AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

First Argyle proves its worth on the road

1st May 1970, Page 62
1st May 1970
Page 62
Page 62, 1st May 1970 — First Argyle proves its worth on the road
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Tony Wilding • To judge from the first example of the Argyle truck—which goes into service today, and which I was able to drive over a circuit of 50 miles on Monday—this new product of Scotland has performance and handling characteristics which will command respect from operators.

Although a prototype. the Christina as this first Argyle model is called, performed and handled impressively well; there was certainly nothing in its general design or capability to suggest that this was the product of other than an established truck manufacturer. It would be easy to conclude that using proprietary components--a Motor Panels cab. Perkins 6.354 engine, Eaton Yale and Towne gearbox. Eaton two-speed rear axle, Kirkstall front axle, Burman steering and so on—make the building of a truck a straightforward job. But there is a lot more to it than just fitting the bits together. As CM road tests have shown, even with considerable resources for design, development and proving, faults can be found and criticisms made.

As reported in CM of April 3, its maker, the Argyle Motor Manufacturing Co Ltd has been formed by Argyle Diesel Electronics Ltd of Glasgow to produce commercial vehicles and it is quite an achievement for a company like Argyle to have built a truck so acceptable as I found the Christina. Loaded with bags of sand to a gross weight of 16 tons the truck had a better performance than I had expected to come with the use of a 120 bhp diesel. This was undoubtedly due to good matching of the five ratios in the Eaton gearbox and the 6.50 and 8.87 ratios in the rear axle. Most of the route I covered was hilly with twisting roads and many sharp bends. On this type of terrain, the very light steering and easy gear change were of real benefit and helped considerably in getting the most out of the power unit.

Often light power steering is accompanied by vagueness and a tendency to overcorrect when running over relatively straight roads but the Argyle had no vices in this direction. Suspension was also very good. being firm and well damped but not harsh. The brakes were responsive and gave more than adequate retardation although I felt that the very light pressure needed on the treadle to get maximum braking may make braking in the unladen condition a delicate operation.

The inside of the cab is well finished and a sprung driver's seat is standard. I found switches, all controls and the accelerator well placed. And although the clutch actua tion is hydraulically assisted only, undue effort was not needed for normal gear changing. The level of noise inside the cab was a little on the high side although no worse than on a number of vehicles from other manufacturers that I have tested, and an improvement in cab insulation is one of the projects currently being worked on by the designers.

A good deal of testing has been done by the manufacturer and from the figures I saw it is clear that a fuel consumption of at least 9.5 to 10 mpg should be obtained for general running with perhaps more in easy condition.

Acceleration times of 18.5sec from 0 to 20, 40sec from 0 to 30 and 75sec from 0 to 40 are not far off those I have obtained on road tests of similar vehicles and efficiencies from the service brakes of almost 70 per cent (Don meter) and over 40 per cent for the secondary /handbrake (there are spring brake actuators at all wheels) have been recorded. Maximum speed is 55 mph and restarts are said to be possible from first / low on 1 in 6.

Tags

Organisations: Yale
People: Tony Wilding
Locations: Glasgow

comments powered by Disqus