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NG ER

• In the late sixties two little known Swedish truck builders changed the UK haulier's perception of maximum-weight trucks. Volvo's F88, with its matched clriveline, was as quick and economical as anything on the market; its cab was light years ahead of anything the home builders had to offer. Volvo became the pace setter in terms of power and comfort, and would claim to have remained so.

F-cab models with the 10-litre engine are the usual choice with fleet operators, but the 12-litre models come into their own for longhaul operations; this is also the size that begins to interest owner-drivers.

EVOLUTION

In 1971 the 4x2 F89 tractive unit became the first Volvo to get the turbocharged 12-litre TD120A in-line six. The F12 appeared in 1977 with the boxy F-cab and TD120C engine, offering more than 10hp per ton.

More charge-cooled engines followed)...

During its 16-year lifespan the Volvo F12 earned a reputation as a dependable allpurpose tractor which was kept up to date with regular facelifts. No wonder it has a loyal following...

We tested the F12.360 in

September 1991, having run with the . ._ more popular 400 version a couple of years earlier Despite the 7ower power rating it could still call on a healthy 1,1431bft (1,550Nm) of torque at 1,220rpm. With two crawler gears Volvo's 14-speed SR1700 box effectively offered 12 evenly spaced synchromeshed gears. For normal road conditions there was no need to use maximum power at 1,900rpm—it was a lot more economical to change up at about 1,700rpn2 and keep the engine spinning in the broad economy band. We found this easy, as it extends down to 1,100rpm. The quirky three-position gate, with sixth gear out on a dog leg, was easy to adapt to. The change is on the slow side and can be heavy but at least it's positive. A blocking device prevents over-revving the engine, should the driver try changing down too many gears at a time.

Usually, we found that when changing up we could take full gears in the lower part of the box and only needed to split the two top ratios. Overall we averaged 707rnpg (40 lit/100km)

in windy conditions; this was not so impressive when viewed , alongside the 753mpg (37.5 lit/100km) achieved a few months earlier by the Scania R113 360. Air suspension on the drive axle, which became standard for this model earlier in the year, gave a

very good ride, supplemented by the air-sprung seat and cab suspension. Even in the strong side winds the rig handled well.

The new wrap-around fascia answered many of our gripes, making instruments and controls easier to see and use. Central locking had been made standard but the cab steps were still a bit narrow and positioned well forward. Heating and lumber support on the seat combined with the adjustable column to give the optimum driving position. The standard cab isn't the most spacious but the thick mattress should ensure a comfortable night's sleep. Spec for spec we thought the Volvo F12.360 represented good value for money.

te,li pushing up the

power to maxi

Amum available 385hp in 1984 and 395hp by 1990. More important to fuel consump tion, however, were improvements made to bottom-end torque. Changes to pistons and liners, introduced around 1987. had the effect of reducing oil consumption which enabled oil change intervals to be extended to 30,000km. By 1993 the electronically managed TD123ES was turning out 405hp.

A new 12-litre engine, with a one-piece cylinder head, overhead camshaft and electronic unit injectors beats at the heart of the latest FH range, replacing the old in-line six while offering a range of power options under a big cab to those previously provided by the 16litre engine, Originally the F12 had an eight-speed, range-change transmission with splits doubling up the ratios to 16. At the beginning of 1988 this was superseded by a 14-speed box able to handle the increased torque loadings.

The cab was revamped in 1984, the most obvious change being a raised roof line which was also offered on the F10.

The Globetrotter cab continued at the top of the range. Its extra 520mm of headroom accommodated twin bunks and more stowage space; other features included tinted windows, a passenger swivel seat and automatic cab level control. The internal trim was further updated in 1991, most notably with a wrap-around dash.

While 6x2 tag-axle tractive units were always available with the steel A-ride or air Sride suspension, with the revised cab in 1984 Volvo toyed with a second self-steering axle incorporating an automatic centralizing device. It didn't really catch on, however, and after 18 months it was dropped in favour of a fixed pusher axle which was lighter and less complicated. Air suspension on the second axle allowed it to be raised when running light. The 4x2's wheelbase was increased from 3.4m to 3,7in for 1989, in line with the 13.6m trailer limit.

OPERATORS

Barry McQueen is workshop manager for Pulleyns of Three Mile Cross, south of Reading, Berks, A chilled store on the site has recently been renovated; a cold store with blast freezing capability will be completed next May. The company also specializes in the movement and installation of computer equipment. In a fleet of 70 vehicles 35 are temperature-controlled and built to cater for this dual role. Managing director Adrian Pulleyn, who started with a single 30cwt van in 1976, believes it pays to run a fleet with more than one make of vehicle; he invariably buys the top cab specification available at the time.

