Increasingly, the terminal tractor, or yard tug, is proving its worth in terms of cost effective materials handling as well as productivity and safety. Matt Wood investigates
In the world of transport and materials handling the Terminal
Tractor occupies a bit of a grey area. It’s not a truck as such so
doesn’t exactly fit under the road transport banner, and it has no
mast or tines for moving pallets, so doesn’t really cut the mustard
as a fork lift.
However, in operations as simple as trailer shunting,
manufacturers claim a yard tug can move between three and five
trailers in the time it takes to move one with a road going prime
mover. Add to this that most tugs are cheaper to run, easier to
operate and significantly safer in a yard environment, and you
can’t help but take notice. Using the yard tug, a driver doesn’t
need to wind trailer legs up and down or climb off the vehicle to
connect hoses. Therefore, occupational health and safety (OH&S)
issues are also significantly reduced.
But the yard tug’s contribution to the supply chain doesn’t end
with shunting trailers around transport depots or distribution
centres. These tractors can be found engaged in shipping container
cartage, roll-on, roll-off (RORO) wharf operations as well as heavy
manufacturing environments and mining and construction. In fact,
the uses for this sometimes-taken-for-granted bit of gear seem to
be only limited by your imagination.
To date, the most visible yard tug brand seems to be the Ottawa
terminal tractor, though most tend to generally refer to an Ottawa
tug as a ‘Daysworth’. In the same kind of brand-awareness coup,
where using a vacuum cleaner is known as ‘Hoovering’ and pressure
washers are ‘Gernis’, a yard tug is often simply called a
Daysworth.
I recently caught up with the man behind the Daysworth name,
Managing Director Ivan Vodanovich at the company’s head office in
the Melbourne suburb of West Footscray. Daysworth
International‘s 34-year journey could fill many pages by
itself, but on this occasion I’m having a look at a typical example
of the Ottawa breed, a 4×2 tractor rated to a gross combination
mass (GCM) of 90 tonnes.
Initially, the confusing thing about Ottawa tractors is the lack
of visible model numbers, badges or nomenclature of any kind other
than the Ottawa badge. The reasons for this are simple. While they
may all look pretty much the same, underneath the Ottawa’s angular
skin, drive train components can differ dramatically depending on
the application they are engaged in. The Ottawa tug is effectively
built for purpose.
This particular tug was powered by the venerable 6.7-litre
Cummins QSB which covers power ratings from 133hp to 275hp (97kW to
202kW) and is backed by an Allison 3500 automatic transmission.
When looking at the Ottawa, I couldn’t help but be reminded of
the Lego and Meccano trucks I used to build as a kid. And in a way
the real thing isn’t really much different. The chassis, drive
trains and cabs are all easily interchangeable, and easily modified
depending on the job they are being put to. And as previously
mentioned the sky’s the, limit with 4×2, 4×4, and 6×4
configurations all available in the 42-inch (106cm)wide chassis as
well as power options up to 400hp (294kW).
Indeed, it’s the chassis that lies at the heart of the Ottawa
design, in this case consisting of 10mm “D” box section chassis
that Daysworth backs with a life time guarantee. And it’s on this
chassis that the distinctive Ottawa island cab is mounted as well
as the hydraulically operated fifth wheel boom.
This tug is actually destined for duty with Toll Logistics in a
mining application south of Mackay where it will be working at a
gross weight of 80 tonnes on a 24/7 basis. It’s applications like
this that have given the Ottawa its formidable reputation for
reliability and durability.
Perhaps a good example of how durable these tugs are is in heavy
industry, where Ottawas with pressurised cabins are transporting
crucibles of molten aluminium weighing 35 tonnes in furnace
conditions. Another side effect of the smelting process is the
extreme magnetic field generated on the pot line which leaves the
tractor so magnetised that service technicians can leave their
heavy tools stuck to the side of the unit.
There are very little in the way of bells and whistles. Inside
the cabin the driver’s compartment is simple and well laid-out with
hydraulic lift, turntable lock controls and transmission selector
laid out on the left side of the compartment.
All other instrumentation is laid out neatly in front of the
driver with basic analogue instrumentation relaying all of the
tug’s vital statistics to the operator. Seating is taken care of by
a Talladega branded air suspended seat, while the cab itself is
suspended on two adjustable air bags at the rear. This cab has been
fitted with extra insulation and a heavy-duty remote mounted air
conditioner.
Pre-shift checks can be carried out by raising an access hatch
on the side of the cab, but this scenario is a bit awkward
requiring the driver to either lean across the left-hand guard to
reach the engine oil and transmission fluid dipstick, or to squat
down on the guard platform itself. The easier option is to tilt the
cab using the motorised cab tilt making both the fluid checks
easier to access from the chassis catwalk as well as giving a clear
view of the coolant level windows. This would probably be the
biggest ergonomic drawback in what is otherwise an easily
accessible piece of equipment.
Twin hydraulic rams raise and lower the fifth wheel; these are
inverted to prevent dust, dirt and mud settling on top of the rams,
potentially damaging the seals. These rams are also mounted on ball
joints to reduce lateral stress when the boom is in the raised
position.
The overall feel of the American-made Ottawa tractor is one of
simplicity, and to date it seems industry agrees, giving Daysworth
a 90 percent market share. Daysworth’s Ivan Vodanovich sums the
machine up by saying that “if a company uses the right combination
of engine, transmission and final drive, an Ottawa will save that
company money”.
So far the numbers seem to back that claim.