Tailor ade for the job After years of telling operators
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they could have anything they wanted, Foden has now switched to building "standard" trucks with its new Alpha range. CM is the first UK magazine to have a run out in the latest 3000 Series eight-legger. The blend of a new cab, with a tried-and-tested chassis and driveline, left us impressed. by Brian Weatherley • It's official. Foden is now a "volume" manufacturer with the arrival of the Alpha range. But before long-standing customers throw their hands up in horror here's the good news. It still has a Foden chassis. It still comes with a proprietary driveline. And you can still get Foden's FF20 rubber suspension on the back bogie of a tipper. So where's the difference?
Foden's old GRP cab has all but been consigned to the history books—it remains only on the full width (non-Alpha) 4000 Series. In its place is an all-steel cab courtesy of fellow Paccar group member Daf. Foden has taken the basic 75/85 Series cab shell and given it its own unique identity, right down to the famous kite marque on the grille.
Commercial Motor has already covered the Alpha's arrival in detail (CM 2-8 April). Now we're the first UK magazine to take a fully laden Alpha 8x4 for a spin. Climbing into the new Foden eight-wheeler is easy. The Daf cab's 90° opening door and wide aperture make sure of that. But where the original Daf multiwheeler cab came with a fixed bottom step and flexible "bucket" plastic step surround, Foden has taken a more practical approach from the start.
The Alpha tipper's first step rides on a stout tube which swings upwards out of harm's way. The steps are wide and well-placed and should shrug off mud thanks to their pierced hole design. And if the going gets really tough there's also a very stout radiator and sump guard.
Once in the saddle, the dash is certainly familiar. All the instru ments and controls are well placed and there are far fewer nooks and crannies inside to collect dirt than in a Scania. Finding a comfortable driving position is child's play. The Alpha's steering wheel adjusts for height and rake using a simple lever on the right of the column. And if you've been hitting the fry-ups lately don't worry. You can also push the column out of the way while you climb out.
The interior trim is practical with a capital P. The thick rubber floor covering will be easy to brush or hose out, the vinyl door panels will wipe clean and the sensible dark blue and black colour scheme won't show the dirt There's plenty of storage space including a big bin on the back wall (the top should be hinged rather than clipped on) backed by a centre tray and headlining pockets with sensible nets. The Cummins Road Relay display and radio sit in the headlining too. We can live with the former but sorry Foden, radios should be dash-mounted.
Building a practical tipper is one thing, making it driver. friendly is another.
Our test tipper was powered by the 380hp Cummins M11, an engine we've already come to like during artic tests. It takes a little while to become used to the Cununins electronic "idle away", where you simply release the clutch and the engine works out the revs by itself. The natural reaction is to feed in the throttle yourself—but you only end up with a jerky start. Let the CELECT take over and you're guaranteed stress-free starts, whatever your load.
With more than 1,800Nm of torque Orl tap we were expecting an easy drive. And with an allup weight of just under 32 tonnes progress was rapid. The eight-speed Eaton synchro box is generally well matched to the Cummins Mll 380, indeed the only gap we noticed was between sixth and seventh, where a few more revs were needed above the end of the 1,200-1,700rpm green economy band when changing up. However, the Mll has plenty of low down grunt and pulled through roundabouts and junctions at 1,000rpm quite happily. The synchromesh S-Series Eaton box isn't as rapid as a Twin Splitter. Shift too quickly and you can hear, and feel, the synchro cones clonking. But overall, shift loads are excellent (and noticeably lighter than a ZF Ecosplit) so we can't see why operators shouldn't take a shine to it.
If we've one ques tion on the Cummins/Alpha combination it's interior noise. The Mll has a distinctive growl which is particularly noticeable when revving up, although on the motorway it dies back to a muted burble. With no noise meter to make an objective comparison we'll simply say it's "distinctive"—but Foden might look at the possibility of extra insulation.
Hopefully that too will have disappeared by the time we test the Alpha 380 proper.
However, there's no denying the new Foden eight-legger's superior handling. You'd expect a fully-laden 8x4 to be comfortable, but the Alpha is a lot more than that. It has a controlled yet supple ride made all the more enjoyable by a very supportive driver's seat that comes with built-in headrest and seatbelts. You'll not find too many complaining if they have to do a full day's work in the Alpha. What's more they'll still feel good at the end of it.