DRIVERS' VERDICTS
Page 40
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Following our usual practice, we took the 3234 out on the rood to see how it fared in the hands of professional drivers. This being an eight-legger, it seemed only sensible to track down some specialist tippermen...
Steven Chandler has been an owner-driver for 10 for delivery all over the country. "This steering wheel is big," he commented, "a lot bigger than the Volvo's." Out on the road he said, "This years, since he was 21. He bought his E-reg Volvo F7 6x4 flatbed when it was two years old. We met him at Garside Sands Quarry on the outskirts of Leighton Buzzard loading large bags of sand gearbox is different to mine but it pulls quite well. Is it fully freighted?". As we turned at a road junction he left it in a higher gear than he thought might be needed and as we started to climb he said: "I didn't think it would pull up there as well as that. The gearshift has a long travel but the Graham Dell—owner-driver with
three 8x4s: "It's icleal for on-site
foot pedals are lighter than on mine. It rides well muckoway work."
enough and handles lovely. I prefer to have a
quarter light that opens; you can get a bit of a breeze without the wind blowing down the back of your neck. The instruments haven't changed a lot from a 1617 I used to have. t can reach all of the controls and I like the single stalk on the steering column. It's a pain trying to reach across to wind down the nearside window—I think the electric control is worth the extra. That wide-angle mirror on the nearside is very nice too. Any papers put in the space in the header roil would fall out but these trays that go right behind the seat are more useful. I didn't notice a problem when I climbed in but the second step is a bit narrow."
Tipper driver Jeff Wiggins also drives a 6x4 Volvo and has worked for C Butt of Northampton for 21 years. " This is a nice bit of kit," he said. "The gear change is nice and light after mine and so are the pedals. The split helps a lot in the higher gears but the lever needs to be set forward; I hit my elbow back here. I can see all of the instruments at a glance and visibility is not bad. I like the mirrors. The clutch takes up smoothly and it pulls away well, but what's it like with a load?". We told him it was running at 32 tonnes. "You're joking! You just don't know you have got it on. The steering is very good and the brakes are absolutely smashing. I don't think the cab needs anything else. It does a job of work." Graham Dell is an owner-driver who runs three 8x4 tippers from Wing. He has Iwo ERF ElOs and a Seddon Atkinson which work out of Comas Quarries for 90% of the time delivering sand and aggregates all around the country. "This cab is more than adequate for a tipper," he told us. "It's ideal for on-site muckaway work but a bit high for general tipping. The overall finish is good. I don't like to see steel inside the cab and its all covered here. The seating position seems quite good but it's not suspended. If the dash was a bit lower in the middle it would give a better view of the kerb. HI give it good marks on the steering; it's nice and light and the lock seems OK. It rolls less than mine. The detent seems a bit stiff but this gearbox is new to me." Climbing a hill he knew well he told us that the 32.34 was about 5mph quicker than his 290hp ERF. Running downhill he tried out the exhaust and engine brakes: "I tend to use engine braking more on longer trips than when I am working locally," he said, "but if it's effective it will save on linings and drum wear. Personally I like more room in a cab. If I get tired on a long run I like to stop and stretch out for twenty minutes or so. Even without a bunk you can lay across the cab if it's all one level: it wouldn't be very comfortable here. Stowage space could be better. Even if the header rail tray held papers in you can't see into it."