Volvo tags an axle onto F16
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• As predicted by Commercial Motor last April, Volvo Trucks (Great Britain) is now offering its 342kW (465hp) F16 flagship as a 6x 2 tractive unit chassis alongside its existing 4x2 and 6x4 tractors.
The tag-axle F16 is fitted with the S-ride suspension that FI6 Volvo now available with S-ride tag-axle rear bogie. The asymmetric steel leaf suspension is already offered on the F10 and F12 artics. is already available on F10 and F12 models, and has single wheels on its third axle. Based on the shortest (3.2m) wheelbase F16 chassis, the tag-axle F16 has an overall length of 6.61m and a kerbweight of 8,320kg, compared with to the 4.3m-wheelbase 4 x 2 chassis' 7,320kg kerbweight.
Load distribution on the 18tonne design weight S-ride bogie is split 11 tonnes over the drive axle and seven tonnes on the tag axle. The lightweight bogie features asymmetric mechanical steel leaf springs with an air-bag lift for the rear axle which is controlled by a switch in the cab.
The Flfi tag-axle 6x2 costs £61,000 ex-VAT, compared with the 4 x 2 F16's £57, 500 ex-VAT. Volvo says that over 30 S-ride F16s have already been sold with the tag axle option, which was introduced in response to customer demand.