Serious show, serious buyers
Page 52
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Whether you're a fleet buyer or a small haulier, the Institute of Road Transport Engineers' Telford show has a lot to offer. We pick out the best of the heavy metal.
• The annual IRTE show at Telford has always been one for "serious" buyers—maybe that's why more and more manufacturers are using it as a launch pad for new models.
ERF, for example, is unveiling its EC tractor range (see pages 35-37). The model on show is an EC10-350 powered by the latest electronically controlled and uprated 261kW (350hp) 10-litre Celect straight-six diesel from Cummins.
Its Sandbach neighbour Foden is also showing the driveby-wire Celect engine in its 4000 Series tractor, alongside one with the latest N380 14-litre engine recently tested by Commercial Motor Among the many features Celect incorporates are road speed governing and cruise control, idle shutdown, tamper-proof engine protection and a permanent fuel consumption log.
Cummins isn't the only engine maker to have new products on show. Perkins is
showing its mid-range Peregrine engine line-up, fresh from its debut at last week's TipCon Show (see pages 8-11).
With displacements of 6.7, 7.6 and 8.7 litres the Peregrine offers power ratings from below 173kW (230hp) right up to 224kW (3001m). Iris likely to become a serious competitor to Cummins' 8.3-litre C Series in the multiwheeler/medium tractor market.
All versions of the Peregrine are charge-cooled. The range is based on a new family of diesels from US truck and enginemaker Navistar, with whom Perkins has now been collaborating on engine development for more than two years.
Iveco Ford's stand features two "specials"— a 59.12 Turbo Daily chassiscowl with a custom-built walk-through glass fibre parcels body by Cartwright; and the latest 210E 23 New Cargo urban tractor. This has an air-suspended drive axle, runs at 21 tonnes GCW and is clearly aimed at the breweries: the show version is in Bass livery. Alongside this duo is the new 170E 23 Super Cargo 17-tonner (for details and driving inipres
sions see page 30) and the 400E 34 TP EuroTech premium tractor. You won't find Leyland Daf at the IRTE show but it is at Telford—at a special site just down the road where the complete LD line-up is on display. LD is running a shuttle bus between the two venues.
MAN's SEW2000 concept truck, unveiled at last year's Hanover Show, has crossed the channel to be at IRTE. The frontwheel-drive aerodynamic rigid, complete with walk-through body, is how the German maker believes delivery vehicles will look in the year 2000.
Mercedes-Benz UK has nine vehicles at Telford. Although it usually provides an air-suspended drive axle as standard on its tractors, you can still have steel if you want to keep things simple: on the stand is a steel-shod 1831 tractor in Royal Mail Parceline's colours.
Automated transmissions are a feature of Renault's stand. There's the TBV gearbox in the Magnum tractor and the twopedal ACS system in the Manager 17-tonne rigid, which is
on show for the first time.
Scania's star exhibit is a fullair P93 ML drawbar rig in Silentnight's colours. The bedmanufacturer has ordered six of the L84,000 outfits, which have Wheelbase Engineering trailers and Marsden boxes running behind a novel French Jimecal extending coupling Not to be outdone, Seddon Atkinson is showing special versions of its Strato 210 17-tonner including two 6x2 low-deck chassis which are part of an order for 23 from Glasgow soft drinks manufacturer AG Barr.
They have a deck height of just 91mm thanks to small wheels and 245/70 R19.5 low-profile lyres on the Hendrickson Norde air suspended back axles.
Volvo has developed a low-cab version of its FL10 tractor for car transporter operators. The modified artic is 130mm lower from the frame to the top of the mil The model on show is in Walon's livery. Another low-height exhibit is the Swift FL10 artic recently tested (CM 15-21 April) and an FL6 6x2 brewery truck.
Following the arrival of Scania's integrated retarder, German gearbox maker ZF is launching its equivalent Intarder at Telford. Offered on the Ecosplit box it can be specified with automatic downhill speed control.