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A reputation for reliability
Page 70
Page 71
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EREs ECT tractor range has been on the market since 2002; Geoff Ashcroft looks at the ECT mid-lift tractor
In the three years that ERF's ECT tractor range has been on the market, sales have exceeded the firm's expectations and are close to 4,000 units All of which is good news for the prudent used truck buyer.
Built in Germany, the range includes 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 tractors, with the 6x2 option—available with 22.5in and lighter 19.5in pusher axles—being the most popular among fleet operators in this country.
Enhancing the payload by 365kg, the mid-lift Lite' has been a favourite of the petrol-chemical industry, where it has maximised tanker payloads.
ECT was brought in to replace the former F2000-based ECS range and the more traditional plastic-cabbed ERF ECX range. Power comes in three ratings and from two engine suppliers: Cummins and MAN.
The 1.1-litre Cummins motor is rated at 385 and 420hp, while the larger 13-litre 480hp MAN D28 common-rail engine offers extra power for those looking at longdistance work.
By far the most popular derivative has been the Cummins ISMe-powercd model rated at 420hp. It came with a ZF 16-speed box, though the 12-speed Tipmatic transmission was available as an option and sold in much smaller numbers.
At 480hp the ECT came with the Tipmatic transmission as standard, with the ZF 16-speeder available as an option. And given Cummins' current lack of commitment with its I -litre for Euro-4, says ERF, current ECTs are now getting access to the MAN D20 common-rail 10.5-litre engine rated at 430hp.
The cabs, based on MAN'sTG-A environment, are spacious and well equipped.The High Entry (TG-A XL), High Roof (LX) and Olympic (XXL) variants get climate control and tinted windows, with day cabs getting a decent driver's seat.
TorridgeTransport, based in Torrington, north Devon, runs a fleet of 29 trucks. 28 of which are Seddon Atkinson artics and seven are ERF ECT 11-42s with mid-lift axles ranging from '03 to 55 plates The firm handles general distribution work throughout the UK and has trucks covering up to 2,500 km a week,so reliability, performance and fuel economy are the order of the day.
Reliable wagons
Workshop foreman Les Paine is kept busy on fleet maintenance and servicing, but spends little time pulling the ERE's apart for major repairs.
"They're so reliable," he says. "The Cummins motor just keeps on going and we've an older EC11 on an S-plate that's covered over 750,000 km and has never had the motor apart."
He reports that the ERF is proving a much better truck than the Seddon Atkis and it's favoured by the drivers, being based on MAN's TG-A cab. Living space is clearly a priority with Torridge's choice of truck.
The firm currently has two more ECT tractors on order, but while final specification has not yet been decided, power will be coming from the 430hp D20 common-rail engine.
ZF manual gearboxes are fitted throughout the fleet, thoughTipmatic transmissions might be the next move forward for the firm.
Barking-based Roadways Container Logistics currently runs more than 100 ERF/MANbased trucks in its 270-vehicle fleet, including a considerable number of ECT 6x2 tractors.The firm has put its faith in Cumminspowered ERFs for about 20 years, citing reliability, ruggedness and durability as key decision making factors when buying ERE But a decline in dealer support and service levels during the ERF-MAN merger period has damped enthusiasm for what is an otherwise sound truck, according to the firm's UK engineering manager, Ian Humphreys.
"We're gradually introducing MAN products to our fleet to address ERF dealer shortcomings," he says."Wh en you rely on a factory-backed maintenance plan over a six-year fleet replacement policy, you put your faith in dealers and don't like to get your fingers burned."
"The MAN TG-As are essentially a very similar and familiar product, and will allow us to move up in power from 385hp Cummins I1-litre to the new D20 common-rail motor offering 430hp," he explains. "And we can then look at trying the Tipmatic gearbox.Two-pedal driving will level the fleet, make driving more relaxing and should make container trucking that bit more attractive to new drivers."
Variable economy
With a large network of depots the fleet runs irregular distances and given what containers can usually be packed with, all-up weight ranges up to 44 tonnes.As a result mileages vary up to 110,000km annually, with fuel economy peaking at 8.25mpg.
Humphreys reckons the ECTs have been cost-effective to run, and depots consider drivers when speccing tractor cabs. While many have opted for single-bunk, wide cabs, there's a shift to the doublebunk cabs for greater living space.
This has been a popular truck that has been welt-accepted among our drivers, and the 385hp Cummins engine is a great performer," he adds. •