EXM, Fleetrite and Mack have teamed up to create a truck & dog concrete agitator combination.
EXM has been providing infrastructure solutions to the agricultural sector all over the Darling Downs and Central Highlands of Queensland & Northern NSW since 2015.
A few years ago, they finally got fed up with the difficulties around concrete supply.
A turning point was Managing Director Evan English visiting the World of Concrete Expo in Las Vegas to investigate mobile batching plants, and from here, EXM decided it was better to travel the concrete from existing fixed plants.
“As most of the area we service is grain production country, we have built a lot of bases for grain silos and a typical silo needs about fifteen cubic metres of concrete delivered in a timely fashion,” said English.
“Your typical agitator might carry somewhere between 5 and 7 cubic metres, so you can see the problem.”
Supplying jobs in remote rural areas at distances of up to 300 kilometres, making the return trip simply isn’t feasible.
Looking for a better way, English sketched out some hypothetical drawings of a truck & dog combination.
“We’d already bought some of our own trucks to reduce our reliance on other companies, so the next logical step was to get a truck that actually met our specific requirements,” he said.
English took his idea to Ash Rowley at VCV Brisbane South to see if the truck was even feasible.
“I figured that the Mack guys knew a lot more about trucks than me, so I just told him what we needed and gave him the flexibility to work out how to do it. He got right onto it and came up with some brilliant ideas I hadn’t thought of,” recalled English.
The truck and dog agitator is operated through the use of a live drive to a splitter box to seamlessly operate both bowls.
Another example of the creativity involved was the camera placed on the far side of the truck said English.
“[Mack] put cameras mounted on the passenger side mirror so you can see what’s in the blind spot when you’re reversing,” he said.
“I never would have thought of that — it’s great.”
The new truck is a Mack Anthem with a 500hp MP8 engine and mDRIVE automated manual transmission. The two agitator barrels have separate hydraulic systems controlled from the cab.
“I reckon the dog trailer is probably just as stable as a 10-wheeler agi truck although ultimately this comes down to driver attitude and speed,” said English.
EXM have also ordered two more Anthems with the shortest wheelbase Mack have ever produced.
“They’re about 4060mm. We needed these ones because we want to tow a semi-trailer mounted agi, and the trailer doesn’t project past the turntable,” explained English.
The short wheelbase will make the combination super manoeuvrable.
The Anthem is ideal for these solutions because it enables EXM to keep the tare weight around 8 tonnes.
“We‘ve got a Metro-liner 10-wheeler as well, but the Anthem fits the bill for these jobs, and Mack were really helpful in customising the model to suit our requirements,” said English.
From his depot in Oakey, English sees a lot of prospects for farms and feedlots that up until now have been just a bit too far away to service easily.
“Being able to deliver all the concrete we need for a job with one truck is a game-changer for us,” he says.
“We’re a construction business, but having control over this aspect makes a huge difference, and Mack and Fleetrite have played a central part in making my rough sketches become reality.”
Vice President of Mack Trucks Australia, Tony O’Connell acknowledged the value in having Mack’s Australian-made trucks.
“Our ability to build Mack trucks here in Australia allows us to create vehicles that are 100 per cent customisable to task,” he said.
“This means we can meet the unique demands of customers like EXM, delivering innovative solutions that focus on application excellence. The truck and dog agitator is a prime example of how we collaborate with our customers and suppliers to bring ideas to life, ensuring our customers can achieve their goals efficiently and effectively.”
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