THE PRICE IS RIGHT
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• It was hoped that the EuroTech, the first of the current generation of Iveco's truck models, would put right all the shortcomings found with the previous TEC range. The cab has a steel main structure shrouded in sheet-moulded compound panels in the areas that are most prone to rust. Three power ratings from two engine plants equip the 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 variants for a range of operational duties from supermarket deliveries through trunking to international long-haul. Three-axle units give greater loading tolerance to help prevent axle overloads so in the UK Iveco offers both twinsteer and double-drive options.
During 1993 the EuroTech tractive unit was introduced with turbocharged versions of the Iveco six-cylinder 8460 charge-cooled 9.5-litre engine rated at 345hp and 375hp for operation at 38 tonnes. At the top of the range Iveco's larger 13.79-litre engine produced 420hp. The ■
Ahigh payload went hand-in-hand with economy _for the MP40034T Euro Tech we . tested late in 1993. Equipped with aluminium fuel tank, air reservoirs, catwalk and steps, the tractive unit weighed in at 6.88 tonn fuelled, giving a payload of 24.12 tonnes running with our standard curtain-sided Fruehauf trailer at 7.0 tonnes. Its 9.5-litre engine, rated at 340hp, powered it alo. lively pace, averaging 45.2mph around CM's 1,184km Scottish test route while ret 757mpg Iveco's MP 400E42T unit was tested in March 1995, powered by the largt litre engine rated at 420hp combined with Eaton's SAMT transmission. It was heavier and thirstier, returning just 715mpg overall On the road the rough M69 c section set up a resonance that could be felt all the way back up through the steering steel-suspended 340 EuroTech. However, four-bag i Pension on the 420's drive axles smoothed out such larities There was no shortage of power when it can climbing and the 340's disc brakes pulled up straii using the exhaust brake and the service brake in qu cession dropped the air pressure to 8.0bar making th operation heavy. We felt that not much thought ha into placing the exhaust brake button but otherwise was well laid out. It combined a fairly low engine turn the dash panel's shal
low centre section giving at least an air of spaciousness allowing good cross-cab access with the steering wheel raised.
The radio, located in the header rail, was impossible to adjust on the move and we were pot impressed with noise levels inside the cab, which rose with road speed. There was some room for Storage under the bunk and pocket pace around the cab but not enough for long-haul enough even for loftli4etslebut the 64mm
The bottom bunk plenty long thick mattress was Ion the meagre \ side—the one on the top bunk was \ almost twice as thick. The 50,000krn service intervals kept downtime to just under 16 hours and parts Prices seemed reasonable too.
EuroTech's narrow, medium4,4 height cab enhanced unladen weight. The lower power option was specified on steel suspension as standard while the 380 and 420 models came with air at the rear.
Floating caliper ventilated disc brakes were fitted to the front axle for the first time, replacing the twin-leading-shoe drum brakes used previously Eaton's 12-speed Twin Splitter constant-mesh transmission was the standard option for the British market with ZF's 16speed Ecosplit synchromesh and Eaton's SAMT gearboxes available as options behind a single dry-plate clutch.
A difflock was standard with Rockwell's single-reduction axle but you had to pay extra for suchitems as ASR traction control. Little has changed over the past three years.
Clifford Connolly and his brothers Alan and David manage the family business, Connolly Transport, started by their father with a single truck in 1970. Now they run 30 vehicles from Ballymoney, Co Antrim. About 90% of them run with refrigerated trailers throughout the UK and on the Continent, delivering and picking up food products from as far north as Sweden and down south to Italy.
Over the past two-and-a-half years they have bought 24 Iveco EuroTech 420s which have replaced earlier Scania 142s and 143s but the company still runs a few Scanias and Dafs. "We bought them on price to start with. There were some good deals on offer at the time." says Clifford Connolly. "They are a bit lighter than the Scanias but they are good all-round trucks. They've covered between 150.000 and 180,000 miles a year and returned a consistent 7.0 to 7.5mpg. We'll keep them for three years so we will be looking for replacements soon. I don't know if we will have more of the same; it depends on the deal we can get. We have had some problems, niggly stupid things usually. One of the most common have been the cab mounts. It's not a good point with the EuroTech. They modified them once and then modified them again. I think they have maybe got it sorted now. They just didn't stand up to the weight of the cab—the rubbers front and rear just seem to wear away.
