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D onsidering the way that vehicle
excise duty rates have been weighted, the shift to 41 tonne artics has been fairly predictable: large numbers of registrations from i January, followed by a gradual slow
down as hauliers take stock of the benefits. On the face of it running six-axled rigs makes a lot of sense, with the annual VED set at 12,500 apiece against the /5,750 for a 2+3 40tonne outfit. That's enough to focus the mind of cash-strapped operators.
The additional three tonnes of payload might pay handsomely, but remember that it's offset by the weight of the extra axle which puts more rubber on the ground and increases the rolling resistance too. Three-axled tractors also cost a bit more than conventional 4x2s.
But what of the fuel economy? Earlier this year Commercial Motor ran a fuel test comparing the same Volvo F HI 2 artic at 38, 40 and 41 tonnes (CM 25-31 March). Those results showed that running at the top weight can increase your fuel consumption by as much as 5.2% over a two-axled 38 tonner. You should also be ready for a slight increase in journey times.
Another area where caution is needed is in the positioning of the load. An axle overload is always something to be avoided, of course, but an underloacled drive axle can give you even more heartache.
One haulier that has benefited from the weight increase is Isle of Grain operator Maritime Haulage—part of the Hutchison group—which runs a large number of triaxle tveco, Volvo and Scania tractors, all at 41 tonnes GCW. Our thanks go to Maritime for providing the subject of our first 41-tonne test.
Product profile
Unusually, Maritime's Scania has the big Solo (single occupancy) sleeper cab which
replaces the usual passenger seat with a comfortable lounging area for the driver. It's been in the hands of the same driver since new; when we climbed aboard it had more than 73,000km on the clock.
Ever the advocate of a vertically integrated driveline, Scania fits its own gearbox and drive axle behind the Scania engine. Unlike the more powerful R124 which comes with an 11.7-litre engine, the Rir4LA gets the more compact io.6-litre unit-injection engine rated at 34ohp (25okW) or, with a fresh chip in the EDC, at the 38ohp (280kW) of MI test truck In addition to a power boost of well-nigh 12%, torque has been increased to 1,750Nm (1,2911bft) at the slightly higher rev range of i,o8o-1,5oorprn.
At 38 tonnes gross you might well favour fewer gears and opt for the all-synchro GR9oo nine-speeder, but with an extra three tonnes ton board the standard GRS900 range-change and splitter box makes much more sense. This provides 14 gears including two really deep crawler cogs (16.38 and 13.283) which are enough to drive you up the wall—well, almost. Perhaps the hardest work is done by the 1o.17-tonne single-reduction hypoid drive axle with its rather lean 3.08:1 differential. Running on 295/80R 22.5in tyres the R114 6x2 has a theoretical top speed of nt7lcm/h but is held by its speed limiter to the legal 56mph.
The drum brakes fitted all round have unquestionable stopping power, and forget any worries about parking on steep slopes; there are spring brake chambers on both the front steer and drive axles.
There are few hidden extras on this tractor. It comes with twin aluminium fuel tanks; a standard 3oolit tank on the offside and a smaller 200lit "tourer" across from it. Scania also includes the full air-management kit which gives it an even smoother penny-pinching profile.
Productivity
Before this outfit even turned a wheel the R114 was 1.75 tonnes up on a similar-spec 4x2 tractor; but what about its fuel consumption?
Well, in pretty good good weather and the lightest of traffic conditions our test vehicle returned 7.mpg (38.43 lit/iookm) in what turned out to be a fairly fast Journey time of 72.4km/h.
A few years ago that would have been highly commendable; indeed in the mid-eighties when Seddon Atkinson became the first contender to round off our route with just over 7.0mpg, our "Seven Up For Seddon" headline drew an immediate query from a Japanese reader wondering what was in the tank.
How things change. In January of this year we tested a 4o-tonne Foden Alpha powered by the 374hp (2.79kW) Cummins MIT which surprised us with a figure of 8.34mpg (33.91it/tookm) at 69.7km/h. No wonder that Scania was disappointed by this new benchmark.
By the time we'd reached Hamilton services our Ihr4 had achieved just over 9.45mpg, which seemed very promising. However, it was noticeable that hauling up long drags like Shap and Beattock we were digging down a full gear instead of just the odd half gear and sometimes taking another split as well.
