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STRATOCRUISER 17 6x2

IPrice as tested: £64,159 (ex-VAT), chassis-cab only. Bigne: 10.8 litres, 400hp (298kW). Payload: 25.92 tonnes. Average speed: 72.2km/h (44.9mph). Average fuel consumption: 7.37mpg (38.311t/100km).

We continue our exploration of the world of 4Itonners with a 400hp Seddon Atkinson Stratocruiser T7. Apart from the higher weight there's nothing unusual about this 6x2 tractor: the well-finished twin-bunk cab sits over a well-proven CumminsEaton-Meritor driveline which sets SA's bespoke approach apart from other divisions of the Fiat army. It also returned some creditable figures... 0

Stratocruiser SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL Seddon Atkinson Stratocruiser 17 23.405M 8x2 tractor.

Design CCM 44 tonnes.

Design Glfili: 23 tonnes.

Plated CYW: 22.36 tonnes. Manufacturer: Seddon Atkinson Vehicles, PO Box 7, Oldham, Lancs OL2 6HP.

ENGINE Cummins M11-405M Euro-2, fourstroke, charge-cooled, directinjection turbocliesel with Celect Plus electronic fuel system. Single overhead camshaft operating four valves per cylinder and unit injectors. Cylinders: Six, in-line. Boreistroke:125x147rtim.

Capacity: 10.8 litres.

Compression ratio:1611.

Maximum net power:400hp (298kW) at1,90Orpm, Maximum net torque: 1,4751bft (2,000Nm) at 1,200rpri.

TRANSMISSION Eaton RTS014613A 16-speed rangechange splitter synchromesh gearbox.

Rear axle: Mentor 5180E singlereduction hypoid; final drive ratio, 3.91:1.

Clutelt Spicer TS13612 358mm twinplate ceramic dry plate with airassisted hydraulic operation.

BRAKING SYSTEMS

Dual-circuit air system with Category 1 ABS, load sensing, automatic slack adjustment and air drier. Mentor Q-cam drum brakes. Spring parking brake on steer and drive axles. Jacobs Engine Brake operated automatically.

Brake dimensions: All axles, 419x177mm; total friction area, 8,514cm2.

STEERING

ZF 8098 with integral hydraulic power assistance.

12:23

Ladder-type, pressed-steel Li-channel frame with all-bolted construction, Dimensions: 276x76x8mrn; width of parallel section, 867mm.

Suspension: Front, Mentor FH8O3 axle with two-leaf parabolic leaf springs; pusher and drive axles, Hendrickson six-bellows airsuspended bogie. Hydraulic dampers fitted to all axles. Pusher axle has air dump and rift.

Axle design weights Front, 7,100kg; second, 6,300kg, rear, 11,0001(g. 1beeis and tyres: 8.25x22.5in Alcoa wheels writ' 295/80A22.5 tyres. fuel tank 400 litres.

ELECTAICAL SYSTEM

Battery: 2x12V, 200Ah. Generator: 55A.

TERMS OF WARRANTY

Two years' unlimited distance mechanical with fee years' cab anti-corrosion.

DEALERS AND SERVICE POINTS Seddon Atkinson has 53 outlets in the UK.

etween them, the Seddon and Atkinson names can draw on more than a century and a half of truck building experience. In the nearly three decades since they joined forces, the merged Oldham operation has been under the control of Americans, Spaniards and, since 1991, Italians, as a small part of the Iveco division of the massive Fiat group.

Seddon Atkinson has survived a few worrying periods over the years, sometimes appearing becalmed with no apparent sense of direction. But it now enjoys a fairly stable position as a relatively low volume manufacturer of bespoke general haulage and municipal trucks. The firm is able to combine the flexibility of using bought-in components from the likes of Cummins, Eaton and Mentor with the potential cost savings given by access to the Iveco parts bin.

PRODUCT PROFILE

The Seddon Atkinson haulage range manages to cover most of the angles, encompassing rigids from r8-tonne 4x2s, through single and double-drive six-leggers, right up to 32-tonne 8ms. Tractive units come in 4,12 and 6x2 configurations with a full range of cab options. Entry-level Strato models get the basic threeseater T5 cabs, with mid-range versions having the more spacious TG. Models with the high-roof T7 cab become Stratocruisers.

