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TIPPERS

4th March 1999, Page 33
4th March 1999
Page 33
Page 33, 4th March 1999 — TIPPERS
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MAN 16.1-6-4-0FK Others: Scania P943100 Nino FS2P Hino DESPITE THE DOMINANCE of eight-wheeler tippers, which outsell 6x4 chassis roughly three to one, last year the tables were turned in terms of test vehicles— we tested three six-wheelers and only one 8x4. But in one case they were closely related. as the Hine six and eightloggers have a common driveline.

The 8x4 variant of the Hine, the FY2P, doesn't suffer from being under-powered: it has an adequate 320hp, made all the more usable by the 2F Ecosplit gearbox that is now fitted as standard. This is a great advance over the previous Eaton/Fuller RoadRanger, especially as its fitted with a pneumatic assistance system which makes shifts lighter, if not noticeably faster The main attribute of the Hine is its refinement. Noise levels are exceptionally low, and the airy cab is a pleasant working environment, The fuel-consumption figures were nothing special, but the Hino did well on the motorway, and it makes a generally competent workhorse.

The same applies to the 6x4 variant. It's an all-rounder, with a sturdy chassis and a powerful engine (that 320hi3 unit again) which is part of a hefty, bulletproof driveline, though it's easy to question the need for a 16speed gearbox. Its payload is nothing special, but it delivered decent fuel consumption with a particularly good figure on the motorway section, despite wearing unsuitably chunky mud & snow tyres.

It shares its cab with the eight-wheeler, so comfort was impressive— and of course it has electric cab tilt and Hines phenomenally bright interior light. We concluded that the vehicle itself was excellent, as long as it fits your needs and you're near to one of Hino's eight UK dealers.

Next up was MAN's 26.264DFK six-wheeler. This is a beefed-up M2000 chassis mated to the smaller 12000 cab and powered by the 260hp variant of MAN's familiar 6.87-litre diesel. Its handling was excellent (on Hendrickson rubber at the rear) and steering feel was good, as were the service brakes—only the engine brake let it down. The cab is relatively small, but build quality is good and the payload is one of the best in its class. Combine this with a decent turn of speed and terrific fuel consumption, and you have a tipper with something for everyone.

Could the Scania P94 CB be even better? We were certainly impressed by our test vehicle, which showed little evidence of the 40,000km it had covered in the hands of its owners. Overall build quality was excellent, as were the 4-Series cab's ride, ergonomics and visibility; and with 306hp on tap there was plenty of performance in hand, with only a persistent turbo whistle to spoil the fun. Fuel consumption and payload were OK, if not exceptional, and we especially liked the excellent stalk-operated retarder—though this adds 125kg and around £5,500.

In the end, though, we decided on the MAN: it's a practical truck with good road manners and even better productivity for the price of a lesser machine, There's little to criticise and much to praise, so the MAN is a worthy Testers' Choice.

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