A Good All Round Tip
Are you looking for a reliable tipper with good payload, superb build quality, great driver comfort, and respectable fuel economy too? Our regular vehicle tipster, John Henderson tested Mercedes Benz’s Axor C 3240K and found it’s a safe bet on many counts. ACROSS the world’s continents, many developing countries rely heavily on ‘second life’ exported vehicles from Western Europe. As a rule of thumb, the manufacturer’s badge you’re most likely to see on the often harsh roads of these territories is the three pointed star of Mercedes-Benz. Whether it’s 1980s SK models or even LPS types from the 60s or 70s, there are literally tens of thousands of classic Mercs still earning a living every day, whilst helping nations progress and prosper. The longevity of these trucks speaks volumes about the build quality of Mercedes-Benz commercials and I must admit to wondering where the Axor C 3240K tipper I road tested back in June would be working in 25 years time. Chances are it will probably be somebody’s pride and joy in a far off land where there’s a serious amount of work to be done. The Axor 3240K shares all the qualities enjoyed by its popular, bullet proof big brother, the Actros 8x4, except on the scales. Our example for testing came with a Wilcox Wilcolite aluminium aggregate body, complete with Hyva tipping gear and a Dawbarn Hydroclear sheeting system. Together with full diesel and AdBlue tanks, the kerb weight of 9,823kg plus 1,956kg for the tipper kit is printed on the weighbridge ticket, offering a useful 20,221kg of net payload. One of the first things I noticed about the bright yellow eight wheeler was its ground clearance. The cab is mounted relatively high, and a substantial looking bumper with light guards beside an attached, pivoted bottom step are complemented by a solid looking steel under-run protect bar. Logically the air filters and exhaust stack are well out of any potential damage zones mounted high between the cab rear and tipper ram. As you would expect, an inspection of this chassis and its ancillary equipment revealed an extremely well built ensemble and even when fully loaded with sand, the steel suspension seemed barely troubled by the 32 tonne gross vehicle weight. The brace of single reduction drive axles benefit from cross and inter axle diff locks and had ratios of 3.077:1. The two spring bogey’s double acting shock absorbers and stabilisers worked well on these aft units and delivered taught handling for the driven back end. For the first 30 minutes of the drive I found the front parabolic springs a shade on the firm side, but soon became acclimatised to their efficiency. My small gripe was however offset by the superb power assisted steering which delivered smooth and well graduated turning in every situation at any speed. The 8x4 Axor’s turning circle comes in at 21.5 metres, wall to wall, and the pneumatically locked steering column can be released and adjusted for height (70mm travel) and rake (through 11 degrees). The 300 litre diesel tank and the AdBlue reservoir which has a 40 litre capacity are mounted together on the offside chassis rail, with both having lockable caps fitted as standard. Service braking is courtesy of all round discs which prudently have shields on the rear units. Pedal travel recorded was slightly further than most trucks I’ve tested, but once they do start to bite the brakes are absolutely first class. It’s all about getting used to the extra degree of right foot leverage required and trusting the dual circuit system which features, automatic adjustment, ABS and ASR traction control. The handbrake lever is well located on the dashboard just in front of the gear lever so there’s no blind raking about down the left side of the driver’s seat required before moving off. Our route demands more of the brakes as the mileage tally increases and never once were the stopping units found wanting, so every driver will be able to put maximum trust in the Axor’s anchors. Our first sector of motorway and dual carriageway work left the Mercedes completely untroubled and despite the long term road works which have begun on the A80, with their attendant 40mph speed limit, a journey time of two hours three minutes was recorded for the first 100.2 miles. This run also contains the pair of timed hill climbs and the truck dug in well on both ascents requiring just one downshift to seventh on each gradient, posting a respectable figure well up with the performance achieved by the other eight leggers. Trucks with manual gearboxes are rare birds these days, but the Axor 3240K came with a nine speed synchromesh G221-9 ‘box operated by a hydraulic gearshift over a double H pattern. Twenty years ago after passing my HGV test, I learnt ‘proper’ lorry driving on a ZF 16 speed double H in a Merc 1628 so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane on the day of our test. Simon Wood, my Mercedes minder for the day, informed me early on that gear changes worked best with an unhurried, relaxed