Truckstoppers' tour
Page 35
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While in Sweden the Truckstop winners toured the main Scania plant in &Wendlje to the south of Stockholm.
Awaiting shipment outside the plant was a batch of Scania R112 6x4 tractive units. They were the final part of an order for 2,000 units destined for Iran which has played a part in making 1984 a good year for Scania. The company's worldwide sales are up by around 25 per cent on last year's and it is one of the very few heavy truck manufacturers in the world that will show a profit this year.
Graham Kitchen also had the opportunity to drive a Scania 82 rigid 16-tonner equipped with the new CAG (computer-aided gearchangingl system. The fivespeed gearbox has a splitter to give 10 ratios and the number of the gear engaged is lit up on a dashboard mounted display. When the engine speed changes the number of the correct ratio to select begins to flash. To engage this gear the driver depresses the clutch and the CAG unit emits a few brief bleeps. When they cease the driver releases the clutch which automatically engages the new gear — there is no gearlever to shift.
If the driver wants to override or disagree with the ratio selected by the computer he can move a short lever which allows the selection of a ratio either one higher or one lower. For instance, when pulling away from a standstill the computer selected third in the 82; Graham used the manual override to go down to second just to be certain of a brisk move-off at a busy junction.
Graham Kitchen covered about 1 5 Okm in the CAG equipped 82 and quickly became accustomed to it. He told me that if he did a lot of town driving the CAG system would make life a lot easier — he has to lean forward in his seat to get some ratios in his ZF equipped Daf 3300 tractive unit.
The CAG system adds about £1,700 to the price of the vehicle and, although it is currently only available on Scania's splitter gearboxes, it will be extended to the range-change models next year.
Scania expects it to prove relatively popular on the K112 coach chassis, where the rear engine location is detrimental to a good gearchange and where the low sound level makes the judgment of changes by ear less easy.