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RISING PRICE • Heavyweight Japanese Hino trucks have been built in Ireland since 1968 when J Harris (Assemblers) of Cloghran, Co Dublin was granted a licence by Hino to assemble and sell vehicles shipped from Japan in knock-down form.
The marque soon established a rugged reputation within the Irish construction industry and came to dominate the local sixand eight-wheeler tipper market. Plans to set up a similar assembly plant in the north-west of England have not materialised. Instead HCV Motor Vehicle Distributors of Warrington, Cheshire is importing sixand eight-wheeled models at the rate of five a week.
Later this year the range is to be joined by a lightweight six-wheeled chassis, aimed at the mixer market, and the SH283 tractive unit, for operation it 38 nes GCW. This was due to be launched last year, but at Hino's instigation modifications were made to comply with future noise regulations which delayed its submission for type approval.
The latest Hino 8x4 forward-control FY275 is powered by a naturally-aspirated 13.27 litre straight six engine.
It was launched last spring and Hino's UK agents says it is selling all the vehicles it can get, but it does not operate a demonstrator. Our test vehicle was taken out of service and loaned to us by M Webb Haulage of Luton.
Its high chassis kerb weight of over nine tonnes is partly due to the long 6,025m wheelbase needed to accommodate the standard 1.5m sleeper cab and a 6.6m body length. The addition of a relatively small but sturdy Charlton 14m3 steel body and FC162 Hyva tipping gear (620kg with oil) restricts the potential on road payload capacity to just 18.78 tonnes. This compares poorly to shorterchassied and day-cabbed Seddon Atkinson 301 and Foden S108 models offering payloads of over a tonne more.
The gap can be closed slightly by specifying the parabolic front spring option and the lighter standard six-speed gearbox.
The cab is reminiscent of the TK Bedford but fulfils many of the operational requirements of a tipper.
Rat floor wells either side of the low engine cowl are high above the wheel arches and come flush to the door edges. Easy-to-remove mats will suit those who want to hose the floor clean. Two steps give good grip, and a hand rail at the end of the facia provides extra purchase for safe entry. Trim is basic with fibreboard panels lining the lower section of the cab and only paint covering the inside of the low (1.43m) roof. Steering column rake and height are adjustable and the driver's mechanical suspension seat can be adjusted to suit his weight. Foot pedals are large but so widely placed that the right foot naturally falls not on the accelerator but on the brake control: at first this led to some confusion when we were attempting to move off.
Plenty of windows offer good all-round visibility and the Japanese-style external nearside mirror provides useful extra visibility close to the front bumper.
The instruments show the basic information clearly and the binnacle also car ries the radio and ventilation/beater controls. We were advised by the regular driver to select the fresh-air setting, as in his experience the recirculating position tends to induce headaches. A third seat can be folded forward to double as a document tray.
Four-point suspension comprising coil springs and shock absorbers enhances the cab's ride quality while restricting the rolling on bends.
Despite its long wheelbase the FY 275's manoeuvrability is good. With a turning circle of about 21m it betters every other eight-legger tested over our current tipper route. The steering is precise and without vices. At speed on the motorway, and when driven more slowly through country lanes, the vehicle could invariably be positioned precisely.
• PERFORNIANCE
Over the motorway section, where speeds rarely dropped below 80kmfh, we were able to return good average journey times and low in-cab noise levels contributed to overall driving comfort.
Maximum speed is about 108kinth and using the crawler gear, the 13.7 litre diesel was just able to pull away up a 1-in-4 (25%) test hill, even though the spring brakes only just held and the system was reluctant to give a clean release due to a slow response in dumping its air.
• BRAKING
Slow manoeuvring provoked rapid loss of the available air capacity. At the end of the Lest, when several shunts and brake applications were needed to dislodge the sticky load, the air pressure dropped and prevented the Hyva tipping gear being lowered until the compressor regenerated a safe working level.
Other aspects of brake performance, tested on both brake rollers and the track, were impressive. Although frontaxle braking does not seem to meet the split requirement, the system does comply with C and U regulations as the rear spring brakes are nominated as the secondary system.
Under road driving conditions the excellent exhaust brake, which restricts both the inlet and exhaust manifolds, can be switched in to operate automatically on overrun, avoiding a large number of service brake applications.
Unusual among current high-powered turbocharged and charge-cooled engines, the Hino engine design is uncomplicated and relies on sheer capacity to develop its 181kW of power and torque of 849Nm.
While acceleration, performance and overall journey times are comparable with Cummins L10-powered maximum weight rigids, the Hino engine's higher speeds through the gears and lower torque result in a poorer urban road fuel consumption of 38.71it/100km, identical to its return over the motorway section.
Our 1-in-6.25 hill climb pulled the vehicle's momentum back to a point where we had traversed all eight ratios, from top to first. The gate pattern is in the form of a double H separated by a detent.
The positions of first and second ratios are very close to those of third and fourth. This led to some uncertainty when selecting the right gear when pulling away. On the other hand skip changing from third to first proved to be quite slick. The coolant header tank, mounted at the rear of the cab, is easily accessible, but checking the oil level with the dip stick located behind the nearside front wheel could prove to be a messy job with this on/off road model. An electro-hydraulic cab tilt system with manual override gives fast, effortless access to the engine compartment in less than 30 seconds, but for maximum access bolted side shrouds must also be removed.
With brake actuators set high out of harm's way, off-road ground clearance is determined by the height of the axle differentials. Multi-leaf rear springs working about a central trunnion allow the bogie a fair degree of articulation with which to maintain traction in difficult conditions. Four fuel line filters also cater for an adverse off-road operating environment, but they have been known to complicate fuel feed in cold weather.
II SUMMARY
From the driving seat we were a little surprised by our overall impressions of the }lino 8>(4. It is quiet inside the cab, the ride is good and it handles well. The big, 13.27 litre naturally-aspirated engine, coupled to a nine-speed gearbox, gave average journey times but poorer fuel returns than might be expected from a more fuel-efficient turbocharged unit.
Apart from site application, the vehicle's productivity will suffer because of its very heavy chassis. Over the last year exchange ratios have pushed its price up — at £44,800 it can no longer be considered cheap, as the list price is above that of day-cabbed versions of, for example, the Leyland Constructor, Seddon Atkinson and Volvo FL7.