Pumping Up The Volume

To improve the performance and safety of its diesel delivery operation in western Queensland, IOR pressed into service a new DAF 8×4 rigid truck fitted with an ATE four-compartment tank and Alfons Haar PreciMA490 dispenser and manifold system.

IOR is an Australian-owned and operated business founded in 1984 in the small outback Queensland town of Eromanga, about 1,000km due west of Brisbane. Although IOR began with the construction of the Eromanga Oil Refinery, the company has evolved significantly over its 35 years of operation. Stewart Morland and Ross Mackenzie own IOR in partnership and work in the business every day, continually improving customer experience and developing innovative industry solutions.

Today IOR distributes fuel across Australia, servicing a variety of sectors, including road transport, agriculture, oil and gas, mining, government and aviation. In addition to supplying fuel, the Australian business provides fuel storage, pumping, fuel monitoring and inventory management solutions.

It was the vision of IOR’s owners to expand its offering with convenient 24-Hour unmanned diesel stops in remote and regional areas of Australia. The first diesel stop was opened in 2005 in Winton, Queensland, with the tally now at more than 75 locations and still rising. To help expand access to its facilities, IOR has recently commenced the roll out of its new mobile app, allowing general public to fuel up at all IOR sites by paying through the convenience of their mobile phones.

IOR also has a number of regional depots staffed by residents of the local community. They distribute bulk fuel to surrounding local businesses and regionally-based industries.

Aviation fuels were added to the business in 2014, with the company now operating several refuelling facilities in rural and regional airports and also delivering bulk aviation fuels to customers’ sites using dedicated fleet and equipment, ensuring the highest in fuel quality standards.

Supporting the outback communities to promote sustainability and growth has always been a cause that is close to IOR’s heart. That is why the company has been a strong supporter of the many regional events and organisations that help improve the wellbeing of people in rural areas, including Heart of Australia, LifeFlight, It’s a Bloke Thing and Outback Futures.

As a critical part of an ongoing commitment to the safety of its staff, customers and the community, IOR regularly invests in fleet and equipment upgrades, with a recent example being a new DAF FAD CF85.510 8×4 rigid tanker complete with an ATE tank and Alfons Haar PreciMA490 diesel-only system used for on-site deliveries.

The new unit operates from the IOR depot at Injune in western Queensland, radiating out to service a range of customers including remote area mines, drill rigs and farms.

According to Alfons Haar Australia Sales Manager, Todd Amiet, the new system has a number of advantages compared to the earlier one it replaced.

“The PreciMA490 dispenser system has full compartment control with a manifold system connecting each compartment to the pump so there are no ‘jumper’ hoses that the driver needs to disconnect and reconnect. This eliminates spills and wastage,” Todd explains.

“The system has a wide flow range of 50 to 500 litres per minute and pre-set delivery volume through the hose-reel, allowing the driver to discharge fuel from one or all of the compartments at the press of a button. The hose-reel has a reach of 35 metres and there is also a bulk unmetered delivery outlet with a flow rate of up to 800 litres per minute.”

Another significant feature is the large overhead LED display with 100mm numerals that is said to be easily read from a distance of 35 metres, even in direct sunlight.

Also noteworthy is the compact nature of the combined meter and hose-reel which come assembled on the one frame, ready for installation to the chassis. This is an important consideration given the limited real estate on rigid trucks.

All of the wiring for the equipment works on the Alfons Haar PreciBUS system which is the safest method for tankers due to elimination of the chance of electrical sparks from conventional wiring.

Trailer also spoke with the DAF’s driver, Kevin Pringle, who previously drove IOR’s Kenworth T409 6×4 rigid fitted with a smaller tanker. He says upgrading to the DAF was a big change that took some getting used to, but many advantages soon came to the fore.

“The new one holds 19,700 litres compared to 14,000 litres with the T409,” Kevin says. “The hose-reel on the new one is heaps better too, 35 metres of hose with a flow rate of 400 litres per minute compared with 16 metres and 330 litres per minute.”

As for the DAF, Kevin reckons the 510hp MX-13 engine coupled with a 16-speed ZF automated manual transmission (AMT) is the bees-knees. “The only trouble is it’s making me lazy,” Kevin jokes, “you just steer the truck and it does all the gear changes for you.”

The truck is coupled to a quad-dog tanker with a capacity of 26,300 litres for the longer hauls which brings the gross combination mass to 57.5 tonnes.

According to Kevin, even at this weight the truck still performs well on the hills.

Interestingly, while agreeing the forward and side visibility from the driver’s seat is panoramic, he says the downside is that when the truck is stopped the cab interior heats up a lot quicker due to the large expanse of glass.

Overall, Kevin couldn’t be happier with the new combination, saying that the extra capacity of the tanker combined with the higher flow rate and longer hose reel length of the Alfons Haar system has significantly improved his productivity during an average day’s work.

Not having to deal with jumper hoses between the compartments and the pump is another big plus, making the operation quicker with the higher flow rates, significantly quieter than the old pump and with no spilt fuel causing waste and mess.

Fast Fact
The compact design of the Alfons-Haar PreciMA490 dispenser and hose-reel means the whole package comes assembled on the one frame, ready for installation to the chassis with minimal pipe work.

Article reproduced courtesy of Trailer magazine (April, 2019)

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