fleets and ownerdrivers on longhaul operations but the FL10 was
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soon out-selling the taller F10 by four to one as traditional F10 buy
ers moved on to more powerful models. The no was finally dropped in 1994.
Refinements included electric windows, a heated air-suspension seat, head restraint, central locking, a night heater and (since 1990) air suspension on the drive axle. A lowheight chassis was added to the range in 1993.
In 1988 the eight-speed gearbox gave way to a nine-speeder; at the same time the 9.6-litre engine received a boost of almost 20hp to 318hp. Later engines offered slightly less power but compensated with more torque at lower revs. Last year Volvo upped the power again, to 355hp, with a big increase in torque to 1,1061bft at 1,200rpm.
Geartronic was added to the options list in 1993. Volvo had tried out heavier alternatives (and retains the torque-convertor Powertronic auto for tough off-road work), but managing both the engine and a conventional multispeed transmission electronically appears to be the auto answer for a lightweight roadgoing tractor. If you want more than 360hp under your FL cab, Volvo now offers an FL12 at 380hp and 420hp, powered by the same 12litre lump as the FH12.
• OPERATORS
Ken Thomas started in haulage in 1948 at Guyhirn, Cambs. Today his son John heads the company, which has long-since departed from general haulage into a warehousing and distribution operation. He runs a mixed fleet of 120 vehicles, from 3.5 tonnes upwards, including 11 FL10 4x2 and 6x2 tractors.
"We had one of the first FLIOs for 38-tonne operation," says Thomas. "The FL10 was a good lightweight unit in the early days but it's got a lot heavier now. Air suspension, air deflector kits, side bars, rear underrun bars, ABS brakes and speed limiters all eat away at the payload, but we still get 24 tonnes with a 4x2 and the right trailer. More recently we've specified 6x2s and the extra axle brings the payload down further, to just over 23 tonnes.
As an average across the fleet the FL10 returns 7.86mpg," he adds. "We're looking at synthetic tube as the means to improve that. We're monitoring 12 trucks and using it in the engine only for some, and for the complete driveline on others. It costs two to three-and-ahalf times more than the standard oil but we only make one change a year instead of four. Volvo says it won't affect the warranty but it's still early days to say if there's any benefit in fuel consumption."
Thomas's FL1Os cover 80,000 to 100,000 miles a year and are normally replaced after three-and-a-half years. "We part-exchange and sell direct to other operators," he says.
"There's always a demand for good clean vehicles and the FL10 performs better than other 320s, although it's not as popular as it was. I'm holding back on new as as I feel a model replacement is imminent—that's bound to affect the residuals of the existing FL10s. We have a good relationship with Duffields, our local dealer, which does the servicing for the first year. We bring maintenance in-house after that.
"We've found that air suspension is more expensive to operate than parabolic springs," says Thomas. "It reduces tyre life on the drive axle by up to 25% and there are extra costs incurred with the air bag, air valves and compressors. The FL10 can be hard on front brakes, but that depends on the driver. Apart from the odd compressor we've hardly had to look at major components for the engine. Over recent years we've had to replace an occasional clutch on a 320 but we've never had any problems with the gearbox."
It's not all good news, however. Thomas adds: "We've had a lot more trouble with our two 360s. After just 10 months one is on its fourth clutch and has had three new flywheels and slave cylinders fitted at different times. Roth have had heads off because of water leaks and poor pulling. Over 20,000knn a demonstrator returned 8.7mpg, but in service we're getting low sevens. I won't buy another and have just asked the dealer to give me a quote to part exchange against the FH12 380.1'm also trying out some Scanias, ERFs and Leyland Dais. We did try a Geartronic demonstrator but there's too much to go wrong, as well as being a complication with agency drivers. I was almost tempted to buy one at the auctions recently because it was so cheap bull would have had to convert it back to manual.
"On very early FL1Os we had electrical problems while door handles and straps broke, but from about F-reg onwards they've been OK," Thomas reports. "The cabs stand up to wear as well as any other truck...drivers may think the cab is a bit dated but the 320 is still a good fleet vehicle. We run some around the clock and the low cab makes it a good vehicle for urban operation. The 320 has been reliable and it's lighter than the FH12."