"Out of 30 tractive units we have a mix of Mercedes-Benz, Daf 95 Series and Volvos," he says. "There are eight Fl 2s with 360 and 400hp engines, two with Geartronic, and two FH Volvos—one 380 and a 420 with Geartronic. We bought the first F12 two-anda-half years ago in place of the Mercedes-Benz which is beginning to look a bit dated with that cab. We took a couple of the Volvo's on trial, worked them hard and bought them at the end of six months. We were uncertain about fuel consumption at first but get between 8.3 and 8.5mpg, no matter what the conditions."

Pulleyns has operated a 55mph speed limit for the past four years and began to feel the benefits straight away. "We've gained on tyre wear and brake wear, and its easier on the driver," says Pulleyn. "The three with automatic transmissions also make life easier for the driver, but the benefit for us is less wear and tear on the vehicle. We get almost identical fuel consumption from the drivers no matter whether they are heavy or light footed. It gave us a few minor electrical problems to start with but now I have nothing but admiration for the system. About 60% of our work is on international journeys and we cover about 80,000 miles a year. We started putting air suspension on our trailers 14 years ago. With the freezer boxes and tail-lifts the average payload is about 20 tonnes. It would be nice to go to 44 tonnes; we are just not competitive with the continentals as we are now.

"When we bought the first Volvos they were slightly more expensive than the Dafs," he adds, "but the spec was as good. We expect to keep them for five to seven years but we haven't sold any Volvos recently. I think its best to sell them privately but we have done quite well through ADT's auctions at Blackbush. I keep an open mind on replacements hut Volvo is the leader at the moment. Our local dealer is Heathrow Commercials. We've no real complaints on service, but then we haven't with the Daf or Mercedes dealer either. We get a call from the Volvo rep now and again, to see if we have any problems, but we don't hear anything from Daf.

"What I like about Volvo parts is that they are kept within 10% of the UK price, all over Europe," Pulleyn explains. "If you have to pay more than that Volvo will refund the difference. The vehicles are very well put together and don't suffer from the minor fatigue faults that we get from some of our other vehicles. Simple things like a chafed wire can double the downtime in some instances. Maintenance is a very high priority with us and the Volvos give very few problems in service. One UJ needed to be replaced on a driveshaft and we had to fit a couple of turbochargers. The first one was faulty and was replaced under warranty. Our Volvo drivers tend to stay with what they have, even if they are offered the top of the alternative range."

PG and MK Osborne Transport is a husband-and-wife concern, founded four years ago with a Volvo F12. "I bought it from Crossroad Commercials," says Peter Osborne. "It was good and tidy and I knew the model had a good reputation. The price was spot on at £22,000. There were other vehicles around that were cheaper but this had the dealer's name behind it so it was worth looking at. I was over the moon with it. I replaced it with an F12.360 two years ago; I also run a Volvo F16, FH12.340, FH12 420, and an FL10, all with Tautliner trailers, and I've got a 7.5tonne Mercedes-Benz 814. The artics cover about 150,000 miles a year on a day-and-night operation on magazine and food distribution. About 95% of their running is fully laden with 22 to 23 tonnes. The F12.360 gives us 7.6 to 7,9mpg on an average week keep it for five years minimum,

"Residuals are reasonably good but being a four wheeler it will fetch less than a six wheeler," says Osborne. "We keep them to a very high standard...we won trophies with them this year. I have no doubt that it will be easy to sell privately. We've gone to town on the new ones and fitted side skirts. We'll run them with new trailers to see what they do on fuel consumption.

The full air system cost us about 12,780 but if it improves consumption we could save that money in a year," he says. "The 1;12 just has the usual air kit on. The alternator has been a large problem: Volvo's electrical system leaves a little bit to be desired. It's rated at 55amps but I may need a bit more to cope with the number of lights we have on it; the new FH has a 60amp alternator. I had a fan bearing go, which was the worst thing I ever had wrong on it. Tyres last 16 to 18 months.

"The trim in the F12 is a bit dated," he adds, "but it stands up to the wear. It may not be so good on comfort but on performance and reliability it's as good in every way as the 1' later models. It depends on what you are used to. As one of my drivers put it when he moved up from an FL10 to an F12 with a Globetrotter cab, it's like moving out of a council house into a mansion."

Peter Brian started up in business in 1972 with one truck and became a limited company in 1980. Today he has 30 units operating on chilled and frozen distribution, mostly within the UK.

He runs some big Ivecos and Scanias but the fleet includes 17 Volvo F12.360s and two F12.400s. "I bought the last two at the beginning of this year," he says. "I believe that the end of the old model is likely to be better than the first of the new range. We used to run FL10s, which are super little trucks. They gave us very good service but didn't have enough room for the driver and his gear when working away from base so almost four years ago we moved up to the F12. At the time they were better priced than other makes we looked at. Because the FH is a new model it carries a bit of a premium so Volvo's prices are not as competitive at the moment against their main rival, Scania, which has a much older cab."

