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46T1 hy on earth test a Scania now?"
It's a good question. After all,
pictures of the long-awaited Series 4 tractor have already appeared in Commercial Motor, so it will be replacing the 143 any time now, won't it? The answer, as is so often the case, is yes...and no.
It's true that Scania is expected to launch the Series 4 before the end of this year but right-hookers won't appear in any numbers much before the middle of 1996.Until then UK operators will have to make do with the current range, which includes the subject of this week's CM roadtest—the R143-420.
It's some time since we tested a Scania with the 14,2-litre vee-eight. Our last excursion with the big vee was in August 1992 when we took the mountain-slaying R143-500 round C.714's Scottish test route. We've also tested 470 and 4,50hp versions of the R143, but somehow the lowest-rated R143-420 escaped the attention of our technical team. We reckoned that the advent of Euro-1 engines, made this a good time to take a fresh look. So did Scania Trucks (GB), which added an extra dimension to the test by speccing our 4x2 tractor with its integral hydraulic retarder. CM has long since stopped questioning the 6.9 value of retarder& To borrow Sir Robert Mark's famous quote, we think they're a major u contribution to road safety (and make an equally large contribution to extending brake 1su_ lining life. General hauliers on this side of the Channel have yet to embrace retarders in any great number, but a growing band of UK operators have grasped their benefits. 8 Presumably the majority that haven't are traditionalists with a soft spot for brake fade.
• PRODUCT PROFILE There's nothing particularly "new" about the R143-420. It's the same solid Series 3 4x2 tractor that's proved so popular with owner-drivers and international hauliers alike since it first appeared in 1988. Along the way the 14.2-litre vee-eight has been tweaked into Euro-1 guise. The non-electronic 420 DSC14-08 lump puts out 420hp (309kW) at 1,900rpm with a hefty 1,383Ibft (1,875Nm) of torque at 1,150rpm; one of the highest ratings in its class.
Standard transmission on the R143-420 is Scania's GR900 nine-speed range change synchro box. However, our test tractor came with the optional GRS900 14-speed splitter version.