www.commercialvehicle.in Volume 15 Issue 3 • December 2020 ` 120 exclusive Driving the LX 2825.TK BSVI

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Driving the Tata Prima LX 2825.TK BSVI The Tata Prima LX 2825.TK makes an effective heavy-duty tipper.

05 Straight Drive Bhushan Mhapralkar

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10 CV News n Meru’s partnership with InterMiles n Volvo SDLG excavator n JCB dual-fuel CNG backhoe loader n BKT’S giant EarthMax SR 468 n Vijayawada procures Tata CVs n AbhiBus microapp n ETO Motors commences deliveries? n DICV global capability centre; new BB touchpoints n Optare is now ‘Switch Mobility’ n Conti Urban HA3 n NMPML diesel buses n M&M ‘K2’ n BEST to acquire 100 doubledecker buses? n Infraprime Logistics to roll out more e-trucks? n TSRTC to increase fleet?

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Commercial Vehicle 18 December 2020 // www.commercialvehicle.in Cover Story Driving the Tata Prima LX 2825.TK BSVI The Tata Prima LX 2825.TK makes an effective heavy-duty tipper.

Bhushan Mhapralkar

t is a normal working week- purchase price, the Prima found day in Pune. The traffic on itself in a quagmire almost. the by-pass is in full swing. What a waste! Correcting itself IThe adjoining service roads quickly, the Prima range shed are also quite full. There is a features. It trimmed itself to curious mix of two-wheelers, meet market expectations, the three-wheelers, passenger LX suffix bringing it up to speed. vehicles and CVs on the roads. Yet it still struggled to find many A part of these is a bright takers. Those who understood yellow Tata Prima LX 2825.TK its potential took it. The larger heavy-duty tipper with a GVW audience however still weighed of 28-tonnes. Tracing its origin on the legacy range. to the ambitious ‘World Truck All this changed with Platform’, which involved a large regulations and economic collaborative effort with the changes over the past few years. participation of Tata Operators were compelled among others from the Group, it to look beyond the initial is drawing attention for its size acquisition cost. Finding its way and looks. Marking an arrival to a construction site to dispose of a modern heavy-duty truck off its load, the only other CV range a decade ago roughly, that could draw attention is a the Prima looked like it was way yellow 6x BharatBenz 2825CM. ahead of its time. What with It however quickly changes the market happy lapping up the route and heads down trucks (including Tata’s own a different road. If the form legacy range) with a lower initial of Prima makes it a modern acquisition cost. Heading into machine, gets heads to turn, a market seized of the initial there is definitely more to it than

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in // December 2020 19 cover story

Commercial Vehicle 20 December 2020 // www.commercialvehicle.in cover story

just that. There is a form, but good progress on a crowded of the windshield. also function. There’s aesthetics; road. Contributing to a good there’s safety, security, reliability, ride is the truck’s four-point Comfort and convenience efficiency, value and more. suspended cab. It is helping With comfort and convenience Easy to manoeuvre despite soak up a good deal of road a part of the ‘Power of Six’ its seemingly large form and surface irregularities thus. It is strategy by for this dimensions (it needs to be underlining the driver-centric truck, a positive first impression seen in flesh), the Prima 2825. approach from behind the wheel is had as the construction site TK is making a positive first by displaying good ergonomics draws close. Fitted with a 16 impression. Its modern cab and visibility. Helping good cu. m. superstructure and Hyva layout is making it appear driver- visibility is the ample glass area hydraulics, the truck is displaying centric. As a value machine, the and the well-placed rear-view good tractability. It is pointing heavy-duty tipper is looking mirrors. There is a blind spot at its ability to perform. Amid robust and modern. It is making mirror located at the top centre the environs of a spacious,

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2825.TK is turning out to be an interesting machine. Its higher seating position is a boon. In front of the driver is a seemingly well-conceived and well-built large dia. modern steering wheel. cabin, the heavy-duty tipper is Behind it, a new digital instrument beginning to hint at the other cluster with a large speedometer factors of the ‘Power of Six’, like and tachometer dials and an LCD lower TCO, choice, connectivity readout for fuel efficiency, DEF and peace of mind. If the sturdy level and else. The contouring of rear-view mirror placed at the the driver and co-passenger seat centre and above the windscreen ensuring good body support to is coming handy in tricky traffic make driving long hours fatigue situations involving bikers and free, the heavy-duty tipper, with a other local traffic (and helping 6x4 axle combination, is already eliminate a blind spot), the Prima succeeding in conveying the fact

Commercial Vehicle 22 December 2020 // www.commercialvehicle.in cover story

point suspended, the driver’s seat is not. But then the ride quality is good by the standards of a truck. The ‘T’ in the name standing out for radial tyres, 2825.TK is engineered such that it would spend more time on-road than off the road. It is engineered to carry load over a longer distance. A distance, for example, of 120 kms from Pune to Navi Mumbai, ferrying crushed stones for a road project. A hard-working machine the heavy-duty tipper is coming across. It is also a machine that would get little sympathy in return for its capabilities or the nature of work it does. Equipped with features like real-time fuel efficiency coaching that indicates that it is the CV major’s flagship the fuel efficiency had on the offering. The headrests of the instrument cluster (we are doing seats, by the way, are integrated. a poor 2.2kmpl given the traffic As part of the larger and wider and speed), the Prima 2825.TK Prima heavy-duty truck range, is continuing to impress with its the Prima LX 2825.TK comes with ability to perform. air-conditioning as standard. With the windows rolled up (the driver Technology and value side window can take some effort Equipped with a Fleet Edge to roll up when driving), it is easy telematics suite that is in-line to converse. Displaying good with the changing expectations refinement levels, the heavy- of the Indian CV market, duty tipper rides on 20-inch dia. which is now beyond the mere wheels. While the cabin is four- prospect of track and trace,

