Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/885126
K enworth's new 2018 T880S nat- ural gas mixer is aimed at owners who need to comply with federal bridge formulas and cleaner local emission regulations. The Cummins-Westport 8.9-liter ISL G Near Zero NOx engine pro- vides quieter and cleaner perfor- mance with power that's compa- rable to a conventional diesel. During a recent test drive near Seattle, Washington, the truck – even when its McNeilus 10.5-yard mixer was loaded down with 30,000 pounds of gravel – made easy work of hillside roads and off-road terrain. The Cummins-Westport 8.9-liter compressed natural gas engine, while rated at 320 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque, deliv- ers emissions that are 90 percent lower than the current EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) NOx limit, and it meets the 2017 EPA greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requirements, according to Cummins Westport. By com- parison, a Kenworth 2018 T880S mixer equipped with a 10.8-liter MX-11 diesel engine churns out 430 horsepower and 1,650 pound- feet of torque. While you can't argue with the numbers, the nat gas brother still delivers where it counts. And for some, that might be in metro areas where quieter and cleaner-burning trucks are the order of the day. The truck I was driving was spec'd by building materials giant CalPortland, and its Allison 4500 six-speed automated manual trans- mission made driving easy. Though Kurt Swihart, Kenworth's marketing director, explained that the truck was more of a flat land spec, it still delivered impressive acceleration on and off-road. The 2.1-meter-wide cab, a popu- lar feature in the T880 lineup, offers plenty of elbow room. Switches and gauges are all available at a quick glance. The broad view over the short hood makes it easy to see the road ahead and brings on confi- dence fast. The truck responded well in tight turns during the off-road seg- ment on the former grounds of the historic Weyerhaeuser lumber mill where Kenworth trucks went to work in the 1920s. While hauling 30,000 pounds of gravel with this CNG mixer, it just didn't feel like I was carrying much of a load. Taper- leaf 20K suspension in the front and Hendrickson HMX460 46K in the rear made for a smooth ride over off-road bumps. Helping during the ride was Kenworth's proprietary GT702 high-back seat with a soft DuraSupreme cover. Cummins-Westport ISL G Near Zero natural gas engines can run on either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). The engines can also run on renewable natural gas (RNG), which provides an even deeper emissions drop. Swihart explained that filling up the CNG-equipped 2018 T880S mixer isn't complicated nor time- consuming. He said he filled it up from about a fourth of a tank to full (or roughly 3,600 psi) in about 15 minutes. "Diesel's a little faster, but CNG's a lot cheaper," he said. "I bought 42 gallons of CNG – what they would call the diesel equivalent of CNG – and it was $93. So, it was like $2.29 a gallon." EquipmentWorld.com | October 2017 65 heavy trucks | by Tom Quimby Kenworth's natural gas T880S impresses even off-road TEST DRIVE: The Cummins-Westport 8.9-liter com- pressed natural gas engine, while rated at 320 horsepower and 1,000 pound- feet of torque, delivers emissions that are 90 percent lower than the current EPA and California Air Resources Board NOx limit, and it meets the 2017 EPA greenhouse gas emissions require- ments, according to Cummins Westport.