ASX TECHNICAL
Page 22
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Silent power from Berliet
AT THE NEC Renault announced the Berliet TR 305 for the UK market. While at the Lyons factory recently, I made a brief test run in a French spec model to assess the flexibility of the turbocharged and charge-cooled engine, writes the Technical Editor.
Apart from the obvious difference of left-hand drive, the French 305 uses Berliet's own BMS gearbox, in contrast to the Fuller listed for the UK version. A range-change design with eight-speeds, the box has an unusual selection pattern. As can be seen in the photograph, the usual "double-H" pattern is not used. The range-change is effected merely by pushing the lever across a detent in the middle of the gate.
With the Berliet laden to 38 tonnes, complete with trailer by Traitor, I was impressed by the way the engine would pull hard from around 1,000tpm in the upper range. With the ratio spacing of the BM8 box, changing up at around 1.900 rpm brought the engine right on top of the torque curve in the next gear. This applied throughout the box, with one important exception and that was between the direct seventh and the overdrive top (0.77) where there was a very noticeable gap.
At speed, the in-cab noise was as you might expect with the Berliet cab, ie almost nonexistent. Even using the exhaust brake did not raise the noise level by very much.
As I mentioned in last week's CM, Renault intends to market the 7.5-tonne Saviem JK 75 in the UK. This was also available for test but only in chassis cab form so any comments relating to acceleration and flexibility would be meaningless.
In terms of general cab comfort, it is well to the fore in this hotly-contested European weight category.