Premiere for MAN’s logging trucks at Elmia Wood’s new exhibition area

The German truck manufacturer MAN sees Europe’s forestry sector as an increasingly important market. That’s why the company is exhibiting at the world-leading forestry fair Elmia Wood 2017 in the new Load & Transport area, which brings together everything to do with logistics en route from the forest to the industrial consumers.

“Our focus is on better economy for timber hauliers,” explains John-David Schnackenberg, manager of the forestry segment at MAN.

Innovations on show

While this is the first time MAN is exhibiting at the fair, the brand is not unknown in the Nordic forests. Back home in Germany the trucks are a common sight. And now the company has decided to focus more on this segment.

“The big news at the fair will be improved powertrains,” Schnackenberg reveals. “One product we’re exhibiting is an engine that meets the very latest environmental demands, Euro 6 C.”

MAN is bringing three or four vehicles to Elmia Wood. Another one will be on show at the stand of crane manufacturer Epsilon. There are three models: the heavy trucks TGS and TGX, and the new family member TGE, a van in the 3.5 to 5 tonne category. It is built on a Volkswagen Crafter, which was chosen as Van of the Year 2017, but in a more professional execution with more applications.

GPS-controlled transmission and upgraded engines

MAN will present two improved engines. They are the D26, which now meets the toughest European environmental demands, and the D38, a 15-litre six-cylinder inline with 640 HP and 3,000 Nm torque. The upgrade has given both models an additional 20 HP each.

The trucks come with either manual or automatic transmission, the MAN TipMatic® TX. The design aims to reduce the haulier’s costs and improve the work environment. One of the innovations is GPS-controlled transmission.

“The trucks know in advance that a slope is coming and switch to the correct gear for optimal engine speed,” Schnackenberg says, as an example of the benefits of GPS-controlled transmission.

Real-wheel, front-wheel or all-axle drive

At Elmia Wood MAN is also exhibiting a three-axle truck with HydroDrive® and a controllable tag axle. MAN introduced HydroDrive ten years ago and other brands have recently followed. It involves hydrostatic front-wheel drive, which can be selected as required at speeds up to 28 km/h. Normally the drive is on one wheel pair, which gives optimal fuel economy, but when accessibility requires, the front-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering can be brought into play. Another innovation is that HydroDrive can be offered in combination with automatic transmission.

New area at the fair

Elmia Wood 7–10 June 2017 is the premiere of the Load & Transport exhibition area, which focuses on the construction and maintenance of forest roads, the transport of forest raw materials, and timber handling at terminals and woodyards.

MAN is presenting its innovations there with the aim of increasing its share of the timber and forestry truck market in the Nordic region, Germany, France, the former Eastern Europe and Russia. And the message is the same everywhere: more efficient vehicles mean more money left over for the haulier.