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the DAF. "In this game the extra half an hour spent getting out bits and pieces to reach the thing that needs fixing is the difference between a vehicle going out on time for a job or not being able to meet the deadline and being stuck in the yard all day."
And their final view of the DAF? Its quite a good vehicle, but the pipework isn't very clever. A shame that this point had to spoil it."
On then to the Seddon Atkinson stand and the T36 R265 tractive unit. Dartford Wharfage has recently bought seven of the 400 series, but theirs have the 250 Cummins as opposed to the Rolls-Royce fitted on this vehicle.
Again this truck had holes in the chassis for drifting out the shackle pins and Brian thought that most of the "bits and pieces" came easily to hand, particularly the engine and gearbox.
Vic Was taking a look at the air brake piping. "This is lovely.
It is colour coded, which makes our job a piece of cake, and it is also very tidy."
Two things that Brian was not too keen on. The first was that the air cleaner intake was positioned much too low. "It is only a couple of feet off the ground and is going to take in dirt and water." • And the other point was that on the vehicleswhich Dartford Wharfage operates — and Brian thought it applied to the Show vehicle — the clutch catches the steering universal joint when it is fully depressed.
"We have had to bend the clutch pedal to get round this problem," said Brian. Seddon's service engineer said that they had not had any reports of this trouble before, "but we will certainly look into it."
The final verdict? "A very clean vehicle and very good from the mechanic's point of view."
The next stand of call was the Bedford for a look at the long serving TK1630 with the 500 diesel engine.
Vic said: "This is a longserving vehicle and has been around long enough to have had most of the faults ironed out. The gearbox and rear drive line are all easy to get out." anything at the front. For the radiator and water pump the cab would have to come off altogether. If the bolts are rusted you can reckon on six hours just for that, otherwise it takes about four hours.
"For example, if you want to take the cylinder head off you lift a flap at the rear of the cab, drop down the wing and then wiggle into a small space.
"The head weighs quite a bit and it is a very difficult job to do. A tilt cab would solve the problem. Otherwise there are no complaints, but it does spoil a good 'un."
According to Bedford its engineers have studied putting a tilt cab on the TI( "But we believe operators like it this way and it is designed for service without a tilt. We think it takes 3.5 hours to get the cab off."
Still with the Bedford stand Vic and Brian wanted to take a quick look at the big TM 3250. They particularly liked the fuse box which is situated under a flap in the cab but weren't too happy with the positioning of the air cleaner. "It's too near the side of the vehicle and is exposed enough for a fork-lift to give it a whack. If we had one on our fleet the air cleaner would be busted inside a year," The TM3250 has the 6V-71 engine. "For a V engine, where access is normally pretty bad, this is fairly easy to get at," said Vic. "The tilt cab is good, and the front grill lifts up to let you get at the air pipes, heaters, radiator, etc."'
Leyland was the next man' facture to come under ttmicroscope, And it was to tt: recently announced Buffa 32-tonner with the L12 natu ally aspirated engine that the first turned their attentions.
-It's a glorified GUY," sai Brian, and after casting a quic eye over it spotted somethin that he thought "a bit silly."
Again it centred around th rear axle shackle pins. Leylan had thoughtfully provided hole in the chassis to facilitat drifting out but had the positioned an air tank right i the way. "There's no way t bash out the pins with the thing stuck there," said Brian.
But both liked the "excer tionally neat" lay-out of the ai piping, although they though the air tanks were protruding bit too far away from thi chassis.
Brian said: "This is one o the first things we look for. Ai brakes and the things which gi with them give us 75 per cen of our trouble. If they are badh positioned it makes things a lo worse."
Next they took on the Boxe BX1200, 12-ton-gvw four Wheeler with the new 6/98 T\ turbocharged engine. Agair they thought it a basically goo( vehicle with the whole drive line easy to get at.
"But it is spoilt by on ling," said Vic. The cab tilts ut you have to disconnect the teering column universal joint and that can cause problems.
"If the driver hasn't got the 'roper tools to do the thing up gain then you have got big rouble.
