OPERATOR FEEDBACK
Page 34
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ROSS GA ti .1:111 "This is the first truck I've
bought for work that didn't have the truck manufacturer's
own engine" ROSS GARRETT 0 Ross Garrett, based at Frome, Somerset, has been driving a Foden since 1993—but not on the road. His 400-Series, complete with its 700hp Perkins Eagle engine, has earned him a cabinet full of trophies at European race truck meetings. It wasn't until Foden introduced the new cab that he became interested in adding a 3000-Series to his fleet, which includes six
Renault Premiums, two Mercedes-Benz Actroses and a Scania 3-Series.
"It looks infinitely better than the Daf 85, with the kite emblem on the grille and without those daft ears at the sides" he says.
A Cummins Mn 380 was Garrett's first choice of engine, but after a trial period he added a second Foden Alpha 6x2 tractor with the Caterpillar Cm. "I've been in the business 17 years and this is the first truck I've bought for work that didn't have the truck manufacturer's own engine," he remarks. "I decided to buy one of each so I could compare them. Both trucks are used on general haulage and do some tanker work. The Cummins model has covered tz4,000krn since August '98, and the Caterpillar model has done 152,000krn in the same period.
"If I had to pick one again I would specify the Caterpillar engine," he adds. "It's really torquey and it's best on fuel—at 9.6mpg it's almost exactly Lompg better than we get from the Cummins, The Cat engine came with the Jacob's engine brake. It wasn't offered with the Cummins and I didn't think to ask for it. The fact that the rear brakes had to be relined on the Cummins model at 86,000km wasn't related: the load sensing was set up wrong when it left the factory. Lex Foden put it right overnight and there was no quibble about it being covered by the warranty. The Cat model is still on the original linings. Its biggest drawback is that it has not got the Pollution Certificate yet, but it has been promised for next year. I don't want to have to buy catalytic exhausts at 13,000 a time.
"We are still running at 38 tonnes gross and expect to continue to do so until customer demand dictates something different," says Garrett. "I like to keep my trucks for four years and I will be looking for four replacements next year. I've had quotes from several manufacturers and to be truthful I would prefer to run Scanias, but Foclen's contract hire is the best on price by as much as £40 a week and that adds up over four years. It's too early to predict what residual values will be like, "My driver's only complaint is about the size of the cab," he says. "It's much too small. We use one driver per truck and they complain that they have nowhere to put gloves, number plates, straps etc without having to climb inside the cab and lift up the bunk. At the very least there should be a place for them to put their gloves when they open the door. The larger 4000-Series cab has never appealed to me and I think that it would be a retrograde step to have to specify it. A 95-Series-type Space Cab woUld keep my drivers happy; if that's not available then I will have to consider a Hatcher conversion." 0