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A Freightliner Coronado 122SD logging truck. Without a skid plate, deep mud, rocks and stumps can damage the undercarriage of a truck. |
In the severe off-road conditions of logging, heavy haulers score deep tracks in the mud as they move back and forth between the forest and the mill. Although temporary gravel roads provide some traction, landings used for turning around are oftentimes not large enough to maneuver. The result can be a log truck with the weight of the forest on its back, buried in the mud.
Buried up to its front axle, logging trucks require additional manpower, resources and money to get out of the mud and back on the road. Additionally, because temporary roads are built with bulldozers that push stumps and rocks aside, there is a chance that such debris can cause damage to the undercarriage of the tractor. The cost of damage to the truck itself can be quite extensive, not to mention the cost of taking the truck out of service for several weeks, if repairs are needed.
“That’s why skid plates are so important,” explains Tom Coffey, General Manager of Premium Truck & Trailer Inc., in Prince George, B.C. “Premium vocational trucks like logging or oil field trucks that get out in undeveloped sites absolutely need skid plates installed for protection. Skid plates are entirely necessary for all trucks that are operating in areas of low traction where there is a lot of mud and where it is not uncommon to sink up to your axle.”
With years of experience in the logging industry, Tom Coffey knows all about logging conditions and the damage mud can do to a truck.
“With his experience in the logging business, we decided to team up with Tom to come up with a one piece skid plate option for our customers,” says Randy Smith, Marketing Segment Manager for Freightliner Trucks. Freightliner currently offers currently offers two undercarriage protection options: the factory installed lower radiator and oil pan guard, which is a simpler steel skid plate and, for the real off-road severe duty operations, the Freightliner Coronado 122SD one-piece steel skid plate with an oil pan drain fitting, PDI installed.
Through Tom’s ingenuity and design, the one-piece Freightliner®
Coronado 122SD skid plate sets itself apart from the competition by protecting the underside of the truck from the front bumper right up to the front axle. Plus, it comes with an oil drain adapter kit option that threads onto the oil pan plug. With the addition of this kit, you can drain your oil without getting it on the skid plate.
“This one piece was designed to solve the exact need of the logging industry,” says Smith. “We are so pleased to be able to team up with Tom to provide this quality product for our customers.”
“Through Tom’s ingenuity and design, the one-piece Freightliner Coronado 122SD skid plate sets itself apart from the competition by protecting the underside of the truck from the front bumper right up to the front axle.
—Randy Smith,
Marketing Segment Manager, Freightliner Trucks”
Every aspect of heavy hauling takes knowledge, experience, precision and horsepower. But in the logging industry, where the loads are large and the mud is deep, a little extra protection is always a necessity.
This article was redistributed with permission from the Freightliner Severe Duty Report enewsletter. To sign up for the enewsletter visit FreightlinerTrucks.com.