Nice Little Earner
As the buying shift away from 7.5 tonne trucks continues, DAF’s 12 tonne LF45.210 provides some interesting statistics for thought on Transport News’ Scottish test route. Our regular wheelman John Henderson reports on a truck with some serious productivity potential. DRIVING licence changes in 1997 and the fitment of speed limiters ten years later have done much to dent the popularity of the 7.5 tonne truck. Although parcel and courier companies, who usually cube out before they weigh out, generally rate this vehicle type highly, the SMMT yearly figures confirm the sales decline of this once popular, non-HGV alternative. Depending on the type of operation, 3.5 tonne vans below or the 12 tonne trucks above, are the next obvious choices and the latter is perhaps a little more subtle and productively positive, as to many individuals on the street, there’s little to distinguish a 7.5 tonne truck from its bigger brother, tipping the scales at four and a half tonnes heavier. I tested a DAF LF 45.160 on our ‘Full Scottish’ run back in the August 2008 edition of Transport News and this motor performed superbly, returning an average 20.85mpg whilst fully loaded. At the end of last month (April) I had the opportunity to trial a similarly bodied 12 tonne, LF45.210 over the same roads also fully loaded with ballast, in the shape of water filled IBCs. I’ll compare the costs and performance levels of both these rigids later on in this report, but rightly I’ll now concentrate on the more recent motor. On my morning walk round check, I soon realised that the exterior dimensions of this 12 tonne rigid must be relatively similar to its little brother. Environmentally this can only be a good thing, especially to the anti-lorry brigade who complain about the size of ‘juggernauts’, but still expect the supermarket shelves to be stocked, or the petrol station to have plenty of fuel when they visit! This 4.3m wheelbase rigid carried a DAF factory built box van body, which was fitted with a Ratcliff cantilever tail lift and Hatcher side skirts. Such was the first class appearance of this all yellow combination, that a driver at Abington service area asked me if the LF was a racing car transporter. DAF’s LF cab has been around for some time now, but regular revisions have kept it looking modern, clean and fresh. Day or sleeper versions are offered and although our steed for trialling came with the smaller option, I was impressed with the amount of room on offer for seat adjustment and storage of everyday items. Most of the main driving controls, switches and instruments are shared with the CF and XF DAF trucks, so the immediate feel is that you’re driving something much larger. Naturally the seat height and cab width quickly return you to LF mode and the excellent layout of all driving requisites results in a quick driver orientation time. With a gusty south westerly wind to consider, I left Abington concerned about the wind’s potential affect on the all important fuel figures. Once up to motorway cruising speed, the interior build quality of the LF cab quickly became apparent, as the absence of any squeaks or rattles, together with an extremely low engine noise, all made for easy conversations with DAF’s demonstration supremo, Richard Kingston. With light traffic conditions on the M74, cruise control was soon deployed alongside the engine brake switch which usefully cuts in when you hit 3kph above the set speed. Both features are controlled by switches on the steering wheel and a stout push is required to bring them into operation. Even with six large, now obligatory rear view mirrors, visibility from the LF’s driving seat is superb and there is little or nothing in the way of blind spots around the side mounting arms. The lenses are also excellent and proved more than adequate for any road or manoeuvring situation. Four and six cylinder Euro 5, EEV Paccar engines are offered on DAF’s LF fleet with power outputs ranging from 160hp to 300hp. Our FR152 four pot produced 207hp from 2,100rpm onwards, whilst delivering a solid 760nm of torque between 1,400 and 1,800rpm. Engineering standards on the Paccar FR152 are superb and it’s as smooth in operation as any six cylinder unit. The engine always had a punchy feel to it and was happy to lug down to 1,000rpm regularly before initiating a downshift call to the AS-Tronic gearbox. A quick tilt of the cab revealed that the power plant’s installation is equally good, with all major ancillaries and components easy to access and well designed. The engine excelled on our two timed Perthshire hill climbs, which were completed in relatively quick times and on the latter at Balmanno hill on the M90 south, I should have held the truck in sixth, as the downshift to fifth lasted about a full second before it changed up again. AS-Tronic six speed gearboxes are an option on all LF models and the 6AS1000 auto unit on our test truck added £1,890 onto the price. DAF also offer H pattern five, six or nine speed transmissions, but such is the efficiency of the automatic option, that I personally