This is mine down in ■■■■■■ Water a couple of months ago.
Erm I’ve just realised I can’t count… my bed is actually 26ft 
How much lighter is an 8x2 over an 8x4? Just wondering if the tyre and fuel savings plus increased payload make them any better than a conventional 8w tipper (off setting traction issues).
Muckaway:
How much lighter is an 8x2 over an 8x4? Just wondering if the tyre and fuel savings plus increased payload make them any better than a conventional 8w tipper (off setting traction issues).
We used to have a few lift-axle 8x2 Volvo FM’s; the advantage wasn’t so much fuel and tyre costs as them being a sort of halfway house between an 8x4 (which had much better traction) and a 6-legger which carried 3 tonnes (effectively one drop) less. Last batch were Renaults with rear steer, apparently not as successful so our rigid fleet’s now mostly 8x4’s with a few Tridems.
The lift-axles scored better for maoueverability of course but were more prone to getting stuck, and boggy farms didn’t do the lift mechanisms any good. Regarding the payload; from memory, up to half a tonne better on the lift-axles. We tend to work in multiples of 3 tonnes, this being the minimum order size for bulk feed, so it didn’t make a lot of difference but I would imagine it might on your job.
F-reds:
This is mine down in ■■■■■■ Water a couple of months ago.
Nice. Out of interest, what does the Manitou weigh in at? My Moffett is 2.75 tonnes, M10 which can lift up to 2 tonnes SWL.
The traction issues are pretty serious. I wouldn’t take mine off road unless there is something available to tow me out… without the Manitou on the back and empty, it has been known for me not go be able to reverse from a standing start up a wet tarmac road incline 
She weighs 12.1t on the nose, empty and fully fuelled
Manitou is 2.5t with a 2t SWL, I haven’t used a M10, but have seen Mcgregor’s and they looked like a fair old lump!
How’s yours for reliability? Put just under 100 hours on mine so far in 2.5 months and she has been good as gold touches wood
F-reds:
Manitou is 2.5t with a 2t SWL, I haven’t used a M10, but have seen Mcgregor’s and they looked like a fair old lump!How’s yours for reliability? Put just under 100 hours on mine so far in 2.5 months and she has been good as gold touches wood
Not too bad. A design flaw means that the battery cables are extremely long, which incurs current drop on a cold morning; the only other issues are the odd hose burst usually caused by poor routing, and the electrics aren’t particularly robust, very vulnerable to crap and water ingress. You also have to be very careful to avoid damaging the lights, for some reason they’ve fitted very high-tech LED ones which are £180 a pop if you bust one!
I’ll mention the Manitou’s lower weight to my boss; we had them years ago and they were a good bit of kit then.
F-reds seen that truck in Watford last week was it you?
F-reds:
Sidevalve:
Mullens:
Sidevalve what’s the payload of these?I can get 16.25 tonnes on that with the Moffett on and fully fuelled.
Bugger me, how long are you overall? I have a 28ft curtainsider and have 17.5t payload if I leave my lunchbox behind and have a dump before I leave!
Forgot to add; the 16.25 tonnes is the bagged product. Add to that the weight of the pallets; we use double-sided ones so they’re about 20kg each, 400kg near as dammit, add another 125 for me, my kit and straps and I’m probably only half a tonne short on yours. As the Moffett is half a tonne heavier than the Manitou we’re not too far apart on actual payload.
Mullens:
F-reds seen that truck in Watford last week was it you?
Yes mate, I’m in there just about everyday, give us a toot and a wave next time 
what are you in?
Sidevalve:
Forgot to add; the 16.25 tonnes is the bagged product. Add to that the weight of the pallets; we use double-sided ones so they’re about 20kg each, 400kg near as dammit, add another 125 for me, my kit and straps and I’m probably only half a tonne short on yours. As the Moffett is half a tonne heavier than the Manitou we’re not too far apart on actual payload.
Starting to see more manitou around now, they used to rare as rocking horse ■■■■ compared to Moffett. Bug something must be right now, either price or weight or reliability.
F-reds:
Sidevalve:
Forgot to add; the 16.25 tonnes is the bagged product. Add to that the weight of the pallets; we use double-sided ones so they’re about 20kg each, 400kg near as dammit, add another 125 for me, my kit and straps and I’m probably only half a tonne short on yours. As the Moffett is half a tonne heavier than the Manitou we’re not too far apart on actual payload.Starting to see more manitou around now, they used to rare as rocking horse [zb] compared to Moffett. Bug something must be right now, either price or weight or reliability.
Dunno about dealer back-up with Manitou but Moffett’s is ■■■■-poor. We’re lucky down here to have a very good independent guy who covers all the south west; prior to that we had to use the nominated service provider who usually didn’t have either the parts, or the slightest clue of how to fit them. Personally I’m starting to think that Moffett will have to raise their game a bit.
F-reds:
Mullens:
F-reds seen that truck in Watford last week was it you?Yes mate, I’m in there just about everyday, give us a toot and a wave next time
Ahh I see smart truck,not driving for anyone just working on site in Watford at the moment.
Muckaway:
Aye up Carryfast is now a 6wheeler expert.
The only disadvantage of a 6 over an 8w is payload.
Exactly because there’s less ‘front’ axle weight capacity.So,( with the exception of the type of design described previously which creates a rear biased weight distribution ) and assuming the same distributed ‘pay load’ front to rear how will removing the second front steer axle and putting it at the back instead not produce exactly the same front axle overload situation as trying to load a 6 wheeler with the same positioned payload of a twin steer front 8 wheeler.Bearing in mind that the relationship of the load deck front to rear hasn’t changed.IE a tri axle rear 8 wheeler is dependent on a more rear biased load distribution.Unlike a 4 ( or 5 ) axle twin steer. 
Out of interest anyone know what the rough payload of an 8x2 flat bed would be?
Not more than 21t at a guess?