‘So to Speak’ with Dhiyanesh Ravichandran
I recently got flabbergasted by the might of modern tippers, rightly in ‘Tipper’s own Country’!
It was a long-awaited break from work to my domicile in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, early last month, so a quick getaway was totally called for. I choose Munnar in Kerala this time, just some 160 km from here. I hit the road and finally to NH 85, which kindled some nostalgic memories of my last trip some 12 years ago. A mental recollection of narrow and twisty ghat road, meandering through rocky hillsides, deep gorges and lush tea plantations came flashing before me as I drove. Reclaiming such sketchy imageries of past memories from what you see afresh while driving is the best way to cherish a road trip, I would say.
But things were different this time. Once past the State border, the road condition started to deteriorate. The highway is being reconstructed post the devastating monsoon last year. Landslides have wiped away huge chunks of tarmac, with spate of earth and trees relocated, signs of which are still visible even after six months of work. Road expansion is also going on, sharp turns and narrow pathways are being chastised. Gravel and rock fragments were all over the drive way, making it difficult for my sedan to wade through without underbelly scratches.
To my worse, I had to juggle with numerous excavators and tippers shunting up and down the broken roads. It was an uncanny road scenario, equally terrifying and fascinating! There were just too many of them, vividly active in their jobs – collecting rock boulders broken down by excavators with their hammer attachments (worst time ever for the already fragile ecosystem!) from road side slopes to nearby dump sites and transporting loose gravel and sand back to roads for leveling the tarmac – without acknowledging the humble presence of innocent amateur vehicles like mine! For a moment I was convinced that a game of titans is out on road, with ear-deafening horns to shoo us away for speedy overtakes, only to be blacked out in dust as they passed by. It took almost four hours to cross a stretch of some 50 km.
All through the way, I couldn’t recognise any scenery or rock formations that once skirted the road. The image of tippers and tracked excavators (I could notice one every 2-3 km!) plying around sand dust and heaps of gravel has now replaced my previous mental imageries under ‘road to Munnar’, which is likely to stay in my memory forever. That’s when I said to myself – “hey, you are actually in Kerala – ‘Tipper’s own country’, what else can you expect?” A region with dynamic topographic features, I have noticed more iterations of dumpers here than anywhere, not just now, but even some 15 years ago when the CV industry was just budding.
Two tippers that are popular here even today since ages are worth mentioning – Mahindra Loadking 6T and Tata 1612 / 1613 SK / SE. The latter, in particular, with conventional hood and front engine overhang gave the drivers exceptional advantage in close manoeuvring and recovery from mud-stuck rear wheels, the time when trucks in general had limited engine horsepower of 180 max. It was MAN Trucks which sparked a revolution by introducing 280 and even 300 hp engines for tippers. Other truck makers followed suit and adequately improved powertrain and rear axles dynamics, most successfully by BharatBenz. For instance, the clutch plate for trucks across all OEMs have a dia of minimum 350-430 mm these days, up from 310-330 mm – better friction renders slip-less transmission of torque. That’s precisely why both the brands are highly valued in Kerala, more so in the 16T category – the most popular segment here – thanks to their compact dimension and manoeuvrability.
It is indeed these two brands who made the distinction between on-road and off-road tippers more visible. Today, operators are very particular in choosing right products for their applications, the practice of option packaging and customization is the norm at all OEMs. The custom-cabs for tippers are almost non-existent here, factory cabins with ergonomically-designed dashboard and driver seat is outrightly favoured. Further, the advent of planetary rear axle and bogie-type suspension replacing traditional leaf spring setup have augmented modern tippers with might they exhibit on ghat road. With revised axle load norms and upcoming BS-VI, the dumpers are going to flex their muscles even further!
I’d love to know what you think, email your views to dhiyanesh@motorindiaonline.in