Double Coin Imaging Awards

Hawke’s Bay highways are where you’ll see some of New Zealand’s newest big horsepower logging rigs and head turning paint schemes.

Storm Harrison’s new Waikawa Haulage Scania S 730 logger is a prime example with a Euro 6 spec 16-litre V8 producing 730hp, premium specifications and a `Show & Shine’ quality custom finish.

Christened `Tane Mahuta’, the Scania combines Swedish muscle with Kiwi finish quality to convey its “God of the Forest” theme.

The S 730 is Storm’s first new truck and he’s set aside a long time liking for Kenworth’s to take the European route.

“Pretty much I’ve always been a Kenworth fan but when I looked into the horsepower of the Scania, the competitive pricing, the comfort and the Scan Plan [Scania Assistance service and maintenance package] I decided it was the way to go.

“The Scan Plan was the biggest thing for me.”

In just over a month Storm has clocked up 18,000km in the S 730. 

“You’ll see it around Hawke’s Bay, up to Gisborne and in Taupo. Dannevirke and Masterton is as far as I have gone so far.

“I’m pretty rapt with how it performs. It’s on a 54-tonne permit and mostly I’ve been running at between 52 and 53 tonnes. It conquers all the hills, passes a lot of other trucks up the big climbs and the fuel economy is awesome,” says Storm.

“Scania has quite a few different cab choices, and I didn’t think too much about it when I ordered the truck. But the S Mid-Roof works really well for logging and it looks good with the `spotties’ mounted up high.”

That row of lights is only the icing on the cake of a truck that has had a lot of thought and attention applied to its visuals.

The choice of colours – Black Cherry and Candy Apple Red – on the Waikawa Scania and also the Kenworth T909 of Storm’s younger brother Jarvis are a nod to the colours of their father’s trucks and the design running along the sides of the cab is a tribute to their Ngati Kahungunu ancestry. 

“It’s based on our old man’s trucks but it’s the new generation,” says Storm.

The choice of the name was also carefully considered.

“We’ve had a bit of bad luck of the last few years, and I thought we should ask our god to look out for us,” Storm says.

Rotorua-based Scania NZ account manager Callan Short handled the order and delivery of the S 730.

“Storm didn’t muck around,” Callan says.

“He basically ticked every box from the factory and then added stuff like the offsets and drop visor locally. Haddocks did the metallic paint and Caulfield Signs finished all the signage. It’s definitely an eye-catching truck.”

Storm selected Patchells to equip the logger with the Scania fitted with a new “shorts” set up and a new 5-axle multi trailer. He says the choice of Patchells gear is based on the quality of its finish.

The truck specification includes onboard scales and CTI, offset steerers, LED light bar, Dura-bright alloys and a Broshmik stone guard and drop visor. The cab interior features V8 leather trim, a fridge and Scania’s optional premium sound system.

“Darryn [Caulfield] and his main man Joe Fox showed us how the design would look with masking tape and then they went for it,” says Storm.

The design is a combination of bold graphics and detail work – in particular the woodgrain effect incorporated into the red.

“Storm’s original design idea came from his brother’s Kenworth T909. He wanted the same colours and the woodgrain finish effect,” says Darryn Caulfield.

“It’s freehand airbrushed and done in a basecoat with a clearcoat over the top.

“The woodgrain idea came from Aaron Hamilton’s Kenworth at Panpac – his truck was green with a woodgrain finish.

“The air brush effect is also carried into the grill and the Scania badges to get the custom paint look.

“Everything else is printed or vinyl. The murals on the side windows are printed images.

“Haddocks painted the base colour of the cab and chassis and we do the paint protection on cab front and drivers step areas. The pinstripes and scrolls on the trailer are done by hand and we use a 2K paint that isn’t affected by an acid wash.

“It’s quite time consuming. We’ve done the woodgrain effect a few times now so we have got a good process sorted.

There’s also quite a bit of time in getting all the other elements right, logos, pinstripes, scrolls, numbers and murals to work together to create the finished required and tie in with the colours of the paint”.

“It’s worth the work because it’s a truck we get a lot of great feedback from,” says Darryn.

“The result is unique to them. Jarvis wanted something different on his Kenworth and Storm has taken it from there. Both trucks are real head turners.”