Enter the Cargo range from Ford
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This successor to the D-Series, involving a £145m investment, is one of the two most significant launches during the past ten years, says Steve Gray
ONE of the two most signifint vehicle-range launches for Jecade Ford has replaced the Series with the Cargo range V/ February 14). Since its introction in 1965, the D-Series has (en Ford to the number one ot in medium-weight vehicles. !spite this and the current ression — or perhaps because of — Ford believes there is no tter time to re-enter the mar The Cargo range is the result nearly six years' development /plying 1,300 man-years of le and 2.25 million miles of t•ting. A total of £145m was iested in the project including Om spent at Langley where latest automatic robot weld and 19-stage cathodic paint ocess have been installed.
Although Ford decided to apoach the design of Cargo with clean sheet of paper, it was Ivious that many existing and )11 proven D-Series componts would be used. In spite of s, 4,000 new components ?re needed, along with an isting 2,000 which were re-en-leered.
Ford's biggest problem, it iims, was to beat the existing Series. To do so all truck ierations were brought tether under one roof and the oject objectives finalised.
The overall key words were 3 improve the efficiency" of a vehicles and this Ford cateirised under four headings: 1, oductivity; 2, Reduced total st of ownership; 3, Improved iver environment; and 4, ifety and drivability.
From the outset Ford worked osely with its 134-strong )ecialist truck dealerships. It ew heavily on their experience operator requirements along th its own.
Ford also sent truck engineers its prime markets, including irope, Australia, and South rica, to obtain a profile of what a new vehicle should be like. le result is, stylistically at any te, a very futuristic looking ick range which includes 2) sic models from 6.0 to 28.E nnes 15.9 to 28 tons) gvw. Ir mmon with D-Series there arE ick, tipper and a rtc models.
They are to be introduced in C phased programme during this year, starting with 6 to 14-tonne rigids and 17.2 to 21.3-tonne artic units, production of which began on January 12. Next month 16.25-tonne rigids and 254tonne and 28.5-tonne artic units will follow; finally, 16.25-tonne tippers, longer wheelbase rig ids and 24A-tonne six-wheelers will arrive in September.
Without doubt the most impressive aspect of the Cargo range is its new cab. Taller than the D-Series by 100m 4in), it has virtually the same overall length and width. Inside headroom has been increased by 33mm (1.3in) and all-round visibility is improved with a 24 per cent bigger screen and 75 per cent larger side glass areas.
According to Ford, its aim was to produce a cab which had fewer panels than the D to reduce weight and simplify construction. There is only one basic cab structure but two different floor panels are needed, depending on which engines are used.
The cab itself, unlike the DSeries, is mounted on the chassis at four points and naturally tilts. Torsion bars are used to counter balance the cab and it tilts in two stages — 40° for normal maintenance and 50° for more major operations. Rubber mounts at front and rear have been designed to stiffen up under load to provide isolution to suppress vibration. Although Ford engineers endeavoured to keep the cab weight as close to that of the old model as pos
sible, the higher standard of trim and equipment has made the Cargo cab typically 51kg (lcwt) heavier.
The styling of the cab owes much to air-flow management techniques designed to improve fuel consumption. At the rear i1 is curved outward to form a flared collar which, Ford says, improves air flow over full-width bodywork. By bringing the door right up into the roof panel and curving it over, the drip rail could be eliminated and this cuts wind noise as well as improving consumption although sealinc looks a problem.
Putting radii on the A-posts and increasing the rake of thE windscreen to 17.4° further im• proved the situation. The net re. sult is a very distinctive clesigr which is at the same time ver). attractive.
Door handles are recessec and by extending the front quar. ter window to down the doors, E. kerb window is formed eaclside. These add to the futuristic styling but are also practical.
Oblong halogen headlight! with oblong direction indicator! above are fitted along with z "corporate" styled grille simila
models. Because the cab is higher than its predecessor (it is 50mm higher on the chassis) two steps are needed to gain access. They are well placed though and from this point make entry as good as the D-Series ever was.
Where Ford has failed though is in not providing a second grab handle at the rear of the door opening. The designers' rationale is that it would intrude too much if it were to be effective, but the present situation with only one handle built into the end of the dashboard is definitely unsatisfactory. Once in the cab the driver is provided only with an adjustable seat although a suspension one is available at extra cost.
Nevertheless, the ordinary seat is comfortable enough and is finished in black woven fabric ivith thin red stripes which is ,called Laser. In fact, this design /vas "lifted" by Ford's car division for the Escort XR3.
Another area of complaint, I 'eft, was the long stretch needed -o reach the door pull to close it. found I had to hang on to the steering wheel with my left hand
to stop myself falling out when endeavouring to close the door.
Once the driver is behind the wheel with the door closed, the cab gives him an air of spaciousness. Good cross-cab access is aided by a low engine hump, and this is a very strong point for urban distribution vehicles.
Pendant pedals for brake and clutch and a well placed throttle pedal add to the car-like driving arrangement and I found the steering wheel is at a better angle than the D models. It allows a clear view of the dashboard, which is made up of three sections. The centre has the tachograph in what in my view is exactly the right place — directly in front of the driver,
Two angled panels on each side house other instruments and controls with the rev counter — when fitted — on the lefthand panel. Other minor controls for the heater and tumbler switches for various functions are fitted onto a central panel. The gear lever, which has a good shape and is well placed, is fitted in front of the park brake control.
To enhance driver comfort interior noise levels have been kept down to 80dB(a), says Ford, by means of sound insulation material with more effective matting on bigger Vee engined models. An optional noise Pack can be specified to bring the level down to 77dB(a).
