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new commercial vehicles, components and accessories at Motor Show 90: our technical team has been casting an eye over the latest offerings
HEAVIES
/Regardless of whether you think that it's all a load of hype, there's no escaping the current obsession for more power — whether it's in a 7.5-tonner or a 38-tonne tractor. It's not surprising then that manufacturers with new high-powered tractors will be making the most of them at the Birmingham Motor Show.
In terms of sheer brute force the accolade "most powerful tractor in Europe" must surely fall upon the MAN 19.502 which makes its official public debut at Birmingham this week. The 19.502's massive 18.27-litre 3730N (500hp) vet. 1(1 is a whisker behind the Renault AE's Mack vee-eight which manages 375kW (503hp). But the French tractor can't match the MAN's stupendous torque output of 2,350Nm (1.7331b11), which places it above everybody else in Europe.
Not surprisingly MAN does not expect to sell hundreds of the 19.502 the number of 11K hauliers who can justify that level of power must be limited.
Fortunately, the German truck maker appears to accept this and the latest fiveand six-cylinder 1.'9() EC() engines offer more realistic outputs for hauliers. In particular the five-cylinder, 10-hire engine will be of interest to UK operators. Rated at 198 and 235kW (270 and•320hp) it provides MAN with an engine to compete against the Cummins Lb O in the fleet market. A two-axle 17.322 is on the stand. With one less cylinder and a smaller cawity, the 17.322's five-cylinder offers clear weight savings over the 12-litre six pot which has also gained more muscle, and is now available at 272 and 309kW (370 and 420hp), reflecting the rise in power outputs in the average 38-tonner.
MAN expects to start delivery of the revised F90 tractor range, along with its uprated M90 middleweights, by the end of the first quarter of 1991.
If MAN has the most powerful tractor on show, Renault undoubtedly has the most unusual in the form of its futuristic AE. Although Renault is more likely to sell more versions of the 275kW (374hp) 12-litre Renault-engined AE380 in the UK, it clearly wants to make the biggest splash it can, so the show truck is the AE500, powered by the Mack engine.
Aside from its obvious visual impact, the towering AE cab is sufficiently isolated from the engine to enjoy a completely flat floor. This undoubtedly contributes to the large headroom in the AE — some 1.8m — which should be enough for any long-distance driver. The cab rides on an electronically controlled four-airbag independent suspension system.
If the recent driving impression with Commercial Motor (6-12 September) is anything to go by the AE is a truck that deserves to be viewed with an unbiased mind. Make no mistake, it's not another Transcontinental.
For those with their feet firmly on the ground, however, there is also the latest versions of the R and Grange which feature uprated engines, facelifted cabs and reworked interiors.
Talking of facelifts, Leyland Daf is showing its "son of Roadtrain", otherwise known as the Series 80. In keeping with the company's policy of offering Daf engines across the widest choice of models, the old T45 tractor now has the 11.6-litre ATi Daf diesel in place of a Perkins or Cummins engine, although proprietary engines will remain available as an option in the 8x4 Constructor chassis.
The Series 80 initially will he offered at 246kW (330hp), although a 224kW (300hp) version should arrive soon.
Leyland Daf is clearly stalking the bread and butter fleet tractor market with the Series 80, which is now available as a 4x2 and a twin-steer "by early 1991". With the arrival of the Series 80, the C51 Leyland cab gains a revised interior with trim similar to that in the 95 Series, and a "Daf family" grille.
Alongside the Daf-powered Series 80 there will also be two, more powerful multi-wheelers: the FAT70.230 Constructor, with a 172kW (230hp) version of Dafs 8.25-litre diesel, for mixer work; and a 246kW (330hp) Constructor eightlegger which gains the same 11.6-litre lump as the Series 80 tractor.
As expected, the more sophisticated 95 Series has also gained extra power (CM 11-2(1 June) with operators now getting a choice of either 246, 271 or 298kW (329, 364 or 401hp) versions of the 11.6-litre charge-cooled Da engine. After taking so long to get to 298kW Daf has gone as far as it can with the 11.6-litre.
CM understands the company is developing a bigger capacity straight six to
take it into the nineties.
Pride of place on the Leyland Daf stand will go to the 4 x2 "Euromaster" 95 tractor with the 298kW (400hp) ArS295 block.
its not just the Continentals that have all the horses. ERF is showing its recently revised E Series tractor with the most powerful version of the 14-litre Cummins Super E engine to date, the NTAA 465 which produces 320kW (429hp) when in
stalled in the ERF and 1,862Nm (1,2601hft) of torque. For six-wheeler men who want more go there is also the Steyrcabbed ES8-275 6x4 with the uprated version of the Cummins C Series.
ERE is looking at offering a new fourbag drive axle air suspension system for its tractors and a pre-production version will be at Birmingham.
Seddon Atkinson has also adopted the E465 in its Strato tractor which allows it to compete against the Continentals in the high-power stakes.
But of greater importance to the Oldham-based truck maker is its latest TC Strato line-up (CM 30 August-4 September). The TC cab is lighter and cheaper than the premium Strata cab, and is fitted on Seddon's new multi-wheelers and fleet tractors. In keeping with its bespoke driveline policy the IC Strato range comes with a wide choice of engines, from the Cummins 10 and 14-litre to the 12litre Perkins TX, and the choice of either constant mesh Eaton or synchromesh ZF gearboxes.
The IC multi-wheelers clearly have been developed with an eye to the future having design weights in line with the proposed EC weight increases due in 1993, though whether the UK will accept 32-tonne eight-leggers before 1999 remains to be seen.
As predicted by Commercial Motor, Seania has finally got around to offering an eight-legger with its 235kW (320hp) 11-litre engine: the P113ML makes its official debut at Birmingham and clearly reflects that creeping increase in power outputs among tipper builders.