Common to all variants are Cummins engines driving Eaton transmissions. Cabs are derived from Iveco products and sit above UK-built chassis.

Our test subject this week is the range-topping Stratocruiser powered by a Cummins Mu rated at 400hp. An Eaton S-Series i6speed synchromesh gearbox provides the drive to a Mentor axle, which is suspended by a Hendrickson sixbellows mid-lift bogie.

With Cummins' latest ISM engine now coming through, you may well be asking why we didn't test that instead of the Mu. The simple answer is that CM is still gauging the fuel consumption implications of 41-tonne operation and is keen to establish a few links to the known quantities of previous tests, such as the Mir running in various guises at 38 tonnes.

PRODUCTIVITY

Our last Seddon Atkinson Stratocruiser test was of a 4x2 running at 38 tonnes (CM 19-25 June 1997). We praised the 38ohp Ma for its good payload, reasonably frugal consumption and impressive performance, but criticised its high purchase price of nearly L8o,000.

So what changes have the past two years brought? For a start we now have 41-tonne operation, so the 'Cruiser has gained a midlift pusher axle. The use of alloy wheels on our test vehicle has kept the weight penalty down to Sookg, with the result that the payload has increased by nearly to% to a creditable 25.92 tonnes. Extensive use of plastics in the cab construction also helps in the slimming battle.

But there's no gain without pain, is there? True, the laws of physics still apply, but the overall fuel consumption over our demanding Scottish route worked out at 7.mpg. That's just o.55mpg worse than the 38-tonner and only beaten at 41 tonnes by MAN's amazing 7.85mpg with the 414.

So was it a real slug? Er, no—its average speed over the three days was 7z.2km/h; that's I.Gicinth faster than the 38ohp 38-tonner. And that list price we criticised? Despite two years' inflation and the extra axle, it's come down by nearly 15 grand.

Maintenance checkpoints are easily accessed via the grille, although the washer bottle looks rather vulnerable behind the air darn. Cab tilt is by manual pump, and the tool kit includes an adaptor that can be fitted over the pump's valve to restrict its operation to key only. A locking filler cap is fitted to the fabricated alloy fuel tank on the left side of the chassis. The space between the right wheels is taken up by three air tanks and the (non-locking) battery box with a step up to the aluminium chequer-plate cat walk (which made

contact with the trailer's fifth-wheel plate on the

approach to the test hills). The control lever for suspension raising is now mounted externally.

The intake for the large air filter is incorporated into the left side cab fairing, while a closer look further down the (Seddon Atkinson-designed) induction system revealed an interesting situation. The pipework from the charge-cooler runs through a narrow gap between the cab and the turbo's compressor housing and then turns through 9e over the turbo at its hottest point, which seems to defeat the point of charge-cooling in the first place.

The towing pin lives behind the dropdown number-plate plinth and an easily accessible external air-line connector is located nearby. Two fixed steps in the bumper and a higher folding step give a leg. up for screen cleaning.

ON THE ROAD

On the move in the Seddon, the first impression is how incredibly smooth and quiet the Cummins engine is, with little more than a distant turbine-like hum beyond idle speeds. In fact, the engine noise is frequently drowned out by a moderate amount of wind noise from the upper front corners of the cab, and is completely masked when the rather noisy viscous cooling fan is engaged.

Engine noise suppression is helped considerably by a four-stage telescopic gear linkage, which means there's no hole in the floor.

With the Celect system providing the required starting torque, pulling away on the level is easy in 2H and, thanks to the latest twin-plate ceramic unit, this shouldn't harm dutch life. Moving to 4H, followed by a pair of gear-and-a-half shifts puts you in top ratio in just four moves. The Cummins has enough torque to allow whole changes in most situations, reserving the splitter for when the going gets really tough.

The gear lever falls easily to hand and shift effort is reasonable, although reverse can put up a bit of a struggle. Range changing is by the usual Eaton method of nudging the ends of the neutral gate, with splits made by a sturdy side to-side switch mounted at the front of the lever. Our example was more than usually demanding of full clutch pedal travel during splits—if the pedal didn't hit the floor with the revs backed right off, there was every chance of finding a neutral. On one occasion a slightly sloppy routine split on a nondescript hill left us without drive for long enough to come to a halt.