"As far as the brakes go I think they've finally got the discs sorted we had a lot crack up," he says. "But it's not just the brakes we have had windscreens crack too; not from stones but because the cab flexes too much. I think. The engines have been OK and the gearboxes have been 100% but we have had trouble with the hub seals on drive axles. They start to leak oil but so far we have replaced the seal before any damage has been done to the wheel bearings. I think lveco could improve the wiring. Water gets into the lights at the sides of the vehicle.
"The backup is good," says Connolly. "Dencourt Trucks at Belfast look after us very well. The trucks though haven't been as good as the Scanias; hence the difference in price. Ifs true that you get what you pay for, but they are generally reliable and we would still consider buying them. The drivers like them. They have a lot of room and plenty of power."
Last October managing director Tony Davies led a management buy-out of Ryan
Transport in south Wales, formerly the trans port division of the Ryan mining group. As well as hanging on to existing work the company has expanded its business keeping its core fleet of 34 vehicles and a large number of sub-contactors busy. Davies operates mainly FL and F10 Volvo tractive units on coal contracts but has just the one K-reg Iveco EuroTech 380.
"We work our trucks hard so we expect to get some wear and tear but basically the EuroTech has been marvellous," says Davies. "We had it on demonstration for a while and it performed quite well. When it was time to hand it back Iveco offered it to us at a good price. In the first 12 months it covered 180,000 miles on night trunking. It has a more varied work pattern now hut! still like the fuel consumption. On average it returns about 7.8mpg. It has been as high as 8.3mpg and as low as 6.0mpg depending on the type of operation. But overall it been better than we get from our Volvo 360s.
"It looks very nice," he adds. "The cab is ideal and the power is excellent but it's probably the wrong tool for tipper work. I don't expect to change it for another year yet so I haven't looked too closely at residual prices. [would like to think we would get £20,000. We don't have any difficulty selling the Volvos but we may not get rid of the Iveco so easily. I don't expect to buy another one but it's not been especially more expensive to run than the Volvos. We had a lot of teething problems but they're all sorted out now. The ABS played up—the light was on more than it was off. Then there were the discs and we have had the diff out three times. The warranty claims weren't horrendous but the 10(21 dealer didn't turn the truck round as quickly as we would have liked and we have been kept waiting for parts."
Derek Linch Haulage, based on Romney Marsh, Kent started out with Leylands and bought its first Fiat in 1980. "We've had various Fiat and Iveco models ever since but I am pro Mercedes," says Linch. in October 1993! was about to place an order for an 1844 but Iveco's EuroTech 380 6x2 came in at £15,000 less. That was my first one, on an L-plate, and I replaced it at the end of March this year with a 4x2 EuroStar 420. I've got one Volvo FH380 and would have liked another but the local Volvo dealer would only allow me £25,000.
"I was £8,000 better off on the trade in against the EuroStar," he adds. "That was the second one this year and both have been very good. I'm only a small company with 20 vehicles working on a very mixed type of operation. Some vehicles only work within a 100 miles; we have some fridge work delivering to supermarkets and others are on international operations. The older ones tend to work closer to home and we don't have a hard and fast replacement policy—I still have a Y-reg F10 that has been rebuilt and still going strong.
"I have had three EuroTechs. The L-reg
was the earliest one and we had a lot of niggling problems
with it including rear brakes that were readjusted.
There were numerous electrical problems such as ignition switch failure, battery cut-off switch failures. We had to have a new raise/lower valve and all of the wiring, which had melted. replaced. We were told it had the wrong fuse but it was not put in by us. However, we had a very much smaller repair bill than it could have been: Invicta Trucks of Canterbury were very good. They try very hard and don't run away from a problem. The fly-by-wire accelerator pedal broke; we were able to get it home on the cruise control but we carry a spare now—it costs about £40. The bleeper on the fault panel seems to go off for any reason at all and often when there isn't a reason.
