DRIVERS' VERDICTS
Page 30
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With the Foden 4380 we once again visited the BP truck stop at Crick where we invited drivers to take it for a short run up the 45.
Erick McCormick from Kirkcudbright drives a Scania 143 for Haden Coultard out of Twynholm. He climbed the steps easily and slid in behind the wheel before adjusting the seat and steering column to suit his height. He told us that he was familiar with concept of the Jake brake as it was like the engine brake fitted to the FH Volvo. At first he was inclined to use the full rev range but soon found that it pulled better if he changed up at about 1,500rpm. Soon after turning on to the road we encountered a short but quite sharp hill. "It really digs in on the climb," he said. "It feels as though there's a lot of torque down to about 1,000 rpm." Although unused to the 12-speed Eaton TwinSplitter transmission, McCormick was soon making reasonable progress with it. "It takes no effort using the splifter," he observed. "The steering is light and I like this padded wheel. The level of noise in the cab is about the same as my Scania but the ride is smoother. 1 like the way the dash is laid out but the speedo is a bit on the high side. It's good to have the radio down here where you can see it. I think I can reach almost everything I need to. I like a lot of space in a cab. With the flat area over the engine this is not too constrictive. This is as high as the Scania cab and visibility is not bad but the nearside mirror is too low. The inside and the bunk looks big enough." His parting remark was: "Only the Williams 500 Renault Magnum pulls better." Bob Grant drives a Scania 113 carrying airfreight for Spa-Trans out of Bedfont, near Heathrow Airport. "It's just like the Scania to get into," he said. "The steering wheel is tiny compared to mine". Unused to the gearbox he missed a gear and came to a stop on the first hill but then pulled away smoothly. "It's fantastic; it pulls away as if it were empty. It's got a lot more torque than mine" he said. "Considering it's fully laden the ride is very good. The seat is very comfortable with air suspension," he added. On the downgrade he tried out the engine brake for the first time. "Fantastic!" was his exclamation once again. "On some of the hills we come down you need something like this or you con burn your brakes out. The foot pedals seem perfect and I like the engine to stop on the key," he added as he parked up.
Looking around he commented on the cab and its fittings. "It's better to have a high bunk," he commented. "When you're away a week at a time you need the space underneath. It's got good vision all round and there's plenty of light. Are the curtains lined? Thin ones are no good in daylight," he said. We showed him how thick they were. "The trim should be easy to keep clean. The fascia is not heavily grained so it should be enough to wipe it over with a cloth," he concluded.
Eric McCormick: 'it feels as though there's a lot of torque down to about 1,000rpm."
Bob Grant: "It's fantastic; it pulls away as if it were empty."
Steve Selby drives an FL10.320 for Abbey Road Tanks out of Liverpool. He had only driven with a Twin Splitter transmission once before and only for a short time in the firm's yard, but by the time we'd covered or six-mile round trip he was changing up and down the box without the aid of the clutch. "The gate is quite wide—is that anything to do with the cable linkage?" he asked. We thought it might be. "You can tell it's a Cummins engine, there's so much more torque low down than with the Volvo," he told us. "Ifs a lot faster on acceleration than mine but there seems a bit of a delay while you wait for the Jake brake to come in. The ride is very soft at the back end. It seems quite lightly sprung and there is vibration coming back from the road wheels through the steering wheel. The engine doesn't sound very noisy but like all Fodens it suffers from wind noise. With the way I've got the steering wheel set 1 can't see the tacho. The rim cuts right across obscuring 30 to 50mph."