All of Brian's tractive units are 6x2s. They average 150,000 miles a year, either double shifted or with two drivers. They run fully bulked but with an average GVW of about 30 tonnes. "The Volvo's are as good as any on fuel consumption and return just over 8mpg," he says. 'Perhaps because we have so many Volvo's our maintenance figures tend to show that they are a little cheaper to run than the other vehicles. We haven't had any major recurring faults. In the early days we had a niggling problem with linkage breaking on the lift axle. It didn't stop us operating them, we just couldn't lift the axle. On the newer ones they seem to knock out the bulbs on the courtesy lights at an alarming rate. The next worse thing we have had is starters but nothing that really stands out. Of all the six wheelers we run they are the best on tyres. We replace clutches at about 250,000km and by that time they are worn out"

Brian has a three-year replacement policy but recently has been buying new trucks without letting go of the older ones on Hplates which are coming up to four years old. "They will be going shortly," he says. "We have FHs coming in to replace them. The longest we kept one is for 500,000 miles, but you couldn't tell it had covered that mileage by looking at the engine. It was still going strong, didn't use any oil and we hadn't touched the injectors. They are used on good clean work and are well sought after. At the moment we seem to have a queue of people ringing up wanting to buy them. We usually sell privately to an owner-driver or sometimes to a dealer and get a good price. We don't trade them but go for the full discount on the new vehicle.

"The local agent, Stewart Commercials of Exeter, give us good service on maintenance," says Brian. "They are quite obliging and run a late shift. They have got a big park where you can drop the trailer and not have to worry about it being backed into. The first year's maintenance is free on the new ones, so they do that and any warranty work, but after that we have our own workshops. The drivers think it's a good middle-of-the-road truck. If you offered them a choice 90% would go for the big Scania or perhaps a Renault Magnum which is all the rage now isn't it? We're buying the FH now but we will have to see what Scania comes up with in the future."

DEALERS

Crossroad Commercials of Birstall, near Leeds, has been a Volvo main dealer for more than 25 years. Used stock varies considerably, but general manager Ian Gibson tries to keep a minimum stock of 10 used vehicles. F12s are in a minority, however.

"The FLIO, used more by own-account operators, outsold the old F models by about three to one," he says. "F12s are used more by general haulage companies and owner-drivers on European travel. As a regional dealer the split between the 360 and 400hp models was about equal but it may not be the same in the south of the country where there is a concen

tration of Continental operators who would go for the 400, possibly with the Globetrotter cab. UK operators would have been more likely to choose the 360 with the standard sleeper. Unless they have a good reason for change they tend to exchange like for like but there has been a growth in the awareness of benefits like air deflection kits around the cab. That does not extend to side skirts which give a small fuel advantage but are more of a cosmetic package."

Apart from the build quality one of the main reasons operators come back to Volvo for new vehicles is the quality of backup and service. Virtually the whole of the UK network offers a seven-day, 24-hour parts and service facility "We would be looking to retail a good clean and tidy G-registered 4x2 F12 360 for about £26,500 and for a six wheel tractive unit in the region of 1,31,000," says Gibson. "During the recession there was a strong move towards six-wheel units, for taxation as well as operational reasons, so they are even harder to get hold of now. But all late, good quality stock is hard to find. Most of our secondhand stock comes back from existing customers, which is a testament to the resale values."

Peter Gilder and Sons of Bourton-on-the

Water, Glos, is noted for its used Scanias but always has a few of the larger-engined Volvo tractive units on offer. Transport manager Charlie Port says: "We run a couple of Volvo F 12s on our Russian fleet plus a couple of FHs. They're more comfortable and seem to stand up to the rough conditions better. We don't seem to have any trouble selling

Volvos they come and go very quickly.

"We buy in left-hookers from Holland and Denmark and there is always an order list for them," says Port. "We get requests for lefthand-drive vehicles which are naturally popular with Continental hauliers. You could say we specialize in them but if a right-hand-drive vehicle comes up and the price is right we deal with them.

"We don't carry a large stock," he adds, "but we have a high turnover. Two or three-axle units seem to be just as popular. One type doesn't sit on the front any longer than an other one will; it's horses for courses. Fridge operators on multi-drop operations might go for the six-wheeler to get the weight right over the pin and others off-set their tyre wear in inner-city work by going for 4x2s. On older vehicles electric control relays tend to be a problem, especially in exposed points.

"The air valves for the brakes have to be run with methanol in the winter or they freeze up," he warns. The cabs stand up quite well. Very old ones on X and Y-plates were evil for rust but we only deal in late kit, back to about E. Unless it's very clean, anything we take in part exchange earlier than that goes straight up to the auctions. Prices are adjusted to the mileage and condition but a four-year-old F12.360 would cost £25,000-L30,000."

I: by Bill Brock