"We bought the Volvos because we thought they would be good economical
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quarry vehicles" John Hourigan
At 67 haulage contractor John Hourigan says it's time to think of retirement, but he's continuing in the family business, based at Cutsyke near Castleford, with his two sons. "We run a mixed fleet of seven tippers at 32 tonnes," he says. "They include Scania, Foden, Hino and two Volvo FMr2 340s. We bought the Volvos because we thought they would be good economical quarry vehicles. Both the Scanias and the Volvos return about 8.ompg; the Foden gives us just over 7.0mpg and the Hino is a bit heavier in all senses of the word, but it's a very good muckaway vehicle.
"The two Volvos are specified with the 1-ride bogie but Weightlifter aluminium bodies and under-floor tipping gear leave us with a good payload so we can carry 21 tonnes of bulk fill which we transport to building sites over a 75-mile radius.
"We use roll-over sheeting but still specify manual tail gates, which are safer. The FMs were a bit more expensive than our other trucks fitted with steel bodies but were worth it. We have a mix of under-floor and front-end tipping gear but prefer the under-floor tipping gear, especially for muck shifting. It feels more stable on uneven ground.
"We buy our trucks over three years and then replace them. The Volvos come with a two-year maintenance contract and we pay for the third year. We have had them just over 72 months now and we don't have any complaints.
"The dealer, Crossroads, is just five minutes down the road and they service the F N4 2S for us overmight.We had a bit of tyre wear on the second steer axle at first but that
was down to misalignment and was soon put right. The FM is comfortable and quiet I think it is a real driver's wagon.
"We have just bought a Poden with steel suspension and that is better than the Volvo for muckaway work—it has fantastic ground dearance. I must confess to being a Foden man at heart but if the price is right we would have no objections to buying FMizs again." 2 plower to reduce load height and increase stability but straight beams on the two steer axles enhanced ground clearance at the front end where the approach angle was 26°. With the heavy-duty T-ride bogie, incorporating a hubreduction axle with cross-axle and inter-axle gearing, the rear ground clearance was also improved over previous models by 9 omm. Ancillaries like the brake cylinder were mounted high out of harm's way.
The FM's wiring was protected inside plastic sheaths running inside plastic pipes; all connectors and junction boxes were moisture proofed.
Since the mid-eighties Volvo has steadily increased its range of sophisticated on-board electronics to control a wide range of components and functions; today the driver can monitor fuel consumption, oil temperature and ambient temperature. Coolant and washer fluid levels are checked automatically on start-up while various parameters such as PTO speed can be programmed in to prevent abuse. Computerised diagnostics simplify the mechanic's job as all faults between workshop visits are recorded.
E by Bill Brock