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PROOF POSITIVE
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An abundance of fleet-specced tractors in the used sector has created a buyers' market. With the Nor, Mercedes-Benz has realised that the functional, few-frills approach is paying dividends with operators.
The three-year-old used tractor market was created by manufacturers in the UK to help keep sales turning over as technology increased and produced better vehicles for more or less the same unit price.
While giving the motor industry a decent recycling programme to work with, and allowing it to keep production lines moving despite dwindling numbers of operators, it also produced an abundance of cloned fleetspecced vehicles in the used market. At times the used sector has been swamped, forcing down used truck values, but these days tight used-vehicle management suggests the lessons have been learnt.
King of the fleet tractors is the Daf CF85. Even the most company-loyal truck sales employee will have to admit it represents the finest fleet tractor on the market — and it has awards to prove it.
But while the Daf might be leading the way, its competitors are far from overawed. In spring 2002 Mercedes-Benz introduced the Axor:simple,driver friendly and robust. Many commentators felt it was the truck that should have been introduced after the SK. but that would suggest the Actros, and its innovations, fell on stony ground.
Mercedes-Benz had done its homework; the UK market wanted, demanded in fact. a hog-standard truck — something the market was awash with when the Actros arrived in 1996.
By 2000 all manufacturers were looking to produce electronically enhanced trucks, which were more complicated to drive.The mass market, however, still wanted vehicles that drivers could identify with — the reason for the Daf CF85*s success.
The Axor isn't quite half Atego, half Actros in design, but it is in terms of status.The drivelines match options on the bottom end of the flagship Actros. while the narrow cab has more in common visually with M-B's midrange products.
It proved to be a success with its first round of customers, including bulk haulage experts, supermarkets and rental companies, then disappeared from the front line for a while until interest arose from the used sector.
Mercedes-Benz Approved Used Commercials has first choice on lease, finance or contract deals. hut many are also sold outright to end users. Franchised dealers enjoy a steady stream while independents and auction houses have a fight on their hands to get an Axor to sale.
When we tested an 04 Axor (CM 28 July 2005), Cap's Red Book projected price of £37,750 (ex-VAT) was an 'opinion' rather than written-in-the-book fact — MercedesBenz Approved Used Commercials was asking £39,950 (ex-VAT).These retail prices reflected the vehicle's status 12 month! ago — spotless, low mileage and rare on the open market.
The truck for this test,YAO4WLV, was provided by Hill Hire. It was registered in July 2004 and has clocked up 203,000km. Service history shows that a new clutch was installed 3,000km ago as the previous one was slipping. The mileage isjust under average, not bad considering it has only been on spot hire. Cap' Red Book reveals its retail value is L31,250 (ex-VAT) with an average price tag of £25,550 (ex-VAT).
Product profile
YAO4WLV is a 2543LS high-roof sleeper cab with a mid-lift axle; the engine boasts a true rating of 422hp at 1,900rpm through the 11.97-litre turbocharged six-cylinder directinjection engine.
Its strength comes from a very powerful 2,100Nm of torque, rating from 1.100rpm with an eight-speed direct-top synchromesh slapover transmission with a crawler.The high-roof long-distance option usually has twc bunks, but this version has just one, which is how it arrived at Hill Hire in September 2004.
The fuse box has been bolted to spot any tampering and the tilt bar taken out, as it did more harm than good in the hands of'havea-go-mechanic' drivers tilting the cab with the doors open— causing equipment to crash through the windscreen.
It even has a cassette radio. Behind the cab if. the sliding Jost fifth wheel and lead-up ramps. The tractor weighed in at 8,135kg for the test.
Productivity
We couldn't have chosen better conditions for the test as the UK was in the middle of a heatwave. According to the truck's thermometer, temperatures regularly topped 30°C around the route.
These conditions, and a caravan-free A-road stretch, helped achieve an overall 7.76mpg fuel figure; good for 44 tonnes. The tough A-road section where most of the hard work takes place produced a respectable 7.31mpg, while it romped home on the motorway section with 8.86mpg.
