260kW (350hp) plus TRACTORS
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fter being inundated with highhorsepower tractors during 1990 it was no surprise that things calmed down a bit last year. For 1991 our testers got their hands on a pair of Swedish mid-range units from Scania and Volvo, and a pair of premium tractors from Sandbach using Cummins' latest 14-litre engine: the Super E 465 in a twinsteer ERF, and the 410 in a Hi-Line Foden.
The Scania 113's smart Streamline package certainly helped to produce the goods when it came to the overall fuel consumption. It was more than 6% ahead of the next best high-powered tractive unit tested this year. We liked the way the hinged bunk section in the Scania allowed the passenger seat to slide right back: such uncluttered space is always at a premium in a sleeper cab so the high roof line will also be appreciated by drivers. As tested the Scania Streamline, priced just short of E,68,000, clearly outstripped the field as the most expensive tractor.
e liked the latest interior in Volvo's F cab, but although the F12.360 comes across as a decent all-rounder, neither its performance nor its economy gave the productivity to stand out from its rivals. All four vehicles hold up well in the used vehicle market, though the list price of this Volvo with an old but still well-equipped cab, certainly takes some beating.
ERF's E14 6x2 also looks to be very good value for money.
Nothing we tested could beat its 14-litre Cummins 465 engine for power or torque, and its long, three-axled chassis gave it the edge when it came to ride, although none of the air-suspended 4x2s were bad.
Both of our Cummins-powered test vehicles also had STC (step timing control) which advances injection at low revs to prevent white smoke when cold and improves light-load fuel economy.
The lower rated unit in the Foden offers most of the advantages that this large capacity engine has to offer.
An optional Jake Brake amplified the efficiency of the Cummins engine's braking and other chassis manufacturers, such as Volvo, have since come to recognise some of its plus points.
The Foden, which CM's technical boys tested last year, also sported Category 1 anti-lock braking.
The 12-speed Eaton Twin Splitter, also specified by both ERF and Foden, is a driver's gearbox, which can be treated almost as a semi-automatic for most of the time.
An eight-year warranty on Foden and ERF plastic cabs highlights the manufacturers' faith in their anti-corrosion properties: the warranty on offer for traditionally constructed steel cabs tends to last less than half as long, he Foden 4450 came in last in the fuel stakes, but not so far behind. It was quickest and had almost a 500kg payload advantage — it was the only contender to break the 24-tonne payload barrier.
All four cabs are well equipped, but the list of options available for the Foden seems almost endless.
The balance of plusses and minuses left little to separate the individual models, but after hard fought arguments back and forth across the Commercial Motor technical team's desks it was the Foden 4450 tractive unit that finally emerged as this year's Testers' Choice in the premium truck category.