MAN 18.290 4x2 BB CH – specifications

Together the TGL and TGM cover roughly 7.5 to 26 tonnes — distribution work in cities and regions plus lighter construction duty. The TGM is the heavier half: where the TGL ends at around 12 tonnes, its working range begins.

The difference is not only weight. The TGM is designed for bodies and duties demanding more frame rigidity — tippers, cranes, municipal bodies. Anyone planning a body should therefore establish early which class will carry it; a more powerful TGL does not replace a TGM.

For used purchases the same applies as with the TGL: the type number gives weight and power but says nothing about the year. Two vehicles with identical designations can be a decade apart in emissions stage and equipment. What matters is first registration and emissions standard, not the number on the cab.

With gross vehicle weights from 11,990 to 28,000 kg, the TGM sits mostly in EU class N3 (over 12 t), with its lightest versions right at the boundary with class N2; operating it already entirely requires a category CE driving licence, a tachograph and compliance with driving and rest times. As a tipper or crane chassis, the TGM often carries leaf-spring suspension on the rear axle, while long-haul versions were more often fitted with air suspension for ride comfort.