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SQUARING UP TO THE MARKET

26th April 1986, Page 61
26th April 1986
Page 61
Page 62
Page 61, 26th April 1986 — SQUARING UP TO THE MARKET
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Britain's only independent truck maker has a new model with squarer lines than the CP Series it replaces ... and several less obvious changes. Tim Blakemore reports ERF's CP Series range of D and three-axle tractive ts and three and four-axle ids has been replaced by

E Series. The most obus difference between old I new models is the cab,

SP3 cab of the CP Series ring been replaced by a 14, one designated SP4 with quarer profile and extensiy revised interior. Howr significant revisions have o been made to the chassis me, transmission and cab pension.

Ile basic structure of the 4 cab is the same as that of SP3, with a steel box-secframe panelled with ERF's n SMC (sheet moulding npound) plastic panels. The 4 panel is entirely new, as all the panels from the )rs rearwards, and ERF has rked hard to generally imwe the cab's fit and finish. there are currently two -Wits of the SP4, a twinik sleeper and a rest cab, ich is 279mm deeper from nt bumper to back of cab 3C) than the SP3 day cab it laces. This allows room for )Id-down bunk behind the its.

k short day-cab version of SP4 without the squaredrear, will go into production r this year, but ERF plans use that only on the E6 which is the dacement for its current 16.26-tonne 14/ rigid model, the M16. SP3 also will itinue in production for export. VIartin Harper, ERF's executive engiring manager, says that initial develnent work on the new cab an in 1982. The main objectives were provide a cab with a rest bunk (which F has not had hitherto) as well as to rove on the SP3's aerodynamics and ierally to modernise it.

the Motor Industry Research Associa(MIRA's) wind tunnel was used for quarter-scale model testing of E Series aerodynamics, and for the development of the roof deflector and side faring kit which the company offers as an E Series option. Harper is reluctant to appear to jump on the aerodynamics bandwagon by quoting an x or y per cent improvement in wind resistance for E Series compared with CP Series models, partly because drag coefficient figures determined on quarter scale models cannot be scaled up accurately, he says.

However, he says that the squared-off rear, even with no deflector fitted, "definitely does encourage the air to go in the right direction, particularly around box-bodied semitrailers."

• NEW LOOK

While the doors, windscreen and major front panels of SP4 are unchanged from those on SP3, several other external changes distinguish the new cab from the old. These include rectangular 75/70 Watt, Hella headlamps (as currently used on the M16) in place of the twinned, circular lens type which had a relatively weak dipped beam; a restyled radiator grille; lower-mounted front indicator lamps; a new air intake stack; and front-corner air deflectors fitted as standard. These deflectors mask new air inlet scoops for the heating and ventilation system.

The distinctive twin short engine air inlet turrets of earlier day-cabbed ERFs have been abandoned entirely on E Series models in favour of a single, tall polyethylene stack which extends above cab roof height.

Compared with the old air intake system the new stack should draw in cleaner, drier air from above the cab roof and it also helps to lower drive-by noise.

Much of the development work on the E Series has been directed at improving driver comfort, and one result is an extensively revised cab interior. The old, flat ERF instrument and switch panel with circular instruments has been replaced by a much more up-to-date one with a slight wrap-around layout.

The angle of this wrap-around is much less acute than on some American trucks which have adopted the same principle, or even than those of the lveco Turbostar and Volvo FLs. It is enough, however, to bring the heater controls, park brake lever (now dashboard-mounted) and the ERF's banks of rocker switches within comfortable reach of the driver's left hand.

Harper says that a key factor in the design If the new cab interior was that no compromise had to be made to allow for manufacturing left and right-hand-drive models. The SP3 cab will continue to be used on all ERF export models, which currently make up only about five per cent of the firm's total production.

The new, soft textured steering wheel is adjustable for rake and height on tractive unit models only. A heated, Isringhausen mechanical suspension seat is standard equipment on tractive units and seat belt anchorage points are built in to all SP4 cabs as standard.

• NEW MOUNTING

An entirely new cab mounting system using Aeon hollow rubber springs at the front and coil springs and dampers at the rear has been designed to isolate the driver from uncomfortable vibration frequencies without giving him the detached feeling from which some premium tractive units with soft suspension, such as the Ford Transcontinental H Series and early Volvo F10/12 models suffered.

