed several managing directors between 1986 and July 1989 when the company was finally sold to Noel Griffin’s and Bernie Brady’s Refrigerated Roadways.

As Peter Williams and Ken Hennessey reminded me, “Eastoe’s was one of the best jobs I ever had” – a feeling shared by many who built this company from behind the wheel.

Ken went on to work for Cootes in later years while Peter went to Ansett Freight Express before moving to the NT to work for Roadtrains of Australia where he worked until he retired in 2013.

Sadly Les Eastoe passed away in 2011 leaving behind a legacy as a road transport pioneer, and cherished memories for the hundreds of men and women who helped build this iconic company from a fleeting carrier of fruit into one of Australia’s largest road transport success stories.

*About the author

In 1977 at the age of 15 I decided I would get an apprenticeship at Eastoe’s come hell or high water. I wrote a letter to “Mr Eastoe” pleading for an apprenticeship. A return letter arrived advising that ‘”we do not employ apprentices, but write to me next year”. Of course I counted the days and was interviewed by Mr Eastoe in 1978 who I must have impressed as he gave me a start date of January 8 1979.

After completing my apprenticeship on all things trucks, trailers and Thermo Kings and working as a mechanic for several years, I indicated to management that I would like to have a go at driving. My child hood dream was complete. It was now me sitting behind the wheel of the two-tone green Kenworth, harnessing the power from the 855 cubic inch Cummins. n

As a young boy growing up in Moorabbin in Melbourne’s southern suburbs, there were always plenty of boy things to do…exploring drains, rummaging around building sites, nicking Coke bottles from behind the local shop and cashing them in to buy lollies.

However, my most cherished memories of those days in the mid 1970s were waiting on the side of South Road on a Sunday morning for the Eastoe’s fleet to come thundering past on their way to Sydney, Adelaide or Brisbane.

Often trucks would stop at the Caltex service station with drivers buying supplies of Coca Cola, and I would sit on my bike and stare in awe at the Kenworth trucks, their Cummins engines idling away. This is the story of a company that became an iconic name in road transport and a boy’s dream to pilot a Big E. One day this will be me, I thought.

Eastoe’s Transport was founded in the late 1950s by Les Eastoe who started out with a Diamond Reo 630 and an International R190 carting fruit from Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula to Sydney markets.

Soon Les picked up a contract carting frozen turkeys to Wagga Wagga and Shepparton with a Commer Knocker and single-axle trailer. Shortly after the first big trucks arrived in the fleet, two Fodens – one with a Cummins NH the other a Gardiner 6LX. Ken Hennessy, one of Eastoe’s early drivers recalls, “It used to take 14 hours from Melbourne to Adelaide with a single drive and spread bogie trailer in the Gardiner in those days.”

Rolling into the 1960s Les must have met up with Laurie O’Neil who was importing Peterbilt trucks from North America. Les saw great value in these new “big bangers” and purchased four COE models powered by Cummins NH 250 engines with Spicer 4 x 4 twin stick transmissions. This order was followed by an ERF with a Cummins NH 250 and two more Peterbilts, also with Cummins NH power.

So “powerful” were these trucks that trip turnaround times were reduced and Les claimed that “11 trucks could do the work of 15” in an interview for a transport magazine of the time.

Along with the added power came increased durability with Les achieving “at least 500,000 miles without any appreciable repairs”.

Ken Hennessy recalls earning $48 per Melbourne Sydney return trip in 1966, for a total of $96 per week.

The success of the Peterbilts saw Les place an order for four Kenworth cabover K125 models built in Seattle followed by another four when local Kenworth production began in Bayswater. These Kenworths were also powered by the legendary NH 250 but now boasted the RTO 915 Fuller gearbox, giving a top speed of around 65 mph. The 660 lb ft of torque the NH 250s delivered was ample for the 36-ton GVM of the time.

It was not an easy task to get a job driving for Eastoe’s and you needed to know someone to get a job. Proud men sporting the Eastoe’s uniforms were often found in numbers in the roadhouses.

Every driver had to have a nick name… Chook, Kookaburra, Bowser, Poppy, Lizard, Possum to name but a few and if you didn’t have one you were soon given one!

1973 saw the arrival of the first bonneted trucks in the Eastoe’s fleet with six W925 S2 Kenworths powered by the new V8 Cummins, the V903, rated at 320 hp and fitted with Jacobs engine brakes. These were followed by a further four identical units in 1974. It was around this time that triaxle trailers were hitting the roads and Les was quick to add another axle to his existing fleet of 10ft 1in spread bogie refrigerated trailers to take advantage of increased pay loads.

Peter (Lizard) Williams, who began driving for Eastoe’s in 1971, recalls vividly when the 903-powered Kenworths arrived in 1973. “These things were a powerhouse compared with the NH 250 and drivers were carefully selected based on experience to drive these new big bangers.” Some were apparently told to “do a bit more in the 250s mate and we will see how you go”.

Fuel prices around the mid 1970s were starting to rise and I can still remember reading an article in 1977 in the Melbourne Herald in which Les was complaining about his annual fuel bill “exceeding one million dollars”. The fuel cost for a Melbourne-Sydney-Melbourne trip would have been around $90 in those times.

As a result of the increasing fuel prices the direct RT 915 transmissions in the S2 Kenworths were quickly converted to the RTO 915 with its .85 overdrive reducing cruise rpm at 62 mph but increasing top speed from 62 mph to 72 mph. Tachographs ensured the speed was kept in check and a week working in the depot was ample deterrent for speedsters.

