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MAN
Page 37
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TGM 18.240
Both of the 18-tonners participating in the test were operator vehicles, and MANS contribution was a month-old TGM 18.240 from United Utilities.
It had a major payload penalty compared with the Volvo, but it also had the ability to load itself with a nice Hiab 099 Duo grab, complete with three separate control positions. As well as the crane taking payload, it also had a drawbar hitch and a large equipment locker attached to the chassis, but it still crossed the weighbridge ready for work, fully fuelled and with two burly occupants, at under 10 tonnes.
The MAN's Eaton transmission boasted nine forward speeds two times four-speed ranges and a crawler. The willing nature of the engine meant that fully laden, only six of them were really needed, second and fourth in low box, then all of the high ratios.
The gearbox went a long way towards covering the MAN's 40hp and 125Nm deficit against the Volvo, albeit at the expense of a bit more driver effort. The timed hill climb took two downshifts and an extra 1.3 seconds but intriguingly, fell to the same 46km/h.
The gearbox made the MAN seem a bit more like 'a prober lorry' than the Volvo a feeling encouraged by a number of other aspects.
The dash is the same comprehensive panel seen In bigger MANs, and the small but noticeable amount of extra space in the cab gives it a bigger feel. Storage room is more generous than in the Volvo, particularly behind the seats where bags and boots can live. Rubber flooring throughout means it looks like cleaning can be done with a hosepipe if required.
The parking brake found behind the conventionally located gearstick becomes more of an irritant as dash-mounted levers become more the norm. The PTO switch is a simple rocker on the dash, near the pair of crane guard lights, with the tip lever on the engine hump.
With the crane installation, there's no sheeting system to control. But tipping does involve leaving the cab, diverting hydraulic flow to the crane, lifting it clear of the body, diverting flow back to the tipper gear, then getting back inside to tip.
Obviously this arrangements suits the operator's specific needs and without the grab fitted it would be a different matter.
On and off the road, the TGM was more comfortable than the FrancoSwede. Big MANs always feel as though they are hewn from solid ingots of raw truck, and the smaller TGM is no different. It all feels firm but well engineered. CB