1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214 
Light on the fleet
Page 94
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
If we had a pound for every time we'd told you how strong Scania residuals are we'd have at least a tenner. Back in 2002 we put a lightweight Euro-3 6x2 tractor around the three-day Scottish route.
The Euro-3 engine in our test truck has already been replaced by Euro-4, well ahead of schedule.This is bread-andbutter fleet material; the lightweight version we tested was born of an inquiry by Wincanton Logistics which needed a low-weight three-axle tractor for its Carlsberg contract.
So Scania got together with axle and suspension manufacturer Hendrickson to produce a tractor with a 5,450kg mid-lift axle on 19.5in wheels with 265/70R22 tyres fitted to the 3.9m chassis.
This engine isn't to be confused with the 420 HFI turbo-compound which was launched in September 2002.The fleet favourite 420 DC12-01 is a six-pot chargedcooled DI turbo-diesel with unit injectors. Its 11.7-litre capacity produces 420hp from 1,900rpm, with 2,000Nm of torque on tap from 1,000-1,300rpm.
Transmission is the Scania GRS900 14-speed manual box with range-change and splitter and direct-drive top gear; it's all synchromesh except the two crawler gears. Final drive is 3.08:1. which is about par for the course.
Vehicle: R124LA6x2/2NA420 sleeper-cab tractor Tested: 31 October 2002
Specifications Engine: Scania 420 DC12-01 (Euro-3), charged-cooled direct-injection turbo-diesel with unit injectors Capacity: 11,71itres
Maximum power: 414hp (309kW) at 1,900rpm Maximum torque: 2,000Nm at 1,000-1,300rpm Transmission: Scania GRS900 14-speed manual gearbox (range-change and splitter) with direct-drive top gear; synchromesh on all but two crawler ratios
Design GVW:24,450kg Operational trial results
Average speed: 70.6km/h (43.9mph) Average fuel consumption (three-day Scottish route): 7.51mpg (37,61g/100km) Current CAP retail: (02-plate) £28,500 (ex-VAT) List price as tested £68,634 (ex-VAT); basic vehicle £66,284; options list includes: alloy wheels, £1,800: upgrade to 350/200 alloy fuel tanks, £37.50; sliding Jost fifth wheel, 2412.50; electrically adjustable nearside mirror, £100 The lowdown
For operators running bulk haulage,kerbweight is crucial. At 44 tonnes a combination of higher payloads and consistent fuel consumption is encouraging, especially if customers are demanding the extra payload for the same rates. A lightweight tractor like the R124 6x2 can make a difference, even if it only saves a few trips a year.
And one further important issue for operators is that the residuals for Scania products are the best in the business.
As for the driver, the comfort and driveability are as good as ever, and the lightweight option does not compromise the working space. Overall it produced a good result from the A68;it was only slightly down on the motorways and A-roads and more than equalled 41-tonne test results.
With the extra payload and good fuel returns at 44 tonnes, the Scania R124 mid-lift will continue to be a firm favourite with those who control the purse strings. •