With the increase in fuel prices starting to play an important part in equipment choice, Les ordered 10 W925 SAR Kenworths in 1978 powered by the new Cummins Formula 290 stirring a 9-speed

Kenworth SAR with Cummins Formula 300 - popular combination in the early 1980s

Cummins Formula 350-powered W models unloading at the Moorabbin depot.

Kenworth S2s sporting the new V903 V8 Cummins at the Winton roadhouse enroute to Sydney in 1975.

Loaded and ready to roll at the Moorabbin depot – 1988.

Kenworth and Cummins were the combination of choice for three decades.

Peter (Lizard) Williams at the Alice Springs Hall of Fame reunion – August 2014.

Peter (Lizard) Williams stops to fuel a V903 powered Kenworth S2 – 1973. Les Eastoe...built a business

on customer relationships.

By Simon Pratt*

“Eastoe’s drivers were the envy of others on the road in those days and I remember the pride I felt towing my first fibreglass trailer with the new livery – EASTOE’S The Specialists,” quips Peter Williams.

Williams, never short of a story, recalls stopping at the Marulan weighbridge to have his log book stamped. “I was way out of time so I handed over my log book on top of a box of frozen turkeys…my log book returned unstamped.” These were great days he recalls, “when men were made of steel and trucks were made of wood”.

The fleet was growing and customers included Ingham Chickens, Wattie Pict, Edgell, Dairy Bell, Potato Products (later to become McCain), Toppa Icecream and various meat companies including Gilbertsons, Ralph’s and Borthwicks.

1975 saw the release of the V903-powered Ford LNT 900 which prompted Les to sign up for five prime movers. With the exception of one ERF, this was the first move away from PACCAR product since the first Peterbilts arrived in 1964.


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A well-known Malaysian player in the oil and gas industry is Sealink International, a long established company with a diverse fleet of over 40 offshore support vessels that are either chartered or operated by Sealink itself.

Based in Miri, Sarawak, Sealink also has its own shipbuilding yard, constructing offshore support vessels ranging from 24 to 100 metres in length for both its own fleet as well as customers’ operations.

Since 2000, long established Cummins distributor Scott & English has delivered close to 300 Cummins engines to Sealink for its operations in the oil and gas fields in the South China Sea and other global locations, including Australia, and today 33 of the company’s 40 vessels are installed with Cummins power.

These engines, totalling 68 units, include the QSK60, KTA50, KTA38, KTA19 and a range of smaller engines from the 4BTA3.9 to the 6BT5.9 and 6CTA8.3. They are used for a variety of applications – propulsion, generator sets, bow thrusters, fire fighting pumps and other on-board functions requiring reliable power.

“After sales support and product reliability are very important in the oil and gas industry,” says Sealink director, Soo Moi.

“When we’re operating a vessel under a time charter agreement, where we provide the crew and carry out the maintenance, the cost to the customer can be $25,000 a day depending on the type of vessel and application.

“Under these conditions we don’t want any downtime. The vessel has to be available 24/7,” she says.

Cummins’ acquisition of Scott & English Malaysia will strengthen what is already a very good relationship with Sealink in terms of sales and service support.

“We’re very familiar with Scott & English,” says Soo Moi. “Whenever we’ve had an issue, they readily provide the assistance in rectifying and resolving the problem. We are relatively happy with their support.”

In its horsepower class, the 2200 hp Cummins QSK60 is one of Sealink’s preferred selections for main engine propulsion.

In fact, Sealink was the first company in the Malaysian oil and gas industry to specify the 60-litre QSK60, putting the first units into service in 2006.

The existing QSK60 engines in the Sealink fleet have the older HPI unit fuel injection system compared with the MCRS modular common rail fuel system fitted to the latest generation QSK60 for IMO Tier II emissions compliance.

Sealink is currently building a 54-metre safety standby vessel for its own fleet with dual 2300 hp QSK60 MCRS engines, and will soon begin construction of a 59-metre offshore support vessel, also with dual 2300 hp QSK60 MCRS engines.

As one of Sealink’s preferred suppliers, Cummins’ focus as a global company is to provide the product and support through Scott & English that ensures lowest cost of ownership.

Sealink itself has come a long way since it was established in 1974 to operate landing craft, tugs and barges in the timber industry. The company ventured into the offshore oil and gas industry in 1994 and has since forged a top-level reputation among customers as an integrated service provider with international class vessels. n

54-metre safety standby vessel under construction at Sealink’s shipyard has dual 2300 hp Cummins QSK60 engines with the MCRS modular common rail fuel system.

Sealink rides the energy wave

During a recent trip to Malaysia, Cummins Commentary editor Murray Clifford visited Sealink International, a company that not only operates its own offshore support vessels but also has its own shipbuilding yard.

Sealink director Soo Moi (centre) with Cummins Scott & English branch manager in Miri, Sebastian Liew (left) and sales manager Chong Meu That.

Sealink offshore support vessel with Cummins QSK60 power. Sealink was the first company in the Malaysian oil and gas industry to specify the 60-litre QSK60.

Latest generation QSK60 engine with the MCRS modular common rail fuel system features in Sealink’s new 54-metre safety standby vessel.

20 CUMMINS COMMENTARY DECEMBER 2014

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CSP043 - Cummins Commentary ISSUE 43