ROADTEST FODEN 4350
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
pensating seals expand as they come into contact with oil.
The payload potential of our test vehicle was diminished by its insulated body, which adds about 250kg, and air suspension, which weighs about 50kg more than Foden's standard rubber suspension, But when the chassis-cab is taken on its own it compares well with the best, offering better than 500kg, more than some rivals.
• SUMMARY
Comparing list prices can be deceptive as the standard specification can vary from one make to another and, as all salespersons will tell you, it is whole-life costs that really count. Anyway, in the present chilly financial climate the list price may only have a scant bearing on the price that is actually paid. But it is a starting point. Certainly of the top three producers of eight-leggers Foden's 4350, at £50,850, looks to be the best deal when compared with Leyland Dal's FAD 80 330 at £59640 and the Volvo FL10 at £53,000.
The lower powered Scania P93 looks averagely priced at £56,706 while the more powerful lveco 300.34 will set you back £12,580 more than the Foden.
Taking a vehicle directly out of service for test does not always pay off. Ken Longthorne specifies many options, some to satisfy local operating conditions, but this Foden's overall performance is a credit to his standards of maintenance, The insulated body with front-mounted tipping gear leaves sufficient room to fit vertical stacks. While the air intake is wellplaced to draw in clean air in dusty off-road conditions.
Perkins' Tx engine lived up its reputation by returning fast journey times with impressive fuel consumption figures. Gardner, once Foden's major engine supplier, now no longer features in a market it once dominated, but the ex-Rolls Royce engine will prove a worthy successor.
El by Bill Brock