We achieved a fast journey time all right, but we had to burn extra fuel to do so and we used every one of those 12 normal gears on the dimbs over Blackhill, Kilnpit Hill and the WestWoodburn rattler on the old Roman route.
Although the Scania's mark is there to be shot at, we regard it as quite a good result, especially bearing in mind our earlier comparison between 38, 40 and 41-tonners. Project a 5.2% improvement at the previous limit and the near-7.8mpg shunts it half way up our old 38-tonne league table.
On the road
On standing starts the Scania's DCH-o2 engine shows none of the Cummins' idleaway characteristic, but it still has plenty of low-down torque when needed. You can coax it away in 2L if needed and then jump the gear steps two at a time (rEl will deal with most grades at junctions). It will pull 40mph in top gear at LI° orpm but with any slight rise the gearing is just too tall at this speed. Far better to run in nth at 1,350rpm where it just surges on.
The three-over-three dog-leg pattern was initially irritating but in time it became easier to adapt to the leisurely driving style than to fight it. It's nowhere near as slick as a Twin Splitter and its acceleration can only be described as stately by today's standards: we took 63 seconds to reach 8okrn/h compared with the Foden 4o-tormers' 54sec and the 51.5sec of Eddie Stobart's 400hp R12.4. Not surprisingly its hill climb times were down too. After all, when it's rolling down the motorways it overcomes any rolling resistance and pulls like a train, but step on the brakes and the engine has to work like billy-o to regain its lost momentum.
Despite the extra weight the rig's brakes (all drums on the unit and triple disc brake sets on our new 4.om Fruehauf semi) were nothing short of superb. Disc brakes with EBS and traction control remain an option on righthand-drive R-models unless you buy a Topline, which is a shame considering the spec of our new test trailer. It would have been quite an experience to have the ultimate braking set-up beneath our feet when we slammed the anchors on at 40mph.
But if an all-disc set-up is the ultimate stopper then air suspension on five axles and on the cab is close to perfection on ride: it simply coasted over the worst that the A68 could throw at it.
The Scania's a bit tight on turning circles but nothing could have prepared us for our one real shock of this encounter: losing our grip on the climb from Shodey Bridge and, worse still, part way up Blacichill in Consett.
We were paying the penalty for not having enough ballast over our drive axle and for failing to spot the wet slippery tarmac at crucial points. Fortunately we were able to back off
onto a better surface, but it took a good dump of the second steer's suspension to gain traction.
It's a situation that will find anyone out who isn't aware of the danger. Some fleets have even had to call out the heavy recovery brigade, which isn't funny when you're in a built-up area with a tricky load.
With this in mind we will now follow the A68 over Castleside, thus consigning the Blackhill climb to history.
Cab comfort
Some marques are an acquired taste but there can't be many drivers who would sniff at the chance of being at the helm of a Scania tractor. The Swedes have a reputation for building exceptionally quiet, ergonomic cabs that are easy to drive with a smooth gearshift, light pedals and virtually faultless steering.
The Solo maintains that tradition, giving that little bit of extra comfort on long nights out. The second seat isn't the best for posture but it feels comfy enough and there's a writing/dining surface that pulls out from the central storage chest. A TV or radio can conveniently be sited on the surface over the dash.
There's room behind the seat for a fridge if you don't mind sacrificing some storage space.
The iromm-thick mattress is big (r,98ox56omm) and well padded. The bunk rests on the central storage chest over the engine, but there really should be a rubber mat here to cope with muddy boots.
Sca n ia's commendable attention to detail extends well beyond the cab interior, not least in the extremely well finished and fitted plastic mouldings that comprise the side shields around the silencer, the wheelarches, step grips into the cab and around the sides, and even the cappings for the fuel tank straps.
Summary
From Maritime Haulage's viewpoint the 38ohp • 6x2 must be a sound investment. Its high.
spec Solo cab creates a good impression with the driver and makes him feel valued.
That's no bad thing because this Scania's driver is at the sharp end of the container business. When he has to pick up a pair of heavy 2 oft boxes (their actual weights are usually something of a mystery) the 3+3 41.tonner provides just enough loading latitude not to have to worry unduly about axle overloads.
At that weight its performance ain't exactly sparkling, but while there may be more fuekffldent units out there it's more than adequate.
This is a high-value artic which promises very good residuals. It may not suit everyone's needs, but on work like this we wouldn't mind betting that you'd need a Tirfor winch to get the driver out of this cab.
• by Bryan Jarvis