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the heavy-duty tipper, powered efficiency among various other load, the heavy-duty tipper is by a 250 hp 6.7-litre Cummins factors. With the Cummins ISBe now very near to the construction ISBe BSVI diesel engine, is also BSVI powerplant at the core, site where it is supposed to hinting at the rise in electronics the CV major paid attention dispose off its load. Engineered onboard through its digital to retaining or increasing the to further enhance fuel-efficiency, instrument cluster that is also efficiency of the truck. This, the three drive modes are yet quite attractive to look at. A despite a significant shift in fluid another indication of how the BSVI machine, the truck is about dynamics. The injection bar rise in electronics on-board is the transition from BSIV and pressure was hiked. With an SCR making a difference. The modes beyond, It is about technology exhaust after-treatment system also underline the premise of and efficiency. It is about on-board, a flatter torque curve a value truck that is capable of aggregates and an ability to in the 1000 rpm and 1700 rpm providing a lower TCO in a highly meet the application-need of range was had. This led to better competitive environment. Fitted the customer. A modern and tract-ability and reduction in the with a single reduction live axle impressive machine that it is frequency to change cogs. at the rear, the Prima 2825.TK, turning out to be, the Prima Shifting to a higher set of in terms of aggregate choice, 2825.TK is also adding to the gear – the nine-speed manual could be had with a 14 cu. m. knowledge about what the transmission has a ‘gate’ which Hardbox body too. It could be value truck generation is really separates the lower set of four had in a 2825.K model version going to look like. Having seen gears including the crawler with with nylon tyres. This heavy-duty a host of changes to make the higher set of gears, the Prima tipper version is aimed at higher it better, efficient and agile, 2825.TK has the construction off-road work than tarmac travel, the heavy-duty machine is site in view. It is not very far from which this truck with radial tyres doing good speeds as the the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. is good at. Featuring a bogie traffic has eased up a bit It is, Equipped with three drive modes suspension at the rear, the Prima in the process, telling a story – ‘Light’. ‘Medium’ and ‘Heavy’, LX 2825.TK is thus a part of a about how Tata Motors went which typically mean fuel saving larger plot that is well-envisaged about achieving a fine balance when returning empty, at partial to understand as well as address between performance and load or when moving with full- the various needs of the tipper

Commercial Vehicle 24 December 2020 // www.commercialvehicle.in cover story

operators. To provide him an with an engine brake that is the truck and extend its service ability to almost configure his activated by turning one of the life as well as elevate operational truck on his own almost. two steering column stalks, the safety. The braking system of heavy-duty tipper is about to the 6x4 machine has also been Productivity and profits end its assignment. The next revised. The ‘S’ cams have been Enhancing the value equation assignment would be waiting suitably strengthened to hold of its flagship offer, Tata Motors, for it as a matter of fact. As a better under heavy usage. with its Prima range of tippers is machine meant to do business Changes have been made to the building at formidable challenge thus, the heavy-duty tipper is material composition of the ‘S’ that could get fleets to look about the use of technology cams too. Deftly carrying itself beyond initial acquisition cost to increase productivity and on the narrow rough road inside and on to the entire cost of profits. The 2825.TK looks the construction site, the Prima operation. A hardy machine the promising on this front. It seems 2825.TK is surprisingly easy to Prima 2825.TK is turning out to to be better positioned with manoeuvre, thanks in part to be as it gets off the road and features like engine brake that the visibility had from the ample rolls down the earthen road of works to reduce the load on the glass area and the placement of the construction site. Equipped pneumatic braking system of the mirrors.

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Fitted with a vertical on an incline. Making way for drivers. From the point of view of exhaust to ensure that it does less experienced drivers to get shortage of experienced drivers. It not blow loose earth from the behind the wheel, the ‘hill hold is the functions like these that make road underneath and clog vital assist’ function keeps the brakes the Prima 2825.TK look promising. components, reducing their engaged for a few moments that With the load disposed off, and the service life in the process, the it would take the driver to shift tipping body down to its ‘normal’ Prima 2825.TK, with a wheelbase his foot from the brake to the position, the heavy-duty tipper is of 3950 mm and a lightweight accelerator. It is done by making set for another trip, this time a bit fuel tank of 300-litres, is priced changes to the ‘electronics’ part longer and of more value. Life of at Rs.45 lakhs. It features a day of the ABS-equipped braking a tipper, it is clear, is not easy. The cab, and is equipped with a smart system. Elevating safety, the good part is, it is made better and hill hold assist feature too. This ‘hill hold assist’ function is of perhaps rewarding by modern, feature ensures that the truck particular importance from the value-oriented machines like this does not roll back when starting point of view of shortage of one is.

Commercial Vehicle 26 December 2020 // www.commercialvehicle.in