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OPERATOR FEEDBAC
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• With our original Atego six-wheeler of action we hopped a ride with Art Stratton's near-identical 2628B V mixer. With 9o,000km on the clock it : certainly well run in. But how was it him, we asked.
His reply, "Where do you want nu start?", didn't exactly fill us with co dence: "I had a new engine after months when the camshaft bearing I lapsed," Stratton reports. "They origin; thought the problem was with the sens but there were no spares in the count) wasn't affecting performance but it r beginning to rattle."
The good news was that the Ateg OM 906 LA six-pot was replaced under r). rant)' and the truck was back on the roaC three days. Since then it's had no furtl problems, apart from the odd niggle lik faulty splitter warning lamp in the da and some spurious fault codes appeari on the dash. "It's been very reliable," adds, and is working hard every day, w Stratton more than pleased with the 280 Merc's pulling power and especially w its manoeuvrability: "It's excellent.. t steering is light. I can't fault it—the 2.421K was the same. That was good to
Like Lavelle's Actros, the interior of V3 FPB sports a dusting of cement powd thanks to the textured finish on the das "I'd prefer a flat finish," says Stratton, "b it's all right when I clean it!" Dompared with the old 2421K there's a lot ,re interior space in the latest Atego. "It's lost like a half-sleeper cab," says Stratton. ion't keep a lot in the cab so there's plenty -oom to move it about."
)n our short delivery run Stratton sursed us by using 2L to gently pull away m rest when laden. Although, we'd have m tempted to use iH in the six-speed-plusliter synchro box, his choice of cog is any right as the Atego is still on its original .tch after more than 90,00oktn.
'First is just a bit too low unless you're on lie," he says. "It's done really well on tyres ). I only recently took one of the last origi1 tyres off; they were Michelins." Fuel-wise, -atton reckons he's getting 6-6.5mpg. That npares well with his old 2421K, which did aut 4.0mpg.
kll the London Concrete mixers come with !bherr drums and at "It's the best ality," says -atton. "Typical Tman engineer;!" In particular likes the fact that a can pressurise water tank -ectly off the air item so there's no ed to run the urn at speed sell you're cleang it out.
Like a number of
her London 1ncrete owner-drirs , Stratton was fered the chance move up to an ght-wheeler: LC is irrently only buy; 8x4s.
However, while the extra payload, and earning potential, looks attractive, Stratton reckons you need to do your sums extremely carefully.
"I think I've got a better deal. I've always liked sixes and never been a great lover of eights. A lot of places struggle to get in the big ones. For this sort of job a six is good. You have lower insurance and road tax, and you get the RPC on it as well."