Was talking to a guy and he said the tip he was drawing into had got too slippy for his 6x2 to operate on and they had to go back to using 8 wheelers. He said a double drive was the only other option. I think a 4x2 would work as all the weight is over 1 axle and the difference in payload would not be that much as the double drive would i think be a fair bit heavier than the 6x2. It would be great to hear your views.
A 6x4 is ideal for off road work like landfill sites. It can easily be upgraded to STGO if the work changes in the future.
a 6x2 is a good all rounder, but you need to get the lift axle doctored so it only goes up and down when you tell it to.
a 4x2 isn’t versatile enough for modern day haulage, the work can change on a week by week basis.
Take it you mean in Rigids when talking 8 wheelers?
On a 32T 8x4 we get 21 tonne payload, and that’s on a heavy insulated tipper. You’ll not get anywhere near that on a 4 wheeler and won’t have the aid of cross locks for when things get really sticky.
No doubt a double drive on difficult traction jobs is a must imo!
the material that is being drawn is light an bulky and at the moment the most the 8 wheeler men can get on is about 15t. I just thought that a 4x2 unit and bulker might be able to cope as in the summer months its ok and it would save a lot of hassel. Not too many double drives about second hand
scannia144:
the material that is being drawn is light an bulky and at the moment the most the 8 wheeler men can get on is about 15t. I just thought that a 4x2 unit and bulker might be able to cope as in the summer months its ok and it would save a lot of hassel. Not too many double drives about second hand
So your crossing Rigids and Artics then? Afraid I have no experience in Artics so can’t really help. I’d still say a double drive will offer far better traction than a 4x2 unit, which will have the same issues as a 6x2 lift will have.
patiently awaiting carryfast to see the mention of 6x4 
Even though a 4x2 will get decent weight on the axle but one wheel loses grip you are screwed where a 6x4 has 3 other wheels that may grip.
A 6x2 midlife even if its doctored to lift loaded ain’t much cop a 6x2 tag ain’t usually too bad. At the end of the day this time of year and with bad weather whatever artic you have on landfill work you are going to spend a fair amount of time attached to a d8
6x4 is a must on tip work along with sump guard and a good strong towing eye
the veolia trucks up here running in and out of gatewarth warrington borough council landfil site are using 6x4 with bulk trailers (look like walking floors) and have a towing hitch built in to the front of them above the front bumper with steel ring and pin for towing out.
6x4 is definitely the best for tip work, followed by a 6x2 tag with a diff lock. As for tare weight, the lightest would be a donkey motor driven ejector trailer (about 21T) over a pto driven walking floor, and definitely would steer clear of a bulk tipper, as many landfill sites won’t allow them on as the surfaces aren’t level enough to tip without falling over. Ejectors do make the drive out of the landfill a lot easier, as they push the lorry forward out of the rut it will have inevitably sunk into.
shuttlespanker:
patiently awaiting carryfast to see the mention of 6x4
No comment. 
Although saying that there’s not much point in putting more weight on a single drive axle to get traction when you’ve got a load of deep mud ( or snow ) under the wheels,which just digs them in deeper,when you can use two drive axles putting down less weight on each,amongst other advantages.But some people will never get the idea. 
Thanks for the feed back. carryfast must have a thing for 6x4s going by one of the replys but when you live in the world that i live in you have to ask questions and look at all the options before you part with cash. A tag axle lorry would seem easier bought than a double drive. I take it a double drive is harder on fuel etc.
i was talking to one of the veolia drivers who was taking a break outside the landfill site gates and he said that he lucky if he gets more than 5mpg whilst on the sites and his truck does 7mpg on the road — the truck he had was a merc actros.
hope this helps 
Man have introduced something called hydro drive which looks pretty cool:
google.co.uk/search?q=man+h … ent=safari
Only downside is you’d have to spec it on a new motor and I’m sure it ain’t cheap although may be cheaper than the double drive option.
It would have the benefit of lower fuel and tyre wear than a 6x4 though.
Silver_Surfer:
Man have introduced something called hydro drive which looks pretty cool:google.co.uk/search?q=man+h … ent=safari
Only downside is you’d have to spec it on a new motor and I’m sure it ain’t cheap although may be cheaper than the double drive option.
That looks the same idea as Range Rover’s Viscous Coupling centre diff from 1993,except that the RR did it automatically as soon as a wheel started to spin.
Just look at the Scandinavians, all tag axles out there and they run in a fair bit of snow, the US prefers double drive, but only because that’s what their Grandpa had, but that’s for on highway work, a 6x4 is totally unnecessary 99% of the time and can, at times, be more of a hindrance than help 
If you’re going off road on a regular basis, then a 6x4 is the way to go, you’ll lose mpg and payload, but you can’t have your cake and eat it 
emmerson2:
Silver_Surfer:
Man have introduced something called hydro drive which looks pretty cool:google.co.uk/search?q=man+h … ent=safari
Only downside is you’d have to spec it on a new motor and I’m sure it ain’t cheap although may be cheaper than the double drive option.
That looks the same idea as Range Rover’s Viscous Coupling centre diff from 1993,except that the RR did it automatically as soon as a wheel started to spin.
it looks more like the front wheels each have a hydraulically driven motor on them - similar in principal to a moffet mounty for example.
Anyone know how much it would be to spec? Gotta be cheaper that a 6x4.
MAN hydrodrive only seems to come in 4x2 form, so that’s not going to be all that popular, as the weight you’d be able to is restricted, no matter what the fuel savings.