With the motorway section so short, only something outstanding (or improbable) would have pulled the overall figure away from its A-road result. Even so, if you were to haul 44 tonnes over the A483 and A44 regularly you would probably have to accept something well below 8.0mpg.We hauled a 28,865kg payload and completed the route in 405 minutes, giving us an average speed of 40.8mph.
On the road
It makes a change not having a demo driver from the manufacturer sitting next to you highlighting your deficiencies, but if things do go pear-shaped it's nice to have one around to get things sorted. So when the cab-tilt light came on half way round and we discovered there wasn't a tilt bar to help solve the problem we were forced to call for assistance.
Still,if you can't relax in the 300 heat overlooking a Welsh valley, with a flask, and trying to finish an advanced Sudoku in The Independent then truck driving and its pitfalls probably isn't for you.Thankfully, the engineer solved the fault —dirty sensors on the cab mounting— but it did make us wonder: why all or nothing with warning lights? It was red, but the cab hadn't actually moved; would, could or should we have been able to fix the problem ourselves?
Back on the road,we pressed on with no further problems.At 44 tonnes through the borders of Wales and England, any weak spots in a driveline aren't slow to show up. Mostly the Axor coped with the arduous terrain well, but an extra option, a splitter, would have helped here and there rather than having to over-rev to ensure the next gear up the box met the bottom end of the torque band.
Climbing up Dinmore Hill is a case in point. Fifth is too low, sixth too high—it needed something in between.We held back in fifth before the hill shallowed and we were able to progress up the box with confidence that the next gear would bite.
This makes it sound like hill climbing is not the Axor's forte. but Dinmore Hill is tough on everyone. It has no run-up so you always hit the start point at 40mph, even flat out, but there is no momentum. If this is the only hill that asks questions on this route then a vehicle has done well.
The 422hp true rating is compensated by the 2,100Nm torque, which delivers from 1,100rpm. You can lug down with the horizon in view — and without a splitter to ease the way, lugging can be better in terms of time and fuel economy.
When CM put an Axor through its paces 12 months ago we discovered that the ratio for second gear, the preferred take-off when all things are equal, was closer to 3H than 3L in a 16-speed equivalent. It could explain why u) clutch was slipping at 200,000km on YA04 JVL. It was found that taking off from first ) third was better in terms of momentum and Eke-off time. Plus, in theory, it's kinder to le clutch.
Last time around, there was also a degree f understeer coupled with a traditionally ght steering experience.Tyre pressure was iven as a possible reason by the manufacturer 120psi in the front axle and lOOpsi in the lid-lift and rear axles are the desired figures, nd even an increase of 5psi in the mid-lift will hange the steering experience ).We concluded aat all mid-lift axles were fine.., provided ou travelled in a straight line. "Ask mid-lift ractors to take you around tight corners on an ii-road and the tendency is to push forward," ve said at the time.
But we didn't get either sensation with YA04 VVL.The Axor met all corners true and the tee ring was tight and responsive without ny feeling of under-steer or light handling. 'erhaps not all cloned trucks are identical.
Cab comfort
With average mileage and an above-average number of drivers, the cab was showing signs of wear and tea r.The driver's seat had three cigarette burns, and two holes were drilled in the blue dash facia (suggesting a mobile phone holder): there were some small scuff marks on the engine cover and walls of the cab.
Removing the second bunk provided extra living space for the driver...The front storage and the three compartments under the bunk were more than enough for a one-person operation..The blue dash and black buttons and monitor screen offered a simple damage-free environment short on thrills and kind to spills as every nook and cranny in the Spartan interior is easily accessible with a vacuum.
If you are over six feet tall then standing upright isn't an option, as the engine cover and seats prevent maximising headroom. It is possible to stand upright in the passenger footwell. but you are too far away from the rest of your gear to do much with it... unless you are having a stretch or have a basketball hoop in the far corner. •