The single cab-tilt ram of earlier models has been replaced by twin rams on the E Series, mainly in the interest of reducing stress in the cab floor. New cab tilt locking levers have been incorporated in the side panels to the rear of the B posts.

• CHASSIS DEVELOPMENTS

Work on the SP4 cab has taken the lion's share of the E Series development budget, which ERF managing director, Cyril Acton puts at "about 21 million", but chassis and transmission specification has been updated too.

There is no change with E Series from the policy ERF adopted with the CP Series of fitting Cummins engines, Eaton gearboxes and Rockwell CVC drive axles as the "standard" specification. Now, however, the standard gearbox for tractive units of over 216kW is the Twin Splitter, and when the M16 replacement is introduced later this year its standard engine will be the 134kW Cummins 5.9-litre B Series.

On E Series 4x2 tractive units, ERF has reverted to using 8mm-thick chassis side members (as used on the rest of the premium range) in place of the fimm components it introduced three years ago. Better torsional stiffness is the reason given by ERF's engineers for this change_ The new cab trim, Twin Splitter gearbox and thicker chassis sidemembers all bring weight penalties, but the inherent lightness of the SMC cab construction means that although modelfor-model the E Series kerb weight has increased slightly compared with CP Series, the new ERFs are still among the lightest vehicles in their classes. For example, the dry kerb weight — without fuel or fifth wheel installation of a 6 x 2, sleeper cabbed E Series with Cummins E 320 engine and ERF's own steel/air suspension — is 7,076kg, according to its specification sheet. An equivalent CP Series vehicle weighed 6,977kg.

The model designation system adopted by ERF for its latest trucks denotes engine capacity and power output in the first four digits. Hence, an E 10.29 has a 10litre, 216kW (290hp) Cummins engine while an E 14.32 DT, for example, is a 6 x 4 tractive unit (the D means double drive and the T tractive unit) with a 14-litre, 239kW (320hp) gross engine.

Gardner and Perkins (Shrewsbury) Eagle engine options are carried over from CP Series to E Series with the same price premiums and possible delivery delay compared with equivalent Cumminspowered vehicles. However, for the time being at least, the new model designation does not apply to Gardner or Eagle engines. An LYT Garner engined E Series tractive unit is not designated E 15.32, as you would expect, but 38G.

With the introduction of E Series models retail list prices of ERF tractive units and rigids increase by about five per cent, but this includes the annual price increase.

• DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

ERF has no hope of disguising the SP4 cab during its development. Despite the new squared-off rear, it has too many unmistakeable ERF hallmarks, like the high waistline, large-radius front corners, and vertical, shallow windscreen. But a C Series driver who climbs into an E Series expecting to find only cosmetic changes is in for a surprise.

A lot of effort has been made to give the new truck range from Sandbach driver-appeal in the areas where ERF has been relatively weak.

The vehicle CM drove briefly recently was a 4 x 2 E Series tractive unit with a rest cab and Cummins Super E 320 engine. The rake and height-adjustable steering wheel and high-back Isringhausen 6000 mechanical suspension seat makes a comfortable driving position ea to find.

With 51mm more headroom than in a CP Series truck, and with extra space b hind the seats when the rest bunk is folded up, this E Series has a much less claustrophobic feel than the old short (la cab.

No sooner is the big Cummins in-line . six-cylinder engine started, than the effectiveness of the new cab mounting system is evident. It isolates the driver well from harsh engine vibration frequer des.

Even before we were out of Sandbacl the improvement in ride quality which n suits from the new cab suspension had also been clearly demonstrated.

When the tractive unit is brought to a halt at traffic lights the calinods gently, but there is never any excessive pitch oi roll and certainly no feeling of being too detached from what is going on at the ro wheels.

The short gear-lever movements, typical of an ERF Eaton gearbox installa. tion, make the Twin Splitter even easier to use in this tractive unit that in others we have tested.

The new dashboard position of the pai brake lever caught us out once or twice. The new position makes it easier to fek air pipes to it, and the slight kink back ol the dashboard brings it within cornfortab reach. However, when the lever used tc be next to the driver's seat it required n stretch at all.


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