CMRoadtest No 6, 1981
Page 31
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THE TREND in the British tractive unit market in recent years has been for operators to overspecify, choosing 36, 38, 40 or even 50-tonne gcw tractive units for operation at no more than 32 tons and manufacturers have been able to label their vehicles as 36 or 38 tonnes, secure in the knowledge that they would not be operated at that weight.
But many transport managers and engineers, notably those running large fleets, like to be more precise in their specifications and are interested to know how vehicles perform at their design weight limit. They are reluctant to pay for unwanted ' extra capacity and suffer the penalty of high unladen weight.
"Genuine" 32-tonners appeal to such fleets and if Armitage's recommendations are accepted,
"genuine" 34-tonners will be equally popular. Despite a certain amount of notoriety, brought about by the unfortunate fixed head engine, Leyland's Buffalo tractive unit sold well in this sector of the market. The replacement for both the Buffalo and Lynx tractive units is the Cruiser with design gcws of 28, 32 and 33.5 tons. When a manufacturer is prepared to allow a vehicle to be tested at its maximum design weight, it speaks volumes for his confidence in the product.
As it turned out our test of the Cruiser at 34 tonnes proved Leyiand's confidence to be well founded. The new range tooks set to do well in the 28 to 34tonne market, offering standards of comfort that drivers of this
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