Commercial_vehicles_India-02-2017

INTERNATIONAL
multi-function lever (which is
also used for setting up the
cruising speed), located on the
right side of the steering column.
The first two stages activate the
Super Engine Brake, whilst the
remaining three also involve the
hydraulic retarder. Maximum
braking torque is thus provided.
Weighing 24,100 kg, the
HD9 86.56 is equipped with
a 24 cu. m. Cantoni tipper
(specially developed for Astra).
The superstructure is made
of high strength steel, which
has a thickness of 12 mm at
the bottom. The side walls are
8 mm thick. A hydraulic gullwing
tail opening design, the
superstructure (tipper body)
is fitted with an oversized cab
guard. The oversized cab guard
is designed for mining site
operations. Reaching a maximum
tilting angle of 58-degrees, the
tipper body is equipped with
an electronic weighing system,
which shows the relevant data
on a control display placed in
front of the driver’s seat.
68 COMMERCIAL VEHICLE FEBRUARY 2017
Heavy duty
components
The structure of the HD9
86.56 and all the mechanical
components have been
engineered for heavy-duty
tasks. The first drive axle is
a double reduction Kessler
unit with a loading capacity
of 20-tonnes. The third and
the fourth axle are also a
Kessler (double reduction)
unit. They each have a loading
capacity of 20-tonnes. The
10 mm C-section chassis side
members, spaced by 820 mm,
are made of high yield steel
with 6 mm reinforcing internal
C-profiles. The HD9 front
suspension – first and second
axle – feature parabolic springs.
They are supplemented by
hydraulic shock absorbers and
two stabilisers (one for each
axle). Those of the tandem
(cantilever type) have five
parabolic leaves (40 mm x 100
mm) swiveling on a central pin.
The braking system of the
Astra HD9 86.56 8x6 heavyduty
tipper is drum brake
based. There are drum brakes
on all axles with the possibility
of excluding the anti-lock
device (ABS) at speeds below
15 km per hour. The use of
325/95 R24 tyres has the tipper
having a high ground clearance.
This is crucial to the smooth
functioning of the truck as
it will spend much of its life
travelling over uneven terrain
with deep potholes and large
stones. Despite the heavyduty
design of the truck, driver
comfort has been increased
thanks to the correct calibration
of the cab suspension and the
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