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RAINBOW HAULAGE KENWORTH T408E |
Take one of the latest Kenworth models, add plenty of stainless and chrome, custom made fittings, neon lights inside and out - on top of a quad axle chassis with a quad trailer; and the result is an extreme looking rig day and night. Rainbow Haulage (MJ and SO Rainbow Ltd) operate two of these near identical units and is run by husband and wife - Mark and Siobhain Rainbow, who are based in Taupo. XT was lucky to catch up with co-owner Mark recently on a run to Auckland.
Talking to Mark you get the feeling there wouldn't be anything else he would rather be doing for a job. Mark grew up around trucks and spent every chance he had in his Dad's - who was a driver with Bridge Freight and had NZ's first 3-axle swing lift. So a career in transport followed when he left school. Mark and Siobhain started Rainbow Haulage in 1997 after Mark had been working as a driver at TCD for some time. The company offered them round a town Auckland contract with an Isuzu, then on to a line haul contract and an ex company 1995 Volvo tractor and semi. They later upgraded in 2000 to a new Volvo and Fairfax trailer.
In 2002 they started with Goodman Fielder and moved to Taupo to service the Auckland Wellington and Palmerston Bakeries daily. In 2002 they replaced the Volvo with a new Iveco Powerstar which proved to be an awesome truck. But as Iveco Changed in 2005 to only automatic transmissions it was replaced with two 2005 Volvo 460hp Globetrotters. In Feb 2007 two more contracts were started with Goodman fielder in the dairy division and they purchased two of John Bryant's Kenworths: - a 2007 T404 axle tractor and a 2007 K104 4 axle tractor. The K104 proved to be a difficult truck and in Nov 2007 was replaced with a Volvo FH12 520hp 4 axle ishift. Volvo did a great deal to try the auto, however after 3 years of the ishift and T404 running side by side the T404 was seen by Mark and Siobhain as the performer. So when renewal came round Kenworth was the only choice and their good mate Steve Herring from Southpac knowing exactly what they wanted, helped them make these trucks what they are today, as well as the help of others.
The Kenworths were put on the road in May this year and both run Cummins 580hp ISX EGR under the bonnets coupled to 18 spd Roadranger RTL020918B Roadrangers with RT46-160GP diffs. The T408E features the 28" IT sleeper with the tare being approximately 10 tonne on the tractor and the trailer is a Maxitrans 4 axle fridge unit 46 pallet with mezzanine floor.
Chrome work and a number of other fittings were done by Chris Stanley. He custom made the bug deflector and visors, laser cut name plates on the steps and made the custom mudflap weights mounted on black mudflaps. Chris was also responsible for the front bumper skirt and lights, rear bumper and lights, KW bug cut-outs in between guards, stainless cab extenders, light bars on fuel tanks and supplied and helped with the design for the door entry lights and marker lights with white lenses and colour bulbs.