Derek Cooper still has a hands-on involvement in the family transport business he founded at Red Lodge, Suffolk back in 1951. There are now seven depots throughout the South-East, each specialising in different types of traffic, with a fleet of 200 vehicles. The general haulage operation at Blofield, Norfolk is managed by Derek's daughter Vee Cooper and runs 60 of the company's 120 Volvo FL10s.
"We also run Scanias for comparison and have always found Volvo competitive on price: running costs are the best," she says. "About four years ago we decided to reduce our own workshop involvement in routine servicing after establishing a maintenance agreement with Duffields. The backup is good—we've never had a vehicle off the road waiting for parts. The agreement has shown some savings and has the advantage of providing us with fixed servicing costs."
Transport manager Phillip Daniels says that 90% of his trailers are triaxle curtainsiders. "The majority of our units are 6x2s to avoid axle overload problems," he explains. "With a 13.6m high-top trailer we look for a payload of 23 tonnes and consistently get in excess of 8.0mpg—the good driver gives us up to 8.5mpg."
Cooper says: "We write them down over five years and don't expect to keep them any longer than that, but some we double-man and they're replaced after about three years. The FL10 320 is a good used truck for the smaller operator. Ours cover 80,000 to 130,000 miles a year so they still have plenty of life in them. They're easy to sell but price depends on the amount of work there is about. Power with the 320s is not a problem; they seem to come into their own fully freighted. Doublemanning does not adversely affect reliability. We have to service them more often and this is planned around preventative maintenance to pick up any problem early and avoid unsched uled downtime.
• "An outside 4164 firm checks our tyres every tyres every week," says Vee
pi 0 • Cooper. "All of our
. trucks come on
Michelins and we expect to get 120,000 miles out of them. We get a year out of a set of brakes; maybe as much as 18 months. Like fuel consumption, it depends on the driver. Engine, transmission and back axle all stand up very well—reliability is one of the reasons we keep going back to Volvo. Because of the low ride height we get a lot of screen damage. We usually have to replace them before the annual test and twice a year on some.
"We use long life oil and drain every other service, up to a maximum of 30,000km," she adds. "It saves us money and has been enginefriendly. Sampling helps us to know what's going on inside the engine and to plan ahead on maintenance. N-reg vehicles had a problem with brake valves on second axles but it's not carried over to this year. Two of our P-reg vehicles suffered from a leaking air pipe on the driver's suspension seat. It's not a major fault but it lost all of the air and stopped the vehicle. The cab trim stands up OK but on some the cabs start to show signs of rust under the front screen rubbers. We did have one Geartronic but we were not impressed— the gearbox was troublesome; its reliability did not live up to our expectations" Daniels says that all Cooper's drivers are instructed to carry out the normal levels checks daily. While the dipstick is located under the front panel the cab has to be tilted to see the coolant level. "I know Volvo says there's no need to do it but a visual check aid, in addition to the warning buzzer, would reassure us," he says. "With Volvo's service cover we do have peace of mind knowing we can get attention quickly if we need it. The 360 is not noticeably better than the 320 but with speed limits and a move to higher weights it's the way to go." Wells Soft Drinks, based at Tenbury Wells, Worcs, runs an own-account nation wide distribution operation with a fleet of 25 vehicles: 14 Volvo FL10 6x2s run alongside three Scanias and eight ERFs, each covering up 140,000km a year on double-manning.
Transport manager Dave Pattern says: "As a company we bought our first Volvo in 1969 and have since worked through the F86, F7, FL7 and on to the FL10s. We're looking forward to going to 40 tonnes gross but at the moment with 22 pallets were restrained to a payload of 23 tonnes.
"We keep them longer than we used to—up to six or seven years now," he adds. "They're lasting better. One has just gone for sale with 950,000km on the clock and it's hardly had a spanner on the engine—earlier FL10s used to be breathing heavily by the time they got to 700,000km. We had the piston liner problem on K-reg vehicles at about 500,000km-plus and when they went to a new piston design on L-reg models we were having problems at about 300,000Iun. We had six and they all had pistons and liners replaced but Volvo held their hands up and stood the cost of the repair.
