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Crusader goes on Rolls standard

16th December 1977
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Page 30, 16th December 1977 — Crusader goes on Rolls standard
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THE CRUSADER was introduced on the home market in a 38/44-tongross weight range 6x4 configuration in 1968. Then in the early Seventies British Road Services persuaded Scammell to incorporate many of their own requirements into the vehicle's development, which resulted in the Crusader 280 and 220 4x2 tractive units.

Early this year the more powerful Rolls-Royce 290 Eagle engine producing 205kW (275bhp) net installed became

the standard fitment. Included in the drive train of our test vehicle, a Fuller nine-speed range-change box driving through to a high 5.4 to 1 ratio rear axle allowed motorway cruising at about the maximum permitted 60mph with power in hand, so that quite steep gradients could be tackled with only a small drop in speed.

Very heavy rain during the climb over Shap on the journey north and again on the return motorway section detracted from results which would be possible under more favourable conditions. At 43.9 lit/100km (6.44mpg) the Crusader's fuel

consumption figures short of those of son vehicles, with engines power, on the motorv tions.

The A-road returr somewhat better, whicl to boost the final over to 41.3 lit/100km (6.1 The powerful engine good journey times maintained throughou really came into its own hilly section on the A68 The Fuller box with lever movement, which a fast change-down, lowed two cogs to be one go without difficult'

n steep gradients this is leeded if smooth pro

o be maintained. aretches of A-road D 40mph, the high top

o resulted in an engine of about 1,300rpm ng with the point at aximum torque occurs.

impressions

: end of the first day, the failed before the final • s were completed. It 3ame apparent that be ing badly sighted the headlamps were too give sufficient light for iditions.

the road surface still wet Jse the wipers from time :o clear the screen. The feeping from the base of in left a band a couple of eep unwiped at the top us exaggerated the efthe already low header that I found myself g down to peer through • portion of the screen, leering had a good feel 3nd seemed to be free of !s, while the trailer folfell on this narrow twisd sometimes heavily :d section.

ew 40ft Crane Fruehauf ryas in use elsewhere hese three days so Leyjineers kindly provided -left own. • ride though was poor. h the cab is suspended ar it did little to diminish loading through the seat, which is not Back complaints and 1 disorders, drivers tell less prevalent with some )f suspension seats and lstance I think the extra ,Itlay would prove a hile investment. It's surto me that a suspension lot standard.

iter £17,000 as tested mmell, in spite of being npetitive on price, is still ap. So making such a ndard is hardly going to )r an outrageous price old weather the cab play a big part in driver One placed each side of the foot well provided ant blast of hot air as I with the help of a rather )oster fan.

flat screen fitted on the 3. of cheap replacement is into two parts by a centre pillar causing no nent to forward vision. lectors mounted exter each side windscreen d little to keep rear-view clean but did a better job for the side windows.

The cab is described as being fully insulated for maximum noise reduction which I find hard to believe as there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

The time for the Carter Bar hill climb on the second day was typical for a vehicle with this power output. Later that day where the route joins the Al (M) on the Darlington bypass we were diverted owing to resurfacing work. This added an extra 3.7km (2.3 miles) to the total distance covered accounting for the different distance figures in the results table.

At MIRA acceleration times came out well: the vehicle took only 45.8sec to reach 40mph from standstill. Braking stops using the main service system were completed without wheel locking from any of the three test speeds while the stopping distance from 40mph was about average for a vehicle of 32 tons gross.

Stability was also maintained during the secondary braking stops. The park brake held in both directions on a 1 in 5 gradient and the provision of only a slight delay in the system allowed a restart to be made with ease using the -crawler gear.

On a wet road I had to stamp on the brakes to avoid a wandering Mini. The vehicle behaved in an exemplary manner with the wheels on the front axle just locking — allowing a controlled stop without a hint of instability.

However, the exhaust brake was not in the same class as the rest of the braking system, a fault not peculiar to Scammell. On the first day it was reluctant to work at all, but after some attention at the beginning of the second day some benefit could be achieved with its use. But it was still not delivering its true potential.

The cab is a little austere by today's standards. A step-ring mounted on the front wheel — the only foot-hold provided — typified the attitude of only equipping the vehicle with little more than the bare essentials.

Unusual in an era of tilt cabs, the Crusader's doesn't. Access to the engine is gained either through a top hatch positioned inside the cab between the two seats or from the front behind a radiator which is hinged and opens to 90°.

If the coolant level needs topping up, the radiator has to be swung out to reach the filler cap and the same applies to checking the oil. Although I think it is preferable to allow level checking without the need for any extra manoeuvres like tilting cabs or moving radiators, the Scammell system is at least quick and easy.

A Dynair fan mounted on the front of the engine is engaged intermittently by an air-operated clutch, controlled thermostatically to work when the temper ature rises to 93. But even when not fully engaged the fan idles at between 250 and 30Orpm.

Inside the cab space is restricted from front to rear but, in the absence of an engine cowl between the seats, an air of spaciousness is achieved.

A plain facia finished in plastic imitation wood grain houses a shallow glove pocket on the nearside; the fuse box is housed under a centre flap and a neat array of gauges, warning lights, and switches is displayed in front of the driver. Scammell has made use of the large flat engine cover to place a shallow console suitable for taking the driver's paper work.

Summary

The Crusader is best summed up as being an operator's rather than a driver's vehicle. In it Leyland has mechanically a sound alternative to the Marathon.

Although it would be untrue to say that there have been no improvements in the area of driver comfort since the Crusader's introduction, the standards remain much as they were in the early Seventies with room left for improvement in terms of ride and noise.

By the time the vehicle had returned to the factory at Wolverhampton the exhaust brake, says Leyland, had resumed normal operation. Further inspection could not reveal the cause of its intermittent failure and we can only assume that some foreign body was causing the butterfly to stick.

The basic price for the Crusader is £16,622, but extras including a fifth-wheel and ramps, load-sensing equipment, an additional 50 gallon tank, suzies and couplings, trailer electrical connections, a Kysor shutter, Dynair fan, steel rear wings and an anti-freeze device, bump this up to El 7,556 for the vehicle tested. • Bill Brock

Tags

People: Bill Brock, Leyland
Locations: Wolverhampton

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