TO SWEDEN WITH A SWEDE
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Gibb Grace,
DAuE CEng, MIMechE SWEDEN is effectively cut off from the European mainland and trucks have to enter the country by one of the many sea ferries. So my visit this summer to try out a Scania LBS 140 could be said to have started at Travemiinde, a major ferry port 40 miles north-east of Hamburg. I shared the driving on a journey back to the Scania works at SOdertalje and when I reached the vehicle at about 6.30 pm the quay was very busy.
The ranks of the usual truckers were considerably swollen by Swedes going home for midsummer and by extra trucks bringing strawberries, a traditional midsummer dish, from Italy. This traffic
and a mix-up in the booking of the ferry meant that we missed the Halsingborg and Malmii boats and we were grateful to be the last truck aboard my Peter Pan bound for Trelleborg even though it was about midnight.
Within minutes of being aboard the drawbridge was raised, the prow of the ship lowered and we steamed out into an exceptionally calm Baltic sea. We docked, stern first, in Trelleborg at 6 am the next morning and rolled ashore around 7 am. The Customs men were much better disposed towards midsummer strawberries than gravel, it seemed, and one by one the strawberry trucks were dispatched and aecelerated eagerly into the morning. Some two hours later our gravel ballast had been thoroughly inspected and chassis numbers checked and we, too, were on our way. Trelleborg is at the southernmost tip c Sweden and our route was to take us up th eastern coast to the Scania plant a Siidertilje just 30 miles south of Stockholm The works driver, Palle BjUrtman, too the Scania out into the country, which i this area could have passed for parts c Britain, and I took over a little later o almost deserted roads.
It is difficult to describe Sweden i meaningful terms to someone who has nc actually been there. In summer it i incredibly beautiful, a land of rock coniferous trees and lakes which at times, seems, is completely uninhabited.
Palle, who had shared the driving fror Dusseldorf the previous day and had onl five hours' sleep in the previous 24 hour: climbed into the top bunk and fell asleep i minutes leaving me to it. Helicopter speed patrols
Sweden does not have much motorway, but a big effort over the last few years has put most main roads in first-class condition. Most roads though having only single carriageways. which are clearly indicated, have a surface which extends for a good Sit or so past the main carriageway making passing very easy and safe. The legal limit for trucks on these roads is 70 kph (43 mph) and it is enforced by police using
helicopters. The helicopter pilot flying above a suspect truck can check its speed accurately by timing it between circular marks (they reminded me of "Ban the bomb" symbols) painted at 100-metre intervals on the road surface. These patrols are no idle threat as we saw two such helicopter patrols on the journey.
The LBS 140 was running at 38 tonnes gross but thanks to its 350 bhp V8 engine it seemed more like half that weight. The engine produces a massive 910 lb ft torque and most hills needed little more than a touch of throttle to negotiate them. The gear box was the latest range-change 10-speed fully synchromesh design introduced at the Geneva show earlier this year. Even when fully laden the Scania would pull away in fourth on the level and once on the open road only the high range was ever needed. The synchromesh worked faultlessly and effortlessly on the gently undulating Swedish roads where the speed of the change is not too important. The steepest hill encountered, only about one in 10, was climbed in sixth gear and posed no problems.
Driver comfort It is hard to imagine how driver comfort and general cab layout could be improved. Noise level and ride, perhaps the two most wearing aspects from the driver's point of view, are both excellent. Interior noise level which is given by Scania as 80 dBA maximum is very low and the ride even for a rigid is superb. Other contributory factors such as good visibility, light, positive steering, light pedal effort, and a very simple parking brake go to make the Scania LB 140 near perfect as a driver's vehicle. The only non-standard items on the vehicle were the sheepskin covers used on the seats to stop perspiring (the standard Bostrom seat has a woven cloth material which breaths in any case) and cab air conditioning.
Performance Average speed for the whole trip worked out at 42.8 mph which considering that we observed the rules is both a reflection of the light traffic and high power output of the DS14 engine. The Scania returned 6.8 mpg over the 440 miles route at this average speed which at 38 tons gross is remarkable. This compares favourably with a 6 X 4 LBS 140 tested over CM's Scottish route in 1970 (CM October 30 1970); that vehicle averaged 6.7 mpg at 39 mph over a slightly tougher 730-mile route.
What is disappointing by British standards is the usable payload. The sophistication of the Scania, its big engine, its big gearbox, the superb cab, etc, adds weight and one is surprised to learn that the payload of this 38-tonner is no more than those of some British 32-tonners. Payload on the Swedish test was only 21.2 tons giving 144 payload-ton miles per gallon. On the Scottish test vehicle, payload was 23.7 tons, ie 159 payload-ton miles per gallon. It is interesting that if speed is taken into account both tests give the same payload-ton mile/gallon/hour factor of 6.2, ie 20 per cent better than the average British 32-tonner. The Scania LBS 140 is undoubtedly an outstanding vehicle; it sets a standard for 38-ton trucks which is higher than that attained by any British 32-tonner, both in terms of driver comfort and performance.
The next generation of British heavy vehicles must at least equal this level of sophistication in order to withstand the even tougher competition which will be offered by European vehicles when we are part of the Common Market. As there is, it seems, very little payload advantage in having a 38-ton gcw truck such vehicles will not be popular for internal use with British operators even if allowed to run at that weight on British roads. But the 38-tonner, and perhaps eventually the 40-tonner, is the standard European heavy truck and international hauliers like everyone else want a maximum payload, and this may be the one factor that the British manufacturers can provide.