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"The Cummins M11 is a superb engine.., it's as indestructible as
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the older 10-litre engines" Archie Lewis
James Lewis and Sons is a family haulage business that was established more than too years ago. Bobby Lewis and younger brother Archie operate a fleet of over 35 trucks from their base at Motherwell, Scotland_ "We run a mixed fleet of mostly Seddon Atkinson and ERF artics and rigids which work throughout the UK," says Archie. "More than half our fleet is Seddon Atkinsons. The reason we buy them goes way back to when we bought them from the local garage at Airdrie where the Currie family were good people to deal with. We still purchase our Seddon Atkinsons from Central Motors and benefit from their considerate family approach and years of experience in the motor industry.
"We have two Strato 340s 8x4s and one older Strato 275 that we run as brick carriers. We like the Cummins-Eaton-Rockwell driveline and have long favoured the TwinSplifter gearbox. It is a fantastic box with a light, fast shift. It's also light, strong, reliable and easy to drive. It seldom needs any maintenance although nowadays we do have to train new drivers—the 'synchro kids'—to use it!
"By the time a truck has done a very high mileage we may have to replace rear bearings with snap and sensor rings which is a straightforward job. You can't say that about ZF's 16-speed synchromesh box which has replaced it. I can't ever see anyone else beating Eaton/Fuller on cost and reliability.
"We have tried the Iveco 9.5-litre engine with VGT rated at 43ohp on a tractive unit and it couldn't live with the Curtunins Mut 405; it gave us about impg less.
"We prefer to buy our trucks outright, have them maintained in our own workshops and keep them long term but we are being discouraged from doing so by recent residual values," he reports.
"The Cummins Mu t is a superb engine but the layout of the wiring and ECM can be a hindrance when work has to be done on other components. But, apart from that and a few electronic problems it appears to be as indestructible as the older to-litre engines, which gave up to too o,o ookm with major overhaul. Cummins' service depc nearby at Cumbemauld, which is an adi bonus for us.
"Our eight-wheel brick and block carri were specified with sleeper cabs and n reactive four-spring suspension at the rea Ores better articulation, better traction an smoother ride. On rubber the back end of truck tends to hop a bit and that wears tyres out quicker.
"The PTO for the crane knocks the fuel c sumption a bit on the eight-wheelers. The: a lot of difference on the fuel consumpbetween the 34os or the old 275 10!—both give between 7.5 and 8.ompg. payload is excellent. With the crane it bout 19 tonnes, but we could always do a bit more.
We would have preferred to stay with on transmissions rather than ZF but Lie they still offer Cummins engines I ect we will continue to buy Seddon inson's trucks," he concludes. If not n we will look more closely at what er manufacturers have to offer." IN EuroTrakker, has yet to find its way onto the eight-wheeled Strato specification sheet.
The present range was introduced in 1997 with an Iveco cab replacing the earlier TC model. Made 6o% from galvanized sled and 40% from SMC panels, it carries a five-year anti-corrosion warranty. Other significant benefits are four-point suspension and a heated Isringhausen air-suspended driving seat with integral seat-belt and lumbar support.
The original to-litre Cummins engine, rated at up to 325hp at 32 tonnes. was replaced on this chassis by the longer stroked Cummins Mn m8-litre engine rated at 305, 340. 380 and 4o5hp with the introduction of the Euro-2 emission regulations.
Avai Lillie on both s.g nd 6.1rn vvheelbases, the chassis incorporates low-maintenance Hendrickson HN402 rubber suspension, larger drum brakes and strong Mentor single-reduction hypoid axles. The rear bogie is plated at 19 tonnes and each front axle at 7.1 tonnes, which gives a small axle compliance of 1.2 tonnes at maximum weight.
Eaton's tough 12-speed constant-mesh TwinSplitter gearbox was a popular choice on this range of trucks, but now that Eaton no longer produces its range of heavy truck transmissions for Europe, the field has been left clear for ZF, which supplies its 16-speed 181 synchromesh gearbox to match Cursor 8 power and the 221 box to match the higher torque of the Cummins range.
Both engines offer an engine decompres sion brake but the Jake brake fitted to Cummins engine is more highly ra among tipper operators. Cummins po. options were uprated in October last yea 345, 385 and 42ohp while meeting requirements of Euro-3.
Most eight-wheelers still operate withi 30-mile radius of their base so a day cab is usual choice, but this lacks the stowage cal ity of the larger (and 97k8 heavier) slee cab. With the day cab comes under-cha! exhaust but air-con is not included vi either cab, even as an option. The sho] Cummins chassis weighs in at a competi. 8.76 tonnes and this can be reduced another 192k8 by using alloy wheels.
• by BM Bred