1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194 
Everybody's favourite
Page 68
Page 69
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Scania's 420hp 124 twin-steer has been the firm's best-seller, which is good news for the prudent used truck buyer. Geoff Ashcroft reports.
The arrival of Scania's 11litre engine in 4-Series tractors at 340 and 380hp led the Swedes to up the ante on its 12-litre stablemate to 420hp in 1999— at its launch three years earlier, the 12-litre engine was rated at 360 and 400hp.
The 420hp variant attracted little interest until 44 tonnes arrived in February 2001; many operators were suddenly looking for that bit more grunt in the quest to regain the 10hp/tonne benchmark for the minimum extra cost.
Scania then resorted to turbocompounding — latterly with HP! injection — to produce 470hp.This over-lapped the V8-powered 144 460, but with less dead weight than the 14-litre V8.
It all helped the R-cab twinsteer 124-420 tractor to become Scania's best selling tractor in the UK, with most examples sporting the roomy Topline cab.
Axle configurations are 4x2, 6x2 tag axle and 6x2 non-steer mid-lift on 19.5s, but twin-steers rule the roost —Scania sells about 2,500 a year to fleets and ownerdrivers alike.At 420hp it packs a strong punch, with a rugged nofrills GRS900 12-speed transmission and double-bunk accommodation.
A nine-speed transmission is available, as is the Opticruise two-pedal transmission which has only gained in popularity with the introduction of Scania's latest R-Series.
Cab comfort has always been a Scania selling point;even the earlier 4-Series come with electric windows, electrically adjusted and heated mirrors and an airsuspended driver's seat.'The optional air-con is now becoming common even on fleet-spec trucks. At 470hp many 124s gained the optional retarder to cope with higher gross weights.
Palletised and liquid foodstuffs specialist Atchison Topeka, based at Warndon,Wores, runs a fleet of 40 trucks dominated by 36 Scania tractors (they share the depot with three Daf CFs and a Volvo FM rigid).
Atchison operations manager Toby Love says the sheer quality of the product, combined with a good local dealer (Keltruck), has helped the firm maintain a successful I7-year relationship with the Swedish manufacturer.
"We've only got eight 124 420s left on the fleet, as most have been replaced for newer models with Topline cabs and, of course, the latest R-Series tractors," he reports."We did buy 124s with solo cabs initially, but swapped to twin bunks and added air-con along the way.
"But there's no denying that bigger cabs help driver retention and residual values."
Atchison aims to keep its vehicles for five or six years, during which time they'll clock up about 1,000,000km.Apart from a few clutch slave cylinders in the early days he reckons the 124 has been a gem:"We tried some early 380s but they were crap on fuel," he says. "Moving up to 420hp at 44 tonnes meant we had enough power to run without struggling and without paying a penalty in fuel consumption."
Atchison's 420s are returning an average of 8.3mpg, and as Love puts it: "Any truck that returns a fuel figure starting with an eight at 44 tonnes is spot-on."
Chris Farr is transport manager at Knights of Old in Kettering, Northants. Its mixed fleet of 50 trucks includes 10 Scania 124s and two of the latest Scathe R-series. He reckons that apart from overall reliability—which is excellent— the drivers like them: "Our drivers just turn the key and drive. Feedback we get is that the Scania is a reliable and comfortable truck which our drivers love. And happy drivers mean we can remain productive too." Knights keeps its trucks on a six-year R&M life cycle with Derek Jones Commercials; as with Atchison they clock up about 1,000,000km.
Farr reckons the Scanias' fuel consumption of 8.5mpg is satisfactory from 420hp, working on general haulage work throughout the Midlands.
"Scania is an expensive truck to buy," says Farr,"hut a good deal and a sensible residual value could mean we change sooner rather than later, but we've no doubts about keeping 124s ort the fleet." •