Mitsubishi Fuso Canters monitor wear and tear on road surfaces throughout Britain
(21/06/2009)

Wear and tear on road surfaces in city centres and throughout Britain’s B, C and unclassified road networks is now being monitored with the help of three specialised Mitsubishi Fuso Canters.

The vehicles are equipped with an array of high-tech electrical equipment to measure the skid resistance of highways, and help road engineers plan when they need resurfacing.

Bristol-based operator W.D.M. Limited builds and supplies specialist road survey vehicles, as well as providing surveying services to public sector and large civil engineering contractors.

Its latest two 7.5-tonne Canter 7C18Ds were supplied by City West Commercials, the recently appointed Mercedes-Benz agent for the south-west – the German manufacturer’s franchised dealers are also responsible for sales and support of the Japanese light truck range in the UK.

Their arrivals follow the introduction of an identical Canter, which entered service last year.

WDM® employs a range of survey vehicles to monitor different aspects of road quality, including camber and surface deformations such as potholes, wheel ruts and cracking. Many are mounted on 26-tonne truck chassis, which are ideal for motorways, trunk and A roads. But, says Technical Director Ian Willis, their size makes them unsuitable for use in areas with narrow roads and dense traffic problems.

“The Canter, by contrast, is ideal for such environments,” he says. “Its forward-control cab and compact dimensions offer excellent visibility and manoeuvrability, while the 180hp 5.0-litre engine provides ample performance. What’s more, the chassis also has an exceptionally high payload capacity for its size.”

On each vehicle is mounted a SCRIM® – Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine – device. This comprises complex electronic monitoring equipment linked to a free-rotating wheel, which is aligned at 20 degrees to the direction of travel.

Water from a 2,000-litre tank is sprayed onto the road in the path of this wheel, and the wet road skidding resistance generated by the surface can then be accurately assessed.

The Canter’s Double crewcab houses the computer equipment used by the two-man team of driver and operator to carry out surveys.

“Our Canters are proving a great success,” continues Mr Willis. “They allow us to take our equipment into areas that have previously been very difficult to reach, such as urban and rural rush hour ‘rat runs’.”