"Our workshop manager tells me that we get through quite a lot of airbags on the midlift axle," says Pattern. "We do get through quite a lot of clutches now as well; this might be due to the single-plate design or because we use a lot of different drivers, or it could be a combination of the two.
"The first 20 miles we travel in any direction is very hilly so that's hard on them," he adds. "The local roads also take it out on fuel and tyres but brake life isn't bad. We get 8.1mpg...I think it could be a bit better. We have one Geartronic but it's not been a great success; the gearbox has given a lot of trouble. To be fair Volvo has stood by it and put the problems right as they occur. On the standard model we've never had any trouble at all with either the eight-speed or the later nine-speed gearboxes. Generally there's little to choose between the Volvos and the other top makes, but one advantage they have got is the dealer support. They have a very good cover over the country."
Graham Smith is a director of Thomas Hardie UVS, part of the Thomas Hardie Group, based at Brooks Lane, Middlewich. He claims to hold the largest stock of used Volvos in the North and carries between 60 and 80 vehicles across the range, mainly between three and five years old.
The 4x2 FL10 tractive unit still predominates, but Smith reports: "As higher weights become more likely customers are becoming more aware of the benefits of buying three. axle tractive units. The FL10 has a design weight of 44 tonnes so it would be able to take full advantage of any increase. There are quite a few in the market and a strong demand for J, K and L-reg trucks, but with discerning customers it's only the best that sell successfully.
"Predominantly at 320hp it fits into all categories, either with the owner-driver or smaller companies who may benefit from the low unladen weight and reliability," he says. "Larger companies buy them too, but more often when they're nearly new. We would expect to retail a three-year-old L-reg FLIO 320 4x2 for about £24,000. A similar 6x2 would fetch another £4,500 and they maintain much of that differential down the age scale."
Chaddesley Commercial Scotland is based off the M8 at Broxburn, just outside Edinburgh. North of the border, the company probably sells more Volvos than any other non-franchised outlet. Its stock is predominantly Volvo and varies between 20 and 30 vehicles at any one time. Director Willie Ross says: "There's no shortage of early FL1Os on the market but they become less easily available from about L-reg onwards. Volvo is very strong in Scotland. The FL10 cab stands up OK but there's not a lot of room for overnight. They make a good fleet truck and if operators are not on too long a haul 320hp seems to satisfy them.
"After about 1991/2 most of them are specified on air suspension and with a long wheelbase," Ross adds, "although Volvo does a 3.4m short-wheelbase 4x2 version which still sells well. Operators on tipper or timber work or those with older, shorter trailers don't need the long wheelbase and the shorter unit gives them better site access. Having said that, we're starting to be asked for quite a few 6x2s now.
"We haven't had any dealings with the Geartronic yet," he says. "There are not too many about but a couple of operators are running them locally and they seem to be quite happy with them. The FL10 is a good light truck and late ones hold their residuals well. A 94 L-reg 4x2 would sell for around £20,000 and a 6x2 for £23,000."
The FL10 is light but has a design weight of 44 tonnes so the 6x2 version would be able to take advantage of a higher weight limit. Later 4x2s tend to be specified with air suspension. For those operators we talked to, the reliable 320hp satisfies existing operational weights but 360hp would be needed to cater for anything heavier and that model is not without its problems.
Fuel consumption better than 8mpg is not out of the way for the 320.
The FL10 cab, ideal for urban distribution, is due for replacement and nowadays few operators would consider it adequate for more than the occasional night out.
Only a few used Geartronic models are available on the market as yet but the feeling is that the auto is not as reliable as the manual version and brings unwanted complications to a fleet, while the standard model makes a good fleet vehicle. Many 1110s coming back onto the market have not been worked hard and there are some better-thanaverage examples among them.
Two years on from our last look at the 1110 its fleet appeal and used attractiveness seem none the worse for wear.
C by Bill Brock