I SHOP TALK
Page 63
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I Ceramic clutch facings have been vailable to commercial vehicle lanufacturers and operators in titain for at least 15 years. They ave been made here since 1973, id since their market breakthrough the middle Seventies have eaclily taken sales from their rganic counterparts. Today, most I clutches sold in the UK for elides over 16 tonnes have 2ramic facings.
It is high time that they were atter understood by those who use tern. That they are not sufficiently iderstood is amply demonstrated by ie units which are returned for !conditioning to the UK's leading (in arms of numbers sold a year) clutch lanufacturer for premium weight )mmercial vehicles — Spicer. Large numbers of ceramic facings low that they still have nisiderable life left in them. In any cases, operators complain that rey get as little as 80,000km i0,000 miles) from them. Those trite clutches could well be good for ore than 640,000km (400,000 iles).
For operators to be out in their cpectancy of clutch life by a factor eight suggests a wide gap in Iderstanding between them and the anufacturers. Just because a clutch starting to slip or gears are !coming difficult to engage does not !cessarily mean it is life-expired. What is largely to blame is the all,cornrnon attitude among hauliers at 'if is is working, it doesn't need oking at'.
What is needed is just a little time id understanding given to clutch ljustment. A 10-minute check of e clutch itself and its linkages iring every routine service should ! sufficient to ensure that the utch is correctly set up and wears renly. This must be a small price to ly to have a component which, properly attended to, will .obably go on working without ouble until there is no adjustment ft.