"Some of the parts priced seem very reasonable and some are ridiculous," says Linch. "Filters and the like are no cheaper from the factors but door handles...we have had a lot of door lock barrels seize but they can't be bought on their own. You have to buy the complete handle and they only come in matching pairs. Major components have been very reliable. Even going back to the early fitted stuff we have never really had any problems mechanically. In the past we suffered
from rust but they seem to have cracked that now. Since the modified discs were fitted we don't seem to have had any further problems in that area but they were wearing out every four to six months. Invicta replaced them and always gave us a credit on them.
"Cab mounting bushes wore out on the older one and the torsion bar across the front of the cab had to be welded." he reports. "Inside the cab the trim is not bad; the seat squab material is just starting to go. At the end of the day it's not the quality of a Mercedes or Volvo but then it's not the price of
EuroTech has been a successful model for Stormont Truck of Hildenborough near Tonbridge, Kent in both new and used truck sales. This main dealer carries a used stock of about 55 vehicles ranging from the Daily van upwards which usually includes up to eight or nine EuroTech tractive units ready for resale.
Sales manager Tony Fielding says "There is a good demand for the EuroTech, especially for the 380s and 420s which are popular with owner-drivers . Generally 340hp is not powerful enough for the owner-driver today but that applies whatever the make of vehicle.
"We take some in part exchange and others we get through contacts but we only see a few at auctions. I am always advertising for clean 380 and 420 models," says Fielding. "This year we've sold twice as many two-axle models as those with three axles. We offer a third lift axle conversion carried out by Eurowde of Stoke-on-Trent. That adds just £4,500 to the cost of a 420, including wheels and tyres. They're popular with operators who pull fridges or for those who just want to reduce the road tax burden. Prices vary according to age model and condition, but as an indication we recently sold a 4x2 340 on a K-plate at £22,950 and a 1995 4x2 420 for £36,950. An Lreg 380 twin-steer went for C32,950."
"Stormont participates in Iveco's used truck TruckSure scheme which ensures that every truck is inspected, serviced and valetai TruckSure also includes one of the best warranties in the country at the moment," he says. "Everyone knows the problems they have had with the disc brakes and cab mounts and silly little things like rear lights filling up with water, but I think that's behind us now," he concludes. "EuroTech's engine, gearbox and drive axle are superb and it's popular with operators because it's good on fuel. It's got a roomy double-bunk cab and it's light."
Ben Whiting, at independent dealer John Whiting of West Mercia, near Colchester, runs a hire fleet of some 40 trucks as well as holding a stock of 50 to 60 vehicles for sale and
also does a fair bit of breaking. "We run nearly all Ivecos and we've had a few problems with them but the reason we buy them is that they are £15,000 to £20,((X) cheaper than anything else," says Whiting. "The EumTech 380 fetches a bit more than the 340 because it's more money to start with. They aren't worth anything near the other makes in the used market but they get the same rate for the job as Volvo FH or Scania 113! We break a few motors so we know by what people are asking for and what goes wrong with different motors.
"With Ivecos you don't get a lot of trouble with the engine or driveline," he adds. "The driveline should be good for at least 700,000Iun—the worst problem was with the disc brakes. We have had a lot of problems with air valves and the computer on the dash keeps throwing up silly things. The lights are always coming on. Overall I don't think they're a lot worse than other makes; all new models have had their problems.
"We have two M-reg 94 400E34s here now with all the bits on them—slider, fairing kits and sun visors—and we haven't had too many phone calls. "They were priced at around £33,000 but there are a lot about locally due to a couple of operators who have reducing their fleets," he says. "Some were sold at under £30,000. Last week 1 saw a 400E34 1994 on an L, not the tidiest of things used on tipper work, hut it only fetched £17,000. Mind you at the same place there were Leyland Daf 85 330 ATis, which cost a lot more new, going for only £21,000 and one on an N-plate that went for just £25,000."