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It's hard to refuse Dennis' fine offer
Page 26
Page 27
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REGARDING YOUR refuse truck challenge (CM10 March) I feel your test was lacking in a few major areas and should be amended to give a true picture to anyone who may be thinking of purchasing this type of vehicle.
• The Dennis has a window on each door, operated electrically from the driver's door. This is essential for communication between driver and crew. The Mere has only a small window on the driver's door, which is quite regularly the cause of a few lumps on the head.
0 The Merc has a very low driver's door, which is also prone to bumping heads on entry/exit. It can be quite stiff, too, and does not close without a significant amount of effort from the driver.
• The blind spots on the. Mere are intolerable thanks to the scissor door and division of the windscreen which splits the driver's view of the nearside into several sections, all of which are rather small. The mirror on the nearside can be difficult to use to its full potential due to the scissor door,too.
• The Mere wins hands down on the rear steering axle. This offers a huge advantage over the Dennis, especially considering the tighter turning circle of the front axle of the Mere.
• The difference in stability between the vehicles is actually quite noticeable; with the Dennis offering a more secure feel.
• The bin lifts go in favour of the more forgiving Dennis too. If a bin is not lined up near perfectly on the Mere it is simply thrown away, which is a serious design fault.
• The camera on the Dennis is fixed in the middle of the vehicle, pointing down on both the bin lifts and the crew, and it cannot be positioned any better.The Mere on the other hand,due to the mechanics, could not position the camera in the same place.They decided to position the camera at one side pointing across the back of the vehicle, which means only one bin lift is visible from the driving seat.
I have experience with both of these models and I feel that my points are both valid and first hand.
When you are out there working with a crew you know what you need to do the job both safely and efficiently.
In this test, the Dennis wins without a doubt.There is room for improvement, but then again, everything could be improved.I can assure you there are very few drivers out there who would choose the Mere over the Dennis.
Richard Boyle by e-mail Editor's reply: The comments about the driver's access and the steering on the Econic were actually covered in the text Also, the test was intended to be of the chassis and not the bodies, which would be specified by the operator However, we are pleased to pass on readers' operational experiences