The Scania P 380 8×4 heavy-duty tipper which was displayed at the recently-held EXCON 2011 in Bangalore sports a number of features designed to maximise uptime. The 12-litre 380 hp Scania engine delivers 1,900 Nm of torque from low revs to promote driveability. Scania Opticruise automated gearchanging greatly facilitates the driver’s work, now with a new off-road mode designed to cope with the toughest conditions without straining transmission components. The clutch has an electronic overload protection system. All chassis and transmission components are optimised for heavy-duty operation. So is the 18.8 cu m rock body.
The vehicle was jointly displayed at EXCON 2011 with Larsen & Toubro. The mining tipper model was launched in the Indian market during EXCON 2007. L&T has successfully established Scania’s mining trucks in the Indian mining industry, and since the launch more than 600 P 380 mining trucks have been supplied to highly satisfied customers in construction and mining sectors.
In addition to automated gear changing that enables the driver to concentrate on driving, a new off-road operating mode is now available for Scania Opticruise. Gear changing is optimised for off-road and tough operating conditions such as mining. Allied to Scania’s traction control panel, where controls related to traction are gathered, this gives drivers maximum support for trouble-free driving in adverse conditions.
Some parameters in Scania Opticruise can be adjusted by a Scania workshop to tailor the functionality to the conditions at hand. The choice of starting gear is automatic.
The new Scania P-series is distinguished by its restyled front that boosts cooling capacity, besides having sharper looks.
A new driving mode adapted to rough terrain and driving on soft surfaces complements Normal mode. Off-road mode is standard on vehicles specified for off-road driving and for driving on soft or loose ground with high rolling resistance.
In off-road mode, the system strives to avoid interruptions in power delivery and, hence, in traction. The number of gear changes is minimised by allowing the engine speed to vary over a wider rev band. Gear changes are made faster without prioritising comfort. Normal mode is optimised for maximum fuel economy, while still delivering good hill performance. The system strives to run at engine revs where maximum torque is delivered.
Differential lock and traction control are fitted to most Scania trucks. The rotary switch for the differential locks engages all locks on the vehicle in the right sequence to provide increasing traction while maintaining as much steerability as possible.