think this should be a standard fit across the range. Although a manual selections switch is available beside the AS-Tronic selector button, I never used it once and the superb gear change programming delivered a relaxed, easy driving style which did not let the engine scream. Up or down changes were always smooth and quiet, whilst shifts could be initiated by subtle use of the right hand pedal. Ratios for this clutchless AS-Tronic ‘box came in at 6.75:1 for first gear to 0.78:1 for the overdrive top cog. Unusually these days the drive selector and handbrake lever were located on the raised cab floor to the left of the driver seat. Perhaps DAF could bring the LF into line with its larger siblings and move these controls onto the angled dashboard area and free up even more cab space. A standard rear axle with a ratio of 4.10:1 proved ideal for the task and this unit has the option of a mechanical diff lock. The 4.3 metre wheelbase chassis has a 2.32 metre rear overhang, which resulted in easy manoeuvring and turning. As is usual with any DAF HQ supplied demonstration vehicle, several factory extras were fitted and these included larger tanks for diesel and AdBlue. The original sized units of 123 and 26 litre capacities had been replaced with 200 and 70 litre alternatives respectively. For most long distance operators these enhancements would prove beneficial, whilst having a minimal impact on payload factors. The many roundabouts of our Fife circuit always place a good focus on the steering, which delivered a nicely graduated feel at all times, whilst requiring little in the way of correction on the straight and narrow sections. The working action of the steering wheel and attendant linkages were put to the test crossing the Forth Road Bridge, where a strong, gusting south westerly wind called for serious concentration even with a 40mph speed limit, but the LF emerged from this particular challenge with honours. Ballast loads for test trucks usually take the shape of low concrete blocks which offer little in the way of a handling challenge for the suspension system fixed below. Our LF45.210 came complete with eight securely lashed IBC containers within the box body and six of them each contained 1,000 litres of water. Being full, the liquid did not have much of a chance to swill around in each tank, but the higher centre of gravity proved much more of a true test through the corners and camber changes. The 12 tonne DAF was equipped with steel parabolic spring suspension all round, with both front and rear spring pairs assisted by shock absorbers and stabiliser bars. These components were more than up to coping with the reservoirs of H2O above them and in operation felt entirely equal to the performance of full air suspension, which can be specified as an option on the LF range. Steel wheels with Bridgestone R227 245/70R17.5 tyres all round delivered sure footed road holding in wet and dry conditions. Retardation came from two primary sources, with the full air service brakes and engine brake both proving competent performers. The engine brake is worked via a switch on the left spoke of the steering wheel and its combined cruise control use was great. What did surprise me though was the strength of this function when used alone on long downhill runs, such as the western approach to Junction 10 on the M90, just south of Perth. There’s a lot at stake on this descent as the long left entry into the sharp right curve of the carriageway over bridge demands a minimum of 40mph in the dry, but the engine brake certainly showed its mettle on this hazard. The LF’s dual circuit full air brakes operate all round ventilated discs and worked well within their capacity at all times. The pedal travel felt just right and despite some serious use its graduation never altered, installing a real confidence in me and leaving me wondering if these anchors had in fact been swapped from a heavy CF tractor unit! Back to the productivity and cost factors now, which make for an interesting comparison with this DAF LF 45.210: The 12 tonner tested has a payload of a whisker under seven tonnes, compared to just over three tonnes for the similarly bodied LF 7.5 tonner. Over the Transport News 198.1 mile test route, the larger 210hp engine running at 4.5 tonnes GVW heavier, consumed just an extra 4.4 litres of diesel (when the weather was much windier) and only 0.3 litres of AdBlue more than the 160hp Paccar derivative in the 7.5 tonner. Journeys times for the 12 tonne LF were negligibly slower by a few minutes and its overall average speed was a mere 5.7mph less for the entire trial distance. The basic chassis and body price for the larger LF comes in at around £10,000 more than the equivalent 7.5 tonne truck (when tested in August 2008) so I’ll let readers do the sums to work out the financial attraction of the larger DAF option. There’s no doubting that the 7.5 tonne truck will continue to be an attractive option for some operators, but the overall performance and earning potential of this 12 tonne LF45.210 can only be ignored at your peril.