Over the past 12 months, construction crews of been building thousands of new homes in the Waterdown Bay area of Hamilton, Ont.
Many of those homes are now fully constructed and the power is on. Overseeing the energy infrastructure serving this large new residential development is Alectra Utilities.
To perform the high-reach work that their electrical crews carry out, the company has chosen a Freightliner M2 106 truck equipped with a Posi+ 400-46 material handler.
Alectra Utilities selects vehicles through a procurement practice that ensures specific requirements are met by all fleet vehicles and equipment while considering cost as well.
“Our priority is to ensure that our crews are equipped with the necessary tools to maintain our electricity infrastructure across our entire service territory,” says Lori Gariepy, communications adviser with Alectra Utilities.
“M2 106 utility trucks are the right trucks to handle today’s challenging utility company demands,” adds Jennifer Edwards, public relations manager with Daimler Trucks North America.
![This 2013 Freightliner M2 106 truck with Wilcox body and equipped with a Posi+ 400-46 material handler features a working height of 15.5 metres, which is an ideal length for utility line work.](https://canada.constructconnect.com/app/uploads/2018/04/Alectra2-WEB.jpg)
The M2, which is also available in all-wheel drive, is offered in a variety of configurations, including day cab, crew cab and extended cab versions with GVWRs up to 66,000 pounds.
The M2 106 engine offerings for 2018 include the Detroit DD5 (available in 210 hp-575 lb-ft and 230-hp-660 lb-ft ratings) as well as a larger horsepower Detroit DD8 (ratings from 260-350 hp and 660-1050 lb-ft of torque).
Detroit engines come standard with Detroit Connect Virtual Technician, which provides engine diagnostics, insights into vehicle performance and helps customers make service decisions. The M2 106 can also be specialized with Cummins B6.7 and L9 diesels. Transmissions for the M2 include Eaton Fuller manual gearboxes, the Eaton Procision and UltraShift AMT as well as the Allison 1000, 2000 and 3000 Series automatics.
The M2 106 has up to a 55-degree wheel cut that provides industry-leading turning radius, claims the company.
Freightliner partners with truck equipment manufacturers (TEMs) to determine which features are most compatible with their equipment. TEMs and customers can spec the vehicle with both proprietary and non-proprietary components to meet the needs of their specific application, reducing up-fit costs and ultimately reducing down time, the company states.
The Posi+ 400-46 is designed to last longer with premium materials and specific manufacturing processes to resist the environmental stress from the Canadian climate, claims the company.
Additionally, Posi+ provides some notable features that minimize downtime when maintenance is due. For example, all hoses and electrical wiring are built and identified according to its own custom schematic.
Every part is painted before assembly to resist corrosion.
Also, Posi+ builds every unit to the fleet requirements to maximize storage and payload on the truck.
“The model 400 was made for medium duty work on a power distribution application with high usability and timeliness in mind,” says Jordan Bourassa, marketing manager with Posi+.
The unit features a working height of 15.5 metres and a side reach of 11.6 metres as well as a lower boom articulation of 120 degrees, an upper boom articulation of 210 degrees and a jib rotation of 270 degrees.
Using full-pressure hydraulic controls, the unit is designed to maximize load carrying up to 1,000 kilograms as well as for line manipulation with safe and ergonomic jibboom extension.
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