OPERATORS' VERDICTS AND TEST RESULTS
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We make a habit of asking drivers for a second opinion on our test vehicles; in this case it made more sense to talk to fleet operators who have run FUN with and without Geartronic...
Three years ago an FL10 Geartronic 6x2 with a pusher axle joined Marshall's 35-vehicle fleet at Halifax. It has been used extensively in the delivery of blocks and rood building materials.
Fleet engineer John Akroyd says the vehicle has performed well with fuel consumption as good as, if not better than, its manual counterparts. During its three years with Marshall it has had one change of clutch (which is what Akroyd would expect) and a couple of minor solenoid faroble m 5 which were quickly sorted by the local Volvo dealer, Crossroads Commercials.
Ken Crabtree has driven the Geartronic for a large part of its time and rates the system highly for road work; there is some delay in selecting gears but driving (rather than coasting) into a roundabout keeps that to a minimum.
He does find it lowers fatigue, allowing him to concentrate on the road. However, he says that when doing extensive site work the lack of a clutch pedal on the Geartronic is a disadvantage. Using the bottom three gears manually keeps this drawback to a minimum but he points out: "On sites you have to get into very difficult situations and clutch control is a vital part of getting there." That's one reason why Marshall has no more Geartronics on order, but the situation is still under review. Brian Townsend, manager of group vehicle engineering at Courage (now Scottish Courage) took on seven FL10 Geartronics in August 1994 for primary distribution work. They entered a 60-strong tractive unit fleet with 350 trailers. The Geartronics are double-shifted, clocking up 240,000km a year running fully freighted from the Reading brewery. One of the primary attractions was the lower contract maintenance costs quoted by Volvo on the Geartronic (which is now equal to those with manual transmission). Fuel consumption is equal to or better than others in the fleet and driver acceptance is good. "A good driver will beat the Geartronic but we have found the average has been improved, although driver training is necessary to get the best out of the system," says Townsend. The extra cost, he adds, "must be offset against lower maintenance costs on the driveline".