style and obviously he was correct. Taking your time to deliver a positive, flowing ratio shift is the secret here. Being relatively unfamiliar with the Axor, I must admit to fluffing the occasional change when under pressure at roundabouts and junctions, but another full day behind the wheel would have sorted this out for good. The crawler gear at 16.15:1 was never required during the trial and on good level ground second or third were fine for pulling away. Top gear (8th) is direct drive and this, together with the engine’s wide green band, meant easy cruising in its choice at 40mph. This had a positive effect on fuel consumption and a potential advantage over some of the auto change systems which occasionally jump unnecessarily between the top two cogs on single carriageway roads. Transferring drive from the engine up front was a 395mm hydraulically operated, dual dry plate clutch that works with air assistance. Mercedes offer a choice of three power plants with this Axor, with outputs ranging from 360PS to 428PS. Our Euro 5, SCR steed for trialling came with the middle choice producing 401PS and was well up to the job. The 400hp mark seems to be the accepted ball park power figure offered by all the main truck builders when it comes to supplying rigid eights for test, a figure selected I presume, after many hours of research and proving. Although, after saying that, I wouldn’t mind testing one of these high cabbed, 500hp plus tippers that are so prevalent on Central Scotland’s roads, just to see if they’re any more efficient, but I suspect these types are perhaps all about enhanced journey times, with the ability to do an extra load per day. Anyway, back to the OM457LA 12 litre diesel and its Telligent electronic engine management. The turbo intercooled six in line unit purred away quite contently all day and there was never any need to rev it above the 1,500rpm figure top of the green band. It’s a power plant that thrives on lugging and a couple of times, when level or downhill sections were in sight, I let it drop to 900rpm without any ill effects. As mentioned previously, the hill climbs showed just how flexible this motor is and this reflected in the fuel figures. Although tippers are never going to be the most fuel efficient type of commercial vehicles, good consumption figures are always welcome and the Axor set 8.40mpg on the first section and almost hit the 9mpg mark on the next ‘Tour de Fife’ part. Our demanding run alongside the Pentland Hills on the road back to Abington is mentally the most uncomfortable part for the manufacturer’s staff if they’re interested in diesel usage, but here the 3240K returned an encouraging 7.57mpg. For the 198.1 miles driven, 5.75 litres of the blue stuff were consumed and this worked out at a mere 5.28% of fuel used. With the theft of plant and construction equipment often mentioned in news items today, it was reassuring to note that an engine immobiliser compliant to Thatcham H2 standards is fitted on this Mercedes. Another useful feature of this robust machine is constant throttle and butterfly exhaust brake. Operated by a two position stalk on the right side of the steering column, I used this retarder frequently as it offered good bite and retardation and often saved a jab or two on the brake pedal. ‘Possibly the best all round visibility in the business.’ That was the quote direct from my tester’s notebook after spending a day behind the wheel of the Axor. Of course the extended day version with its rear wall glazing offered plenty of viewing areas, but the position and width of the external mirrors also helped considerably. The four rear facing lenses give great views on what’s happening alongside and behind the motor, together with the wide angled kerbside lens which was perfectly formed too. Being an ‘07’ registration, the truck was minus the new front corner, ‘cleavage’ mirror, but for once it was no big deal to live without it. Our test vehicle came fitted with the optional Grammer driver’s seat and I’d thoroughly recommend it to any prospective purchaser. The steering wheel, controls and switches are all well placed, besides being uncluttered and you don’t get the Boeing 747 effect, of being dazzled by dials and buttons, when you first climb aboard. Storage space available is more than adequate for the discerning day shift tipper man and his PPE kit etc and the cab wide cubby hole behind the seats alone, will hold a great deal of gear. The Mercedes Axor 2540K delivered exactly what I expected from it on the day. A stunning, competent and reliable performance all controlled from a cab that’s a great place to work in. Add in the earning potential of a payload just over 20 tonnes and respectable fuel figures and that equals a potential for real productivity. The three pointed star’s resale value will be amongst the best available, however long you keep this truck for and if you’re in Africa, the Caribbean or South America in 25 years time, there’s a fair chance that you’ll see this Axor driving by!