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ON THE ROAD
Page 18
Page 19
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CM took the 16-twine Midlum on a three-hour drive to take in the delights of Dunstable's daytime congestion, Amuthill, the AB, Barton-le-Clay, Luton and Dunstable. As soon as Renault Trucks threw us the keys of the 1B-tonner we leapt in to check out the gearbox—an Eaton sixspeed. There was a time when six-speed gearboxes and 18 tonnes just did not get on. But with the arrival of common rail, torque-led engines and more horsepower, six gears is Just about what you need to get going before grinding to a haft in Dunstable's daytime traffic.
The torque band is pretty consistent, with 700Nm peak torque ranging from below 1,200rpm to just shy of 1,600rpm.
It tails off towards 1320Nm at 2,4011rpm, before dropping away completely. Besides, if you haven't changed gear by then, a hefty kick up the backside is yours free of charge.
Such is the broadness of the torque band that it can cope with pretty much any situation the truck gets Into in urban and buRt-up area& From a standing start in first gear, it won't win any prizes for the quickest off the grid, but it gets away soundly enough.
As you go up through the box, the first two changes are at 1,900rpm before dropping to 1,700rpm for third into fourth, 1,800rpm for fourth Into fifth and 1,550rpm for the final change.
Each one win drop you down to 1;125rpm so that you can get the best from the drive line.
The option of a 270hp engine Is recommended by the manufacturer for drawbar operations, but for standalone 4x2 operations the 220hp is plenty enough power, especially as many 18-tonners work a diminishing load to empty as the day passes by. The cruise control has developed to play a central part of the drivel's day, and its simplicity helps ensure it is a fuNy used tool.
The 2.85m-high day cab (1.98in width by 1.78m long) is not the biggest on the market, and if your driver is likely to carry a lot of paperwork then the sloping dash joining the front windscreen will probably be its home, *though there is an optional docu
ment holder available for the enfine tunnel.
The steering is Nght and easy, and the turning circle Is 9.51m kerb-tokerb—handy for those congested city centres. The driver gets an air-suspended seat with integral seat bolt and headrest, while the passenger has to make do with a mechanicallyadjustable version.