If the cab is brand new, so too are the chassis frames. Computer techniques were used to optimise the cross-sections and at the same time save weight. To cater for the varying engine/transmission/wheelbase requirements three basic frame "families" were evolved with (1) shallow for up to 8.0 tonnes, (2) deep up to 13 tonnes and (3) extra deep for those above.
The material chosen for all frames was steel with a yield stress of 450mN per sqm (29 tons per sqin) which compared to 250mN per sqm (16.1 ton per sqin) for D-Series. Where necessary flitches have been added to stress areas on different models such as long-wheelbase vehicles.
Weight savings of up to 33 per cent, depending on model, have thus been achieved, says Ford, over the displaced D. To further
reduce weight, Ford is fittii tubeless radial steel-cord r tyres on one-piece wheels standard, but tubed tyres three-piece wheels can I specified.
A new departure for Ford the use of spigot-mountE wheels on ten-stud applicatior For Cargo brakes, air over hy raulic, dual-circuit systems a used on light trucks and tippE up to 14.7 tonnes (14.5 tor while full air is fitted on 16. tonnes (16 tons) gvw models. ( air over hydraulic systems two-line air-pressure system fitted. The reservoir is ke above normal operating limits 11 bar (160 lb sqin) while air operate the system is limited 7 bar by means of the foot vaIN, This obviates the problem of r duced brake performance fE lowing repeated brake use.
Smaller tanks which can I fitted within the frame, at changed connections to the E side are said to reduce the like hood of air loss during standin Lighter vehicles up to 10 tonni have for the first time been fittE with a dual-line air/hydraulic split secondary system. Th system allows for the rei brakes to be operated via tl• load apportioning valve if an h draulic circuit fails. On larg vehicles the normal vertical sp system is used.
To cater for different mark demands, Ford uses bot minimum and multi-leaf suspe sions and the former whe fitted have telescopic dampe as standard all round. Anti-rc bars can be specified if requirE for high C of G bodywork.
Surprisingly, power steering standard only on vehicles wii gvws of above 13 tonnes. FE distribution vehicles of this claE I would have thought the breE point should be nearer 8 tonnE gvw.
Power for the Cargo rang
mes from a choice of six dieI engines all basically those ed in D-Series. But now the ?-litre naturally aspirated ine six is available in 9-tonne Dss models, while the Cumns and the Perkins V8s are ailable from 11 tonnes gvw. )routputs for the engines see companying Power Output
[he engines are substantially 3. same as those used on Dries since its revamp in 1979. en the three naturally espied engines were de-speeded 200rpm to 2,600rpm max by vering the compression ratio d recalibrating the fuel equip?nt. A larger turbocharger was • ed to the six-litre turbo II and ilso gained an oil cooler.
or Cargo these in-line enes have steel timing gears in:ad of cast iron, larger diamer push rods and chrome shed valve stems. Valve-stem ating is improved by use of n-hardening valve seals in 3ce of rubber.
An automatic excess fuel de is fitted to all engines and all turally aspirated engines, expt the four-cylinder, have a ial-bowl fuel filter and all have positive displacement lift Redesigned sumps and oil .;k-up pipes are fitted to six-cylder engines so that they can be commodated in 06, 07 and 08 odels which have the front de set forward. Magnetic am-plugs are used on all ennes.
The Perkins and Cummins ennes are virtually unchanged lth the former having a cornned cast iron timing cover and )gine mount and a new flyheel for the diaphragm clutch. Dwever, the Cummins is now e big Cam version of the V504 Aurally aspirated unit.
To speed maintenance, all Cargo models have hydraulic, self-adjusting clutches with the option of air assistance on V8 engined models. For four-cylinder models a 305mm (121n) diameter axial-spring single plate is used while the naturally aspirated sixes have a larger 330mm (13in) version of the same. Turbo engines have a 330rnrn (13in) diaphragm Spring clutch while V8s have a 350mm (14in) single-diaphragm spring unit instead of the twin 305mm (12in) disc set up used on Ds.
Six transmissions are offered — two from ZF and four from Ford. Changes include sintered iron synchromesh rings which are coated with a fibre facing to improve life and reduce shift loads. Input/output shafts are better sealed by means of a niVile rubber hydrodynamic seal. For the first time the four-speed
4-410-S transmission can be specified with the 6.2-litre six engine.
During a brief test drive of various Cargo models at a test circuit, I was impressed by the general level of comfort and ride — with one notable exception. This was the 2114 artic model which, naturally, had a singleaxle trailer. Cab nod and general pitching made it a very uncomfortable run, although Ford claimed later it was due to "poor loading and trailer matching" because it had to borrow trailers at a late stage.
While I can accept that as the reason, I find it amazing that for such an important launch things weren't correct. After all, what will it be like when operators have the vehicles in service and just couple to any old trailer in the yard? Nevertheless, the other vehicles rode well, but I rnusi reiterate my point about havinc power steering on lower-weighi vehicles. They all drove well and seemed to have plenty of power although we were unsure if all were to max gvw.
My only other complaint concerned the mirrors which, although fitted on by sturdy brackets at the base, are unsup ported at the top and vibrate in cessantly. In view of thE shortness of the test run I we; unable to record any fuel con sumption or other data and, al though we plagued Ford, WE were unable to get a Cargo fo. full test to coincide with thE launch. But a full test will follovs in the next few months.
Summary Ford has definitely mover ahead of the competition with Caro. It is modern, stylish ant has been designed to be 30 pe cent cheaper to maintain thar the D-Series while offering a lo more in driver comfort and, Fort claims, improved fuel consume tion. My reservations are of minor nature on what is to mN mind a very well designer vehicle.
Prices have yet to be an nounced, but I expect that eacf variant will cost around five pe cent more than the D-Serie model is supersedes, and the lis of kerb weights is included in thE Ford Supplement in this issue.