This unplanned stop highlighted another problem. Dumping the mid-lift for the tricky restart used up enough air for the trailer brakes to apply, leaving us embarrassingly immobilised while pressure was restored. Fortunately the new ISM engine has a bigger compressor, which should help.

The ride is generally good, even coping quite well with Scotland's national disgrace— the A8000 between the Forth Bridge and Edinburgh Airport. Sharp lateral bumps such as badly filled trenches could cause the steel front suspension to jar a bit, however. The airsuspended cab does the business without any of the unwanted sea-sickness-inducing side effects that can come along for the ride.

On occasions the steering became rather

nervous, needing surprisingly large inputs to keep it tracking straight. It's hard to tell how much this may have been exacerbated by the non-matching tyres fitted to the pusher axle. But under most conditions the steering was responsive and well weighted.

Thanks to a minor administrative glitch the ABS suzie didn't appear with the tractor, so the test was carried out with no anti-lock on the trailer. Despite this, and the 'Cruiser's alldrum system, the braking never gave any cause for concern, although there was a little trailer lockup on the test track section.

The front air dam contains matched pairs of fog and spotlights, and an early start on the final day of the test gave us an unaccustomed chance to try out the lighting on the twists and crests of the A68. Happily, it passed with flying colours, although the dashboard lights reflected annoyingly in the driver's mirror.

CAB COMFORT

Getting aboard via the four illuminated steps up to the r.42m-high cab floor is no problem thanks to the wide opening door. Cab equipment includes electric windows (without onetouch operation) and central locking which unlocks both doors. The sun, if it's ever a problem, is kept under control by a tinted external visor, an electrically operated roller blind at the front and surprisingly effective pull-down mesh blinds on each side. A panel above the screen rail contains switches to adjust all four mirrors, although the kerb mirror has insufficient range of adjustment to be ideal. That apart, visibility is fine with mirror arms that are thick but in line with the quarter-window frames. Two wipers are equipped with on-blade washer jets.

The trend towards softly curving shapes is bucked by the Stratocruiser's angular veeshaped dash panel. Many items of the dashboard inventory, including gauges, vents and column controls, will be immediately recognised by any ex-Iveco Daily driver. Light grey cloth seat and bunk material and pale blue curtains relieve the black plastic dash mouldings. The overall result is a pleasant environment but with the frillometer needle pointing slightly more towards practical than luxury

The large steering wheel sits atop a rakeadjustable column, with a locking lever that requires a fair degree of strength to operate. The central panel angled towards the driver is topped by the display panel for the Celect Road Relay system, next to a large orange toggle switch for the cruise control. Below these are smoker's corner and switches for lights, roof vent and 90 seconds' worth of axle lift; lower still you'll find the heater and headlamp levelling controls.

The instrument panel contains an automatic two-man tachograph and rev counter, with four smaller dials for temperatures and pressures on the right. Another switch panel on the left houses the minor lighting switches and a diagnostic test button. A fifth-wheel coupling light is fitted, although its switch is 0 P out of reach from the ground. Above the screen, the Philips radio-cassette, with RDS and easy controls, is mounted next to a voltmeter and a space for the external thermometer that we didn't get.

A well-shaped Isringhausen driver's seat has integral seat-belts and air suspension with adjustable height and damping, but no lumbar adjustment, while the passenger's is identical with the addition of armrests, and folds more or less flat to create a table surface. The passenger area is neatly trimmed with the same cloth as the seats and what looks like a glove-box lid drops down to reveal another table. It also uncovers a mirror large enough for shaving, which in turn pulls out to reveal the fuse board.

The heater is powerful and controllable with a recirculation facility, and has the unusual refinement of partial recirculation, with a 5% bleed of fresh air. There's no shortage of fresh air vents, with four for the driver and three for the passenger. Side windows have their own demister vents.

A flat panel to the left of the driver is home to a cliff-lock switch as well as the gearlever and parking brake. The pair of rocker switches for the Jake brake is sited in an ergonomically disastrous location, where they are hidden and obstructed by the parking brake while driving.