Down among the firns and iebbles at the ERF stand Vic ind Brian gave the 31G2 4x2 ractive unit with the Gardner iLXB the once over.
And they didn't have much o say except "what a good vehicle. You can't fault it except or the air brake piping which ieems very close to the front )anel," said Brian. "I wouldn't nind a dozen of these," said /ie.
Brian thought he had found 3 fault when he looked at a
arge air tank at the back on the Anit. "No bleeder valves," he )ccused the ERF service man.
"Ah well," was the reply, 'we have fitted an air drying system.'" Next stop over was the Volvo stand and the F86 .automatic 32-tonner. And as with the DAF they weren't very happy with the positioning of the air tanks and brake pipes behind the front nearside wheel.
"It's outside the chassis and vulnerable to careless action.
Some drivers would climb up on them to get to the front of the load," said Brian.
The man from Volvo was quick to come back. "If we put the tanks and piping inside the chassis it would mean too many connections, and that could
lead to leaks. It is also easy to fit a catwalk with a step over this equipment.
Brian, meanwhile, was down on his hands and knees looking underneath the F86. "That's
nasty,he said, pointing to a cooler hose for the automatic
transmission that was hanging a foot from the ground. "Drive over a lump of rubbish and it will be ripped off."
The man from Volvo assured us that the hose was usually tucked up out of the way.
Vic and Brian couldn't leave the Show without having a look at the Ford stand. The DA 2014 artic, at 19.68-gcw came in for some comment.
That recurring problem of the shackle pins raised its ugly head again. There is a hole in the chassis for the removal of the top shackle pins but no hole in the spring hanger bracket.
"I know what the man from Ford will say," said Vic — and he did! "It's a simple job to take the whole assembly off — just about a 15-minute job.
"Ah," said Brian, "but you try it when the thing is rusted in." Otherwise there were no complaints. Both thought it a well tried vehicle and they particularly liked the threaded swivel bolt lock on the tilt cab. "Very safe indeed," they said.
Last but one stand to get the treatment was Foden's and the S83 32-ton tractive unit's shackle pins looked as if they could give problems. "The rear spring nearside front shackle pin can't be taken out unless you move the fuel tank, and that seems a bit daft," said Brian.
Both of them commented on the height of the exhaust silencer from the ground. "When the S83 is loaded the silencer will be very low indeed. Again any Sort of obstacle could do a lot of damage."
Neither of them were very happy with the fibreglass cab. "One smack and you need a new panel," said Brian.
But both of them were full of praise for the radiator which drops forward on two pivots to allow easy access to the fan belt, alternator, water pump, etc.
Last stand of all belonged to Dodge. The 100 series Commando G08 at 7.38 tons gvw was given a good bill of health. "It is neat and tidy and I like these glass fuel .line filters," said Vic.
The only real point of trouble once again was the shackle pins. There are no chassis holes to drift out the pins and Dodge say that a special puller is
needed.
The new Dodge 300 series, to be introduced into the UK next year, was the last truck they saw.
"We don't know what it will be like in service," said Vic,
"but from our point of view the accessibility is grade A. The tilt cab is very good and everything on the engine is easy to get at," After they had completed their look around Earls Court Vic and Brian had some thoughts about what they had seen.
Brian said: "The most striking thing is that braking systems seem to be more compact, tidier and accessible, particularly with regard to air piping.
"On the British vehicles it is usually colour coded and clipped along the chassis.
-I really thought we would find more to fault and it seems as if there is light at the end of the tunnel.
-At last the manufacturers are thinking about the people
who have to service the vehi
cles. And that can't be bad. On what we saw today though I would say that the British manufacturers are ahead of their Continental rivals.
"Perhaps it is because vehicles are harder to sell these
days, but all the manufacturers seemed very interested in what we found. All vere prepared to listen and report back to their designers." .
Vic made the point that even though they hed only managed
to find small problem areas these things were important in terms of downtime.
"Manufacturers sell vehicles on unladen weight, engine
performance and mpg. But you can't discount serviceability — a vehicle is no good to anyone if it is off the road longer than it needs to be."I