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far have gone into the waste disposal sector.
Page 48
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Powertronic uses a torque convertor with automatic lock-up in each gear via planetary gears, disc clutches and brakes. An electronic control system monitors the gears, switching them in and out.
It's a two-pedal brake and accelerator affair with a selector lever in place of the usual cog stirrer. A dash display lets the driver know what mode he is in.
The three driving modes are unladen (U), laden economy (E) and laden full power (F) as well as the usual neutral position and reverse slots.
In the U position shifting takes place at low (1.100-1,500 rpm) engine speeds while the Efor-economy slot (1,250-1,650rpm) is for loaded journeys under normal conditions. Over hilly terrain the F mark ensures that up and down shifts take place at much higher revs, up to 2,100rpm.
The gear lever also has two switches. The 1-1/BR rocker switch denotes H for hold to lock in the gear selected and BR (braking) mode which keeps the revs at optimum engine exhaust braking speeds, changing down if necessary. The other switch. marked FS, gives first gear starting in crawler ratio on six-speed boxes. When it's not used, Powertronic starts are in second.
Volvo's optional retarder comprises a floormounted exhaust brake button and a dashmounted lever to adjust the retardation effect. Used in conjunction with the BR brake switch there's a distinct danger of locking up the driven wheels on slippery surfaces so care must be taken. Most drivers will soon get used to that feature, particularly when running empty. They'll like the kick-down or extra power mode too.
• Impressions
Our first drive was in an elderly but sweetrunning FL10 320 8x4 with 858,000km on the clock and 20.5 tonnes of one-inch limestone on the back for delivery to a batching plant in Otley.
Starting from Coldstones Quarry above Pately Bridge it was slow going to the head of the two-mile descent to the notorious dog-leg crossing of the A59 at Blubberhouses.
Several spring-busting lateral ruts brought the older FL10 down to walking pace followed soon after by delving into the lower gears and keeping the exhaust button down for the long undulating drop.
Then, as the 20% (1-in-5) near the A59 crossover approached, it was heavy footbrakes to the broken line.
From there it was a slow climb in intermediate gears over Snowdon Moor and a similar controlled descent to the dangerous elbow just above Otley. Though retardation was still very effective, the air around the FL10's brakes shimmered with the heat generated.
With the stone dropped at the batching plant behind the old cattle market, it was a slow return to the main mad.
Driving empty to Coldstones calls for just as much caution, particularly at , the A59 crossover where careful braking is critical. County councillors should try bringing a caravan down this washboard, let alone an empty eight legger. At the quarry, Crossroads Group's Vol v: L-reg FL10320 eight leg ger with Powertronic and retarder awaited us with a full load.
The demonstrator vehicle was well run-in with 108,000km to its credit. We sheeted at the platforms provided by the quarry before taking to the precipitous moorland roads.
It doesn't take long to feel the difference between a 32-tonner with standard transmission and one with Powertronic—with the new technology you can decelerate quicker and safer from much faster speeds, both up and down the steepest gradients.
There's no need to touch the footbrakes either: it's all down to the hydraulic retarder. It certainly fills the driver with confidence, and with some justification too. It also ought to reassure the public to know that some hauliers are prepared to invest heavily in such safety-related equipment.
• Incentives
Perhaps its time the UK followed the example of some other EC states by providing hauliers with incentives for fitting such effective speed retarding systems.
Powertronic gearchanges are also very fast and barely perceptible. which is time saving and less wearing on both man and machine.
Apart from stopping at junctions or on sites, you can do a day's work and rarely have to step on the brakes.
Broken spring leaves are common on this terrain but later FL1Os have three-leaf parabolics at the front and a beefier nine-leaf pack at the rear. This enables ridges and ruts to be absorbed and bends to be negotiated at much faster speeds.
By adjusting the retarder control, the tipper can either be held at the appropriate speed on hills or brought down to walking pace much quicker and without touching the brake pedal.
For more serious stops, reaction from the BR switch is surprisingly quick and efficient but drivers need to realise that prolonged use can lock up the back end.
In the standard FL10 we had been down to a snail's pace for much of the way near Otley: amazingly, Powertronic enabled it to run faster and closer to obstacles before having to slow down.With BR selected and using the exhaust brake too deceleration was most impressive. It quite easily held the laden Volvo 8x4 to the maximum 40mph on the steep drop. Then with a short BR application, it slowed it more quickly at the 30mph builtup zone.
After that the nasty S-bend above the town seemed something of an anticlimax. In an out-and-out emergency, cool brakes are always readily available.
At the Otley batching plant more time was saved simply by being able to engage the 'live' PTO while manoeuvring. Returning empty illustrated how much time can be saved on long climbs and descents. Smooth, uninterrupted gearchanges were the norm and braking could be left much later and in absolute safety.
Longthorne's tippers work right across the West Riding, especially around Halifax, and the Greenhow-to-Otley stretch mirrors the nefarious drop into Sowerby Bridge.
Longthorne doesn't need reminding of the significance of that fact.
"Twenty one years ago," he says, "32 old folk lay dead at the bottom of Devil's Bridge less than a mile from Hebden after a coach's brakes failed. "It's one of the UK's worst-ever road disasters and still without enough warning signs for visitors, let alone a memorial, even now."
• Gradients
That and Sowerby Bridge are a constant warning to everyone that such gradients can take a toll unless proper brake maintenance is observed.
Ever mindful of safety, Longthorne sees his seven Volvo FL10 Powertronic tippers with retarders as a real advance.
"It would be nice to demo' them at Sowerby Bridge," he says, "just to show what advances are being made. But I doubt that the police or Brake would want to know about it, which is a shame. It seems that they're just not interested in 'good news' stories."
He believes his Powertronics will save on suspension, running gear and on brake linings too. "In this neck of the woods," he explains, "some 32 tonners are lucky to get 30,000 km between brake relines. If these new Volvos fulfil their potential I could end up with a complete fleet of them and may never have to change brake linings again."