The remaining space between the seats is dominated by the upright fridge and a briefcase-sized storage chest, which leaves very little space for standing up and turns bunk access into an athletic challenge, but you pays your money and takes your choice. The chest and the fridge provide the steps to the upper bunk and comfortably supported the dainty feet of CM'S tester, although the flat space around the gear lever felt more fragile and is definitely not made for walking on.

The upper mattress is the one for the less sylph-like crew member; at 700x2,momm it's Sornrn wider and rocimm longer than the lower berth. It also boasts a combined reading/general-purpose lamp unit at each end, while the lower one makes do with a flexible reading lamp. Upper bunk stowage is like the Grand Old Duke of York's men: able to be up, down or halfway, neither up nor down. Each end of the lower bunk area contains a handy built-in wardrobe space, with a zipped and Velcro-fastened cover. Unfortunately, there are no controls in the sleeping quarters for the radio or night heater. A useful lipped shelf encircles the entire cab just above the upper bunk level to display the driver's collection of porcelain figurines or whatever. Other storage comprises drawers under both seats, large under-bunk boxes and a pair of soft lined half-width lockers at the top front of the cab, with a smaller one on the left above the screen rail next to a lockable (but plastic-lidded) security box.

A pair of multi-compartment door pockets and a proliferation of small hidey-holes look after the inevitable odds and ends of life on the road; for stowage of wet and dirty items there's an external illuminated locker on the left of the cab.

Veteran victims of Italian auto electrics will be reassured to know that nothing much changes. The temperature gauge nudged the red sector on every hill worthy of the name and the rev-counter had a nasty twitch in the upper regions. But worst of all were the windscreen wipers, which would only stop if they were turned off during a rest in the intermittent cycle—and that varied from one to TO wipes per cycle.

Apart from a few badly fitting mouldings in the dash area the overall build and finish of the cab is to a high standard, with the smoothness of the driveline contributing to a total absence of rattles and vibrations.

SUMMARY

There's no doubt that the Stratocruiser's reputation as a no-nonsense worker with a touch of individuality, confirmed in CM'S recent Tools of the Trade (26 Aug-t Sept), is fully justified. But this test proves that workmanlike doesn't have to mean unrefined. It has levels of NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) suppression on a par with some leather and walnut machines costing considerably more, and has surprisingly high levels of equipment.

The layout of the cab is such that it doesn't really make it as a genuine double-manned unit, but for long-haul operation by a well organised solo driver with an occasional mate, there is more than enough accommodation.

The classic, well-proven driveline produced the test results we expected, taking the silver medal for fuel economy at 41 tonnes. If only Seddon Atkinson could enlist the help of Ergonomics'R'Us to give the cab a quick makeover, it would have a product able to hold its head up in any company.

• by Colin Barnett

• JOHN JAY0OCK drives a Scania 113.360 for Gwynedd Shipping out of Holyhead. "What's the stowage like?' he asked. "Even the cargo straps have 0 go under the bunk in the Scania. I could stand up in here to pull my trousers on in the morning. I have to lie on the bunk to dress in the Scanla! The gearstick is a bit stiff.l lose a couple of inches of visibility in the mirror because of these quarter.lights. The small window low dawn in the door gives you a chance to see a cyclist creep up the side at traffic lights."

• Agency driver CUE RINDS was in a Scania 124.400. "There's a lot more room than in the Scania—you can virtually walk across the cab. The driving position is higher so there's more side-to-side movement. The engine pulls well; the torque is marvellous. The clutch is nice and easy but this long gearstick exaggerates sideways movement—I'm hunting for the right slot. The brakes are bang on and the steering has got a nice feel—not too powerful. It's a pleasant truck to drive."

• ROY TIMMINS from Birmingham, also an agency driver, was in a Volvo FM12. This is a nose-bleed job," he said as he climbed in, "but the height means you can see above the traffic. The gearstick could be closer to the seat and it rattles a bit," he added. "Electric windows, mirrors and blinds and so on are very nice until they go wrong. The Road Relay computer even tells you when to change gear. The seat gives good support; I could sit here all day. Locating the night heater the same end as the reading light is not a good idea; the cooler is a bit high," he concluded.