Strator Steals The Show
The only Iveco Strator in the UK has recently been delivered to Kilmarnock based Billy Bowie Special Projects Ltd. John Henderson takes to the road in this unique head turning tractor, together with its custom made trailer, for a special Transport News appraisal. NORMALLY measured Scottish road tests or appraisals are a fairly low key affair, with an unobtrusive presence and safe progress being just two of my main key driving criteria. The hour and a half spent at the wheel of Billy Bowie’s new Iveco Strator ASN500 however, still had road safety as a top priority, but there was absolutely no chance of being inconspicuous in this unique, bright yellow liveried converted 6x2 tractor unit. Despite having the Kilmarnock firm’s specially built Crossland vacuum tanker coupled to the Dutch adapted conventional prime mover, the amount of public attention it received led me to believe that somebody had swapped the tank for a platform trailer and the judges from the popular TV show, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ were sitting on the back, lapping up the adulation. Other professional HGV drivers nodded and waved in appreciation, kids playing football stopped, shouted, then gave hearty thumbs up and people in the street just turned, then smiled when admiring the big Iveco combination. The Strator was launched as a European alternative to Iveco’s PowerStar, which was previously the only bonneted Iveco heavy truck sold in the world and a popular model in its Australian home market. Available for sale across Europe exclusively through The Netherlands based Charles Feijts Group, in either left or right hand drive, the Strator is supported by the same comprehensive Iveco warranty as a regular Stralis and can be serviced by any franchised Iveco dealer. Unique in Europe, the Strator can be specified as either a rigid or tractor unit, with 4x2, 6x2, 6x2 rear steer and 6x4 chassis variations available in a variety of wheelbase lengths. Customers can also choose between three cab variants which follow the same principal choices as the Stralis, with the ADN cab (Active Day), which is aimed at short haul distribution markets for rigid and tractor applications and ATN (Active Time) models, for distribution and fleet operations as well as medium to long haul domestic missions. Billy Bowie Special Projects Ltd have decided on the range topping ASN (Active Space) cab with an optional high roof, which features a wide and spacious living area and is aimed specifically for the long haul and international haulage sectors. All Strator models are supplied with Euro 5 Cursor engines driven through an automated EuroTronic gearbox as standard. Operators have the choice of the 10.3 litre Cursor 10 engine rated to either 420 or 450hp, or the larger 12.9 litre Cursor 13 engine with power options of 500 or 560hp. A pre-driving walk around check proved interesting with this Strator. In pure and simple terms, the Charles Feijts Group basically just move the cab back on an existing Stralis chassis and add on a bonnet at the front end to cover the engine. The conversion however is factory approved and carried out to the highest engineering standards. The 2,640mm wheelbase unit just looks a bit different, mainly due to the chassis side skirts which fill the entire gap between the first and second axles. These vertical valences also provide anti slip steps to access the cab and the catwalk. Kerr & Smith co-founder, Jim Smith was present to guide me around the Strator and assisted with the manual lift of the glassfibre bonnet. This sizeable component tilts forward through about 90° to offer superb access to the Cursor 13 power plant beneath. An extended steering linkage and modified air intake system were the two most obvious items to catch my eye, alongside extra mudwing plates that prevent front wheel road spray reaching the windscreen. In addition to extra front driving lights, the Iveco chassis had come in for some special attention from Cumnock based, Metallic Fabrications in the shape of extra chequer plating, chrome strips and a brace of vertical exhaust stacks. These customised parts only serve to increase the neck turning capability of the Strator and this truck has already become a celebrity after recent appearances at Truckfest Peterborough, ScotPlant 2010 and Ayr Agricultural Show. Appropriately, Billy Bowie Special Projects Ltd intend to use the new Iveco as a promotional vehicle and their transport manager, Alasdair Clark, assured me that the Strator will earn its keep when necessary, but probably only on clean water jobs. Driver acclimatisation was a swift and easy affair, as I’ve driven a good selection of Stralis models in the past. The only obvious difference looking out front was the yellow bonnet which tapers away nicely out of view. I’ve raved about Iveco’s Active Space Super3 double bunk sleeper many times before and in particular the qualities of its driver’s seat and foldaway upper bunk. Storage space abounds in this office too and there are clever touches like a laptop table beside the bunk, besides the now almost obligatory under bed, slide out fridge. Optional leather seats, monogrammed with Billy Bowie lettering provided a classy finishing touch aboard the prime mover. An evaluation drive of around 90 minutes was on offer and my strict brief was to deliver the combination intact to Ayr racecourse 48 hours before the start of the notable annual farming event held there. The round the houses drive started from Kerr & Smith’s Cumnock premises and firstly I headed north west on the A76 to Hurlford Services to top up the diesel tank. Afterwards the main A77 was used down to the Whitletts roundabout, then down the A719 into the coastal town. Great care was exercised when making my way out of Cumnock, as several years have passed since I drove any HGV with a large bonnet out front. There’s a fair bit of difference between sitting almost directly above the steering axle and having the turning wheels located 3 or 4ft from where you are sat, so I tended to oversteer slightly through the first few junctions and roundabouts, but my turning abilities improved sequentially as the drive progressed. Road positioning on the two way A76 was a relatively easy affair thanks to three main parameters: Firstly, the visibility levels from the Iveco cab are excellent and the rear view mirrors providing little if nothing in the way of blind spots. The lenses’ capacity was tested several times on Ayr’s Whitletts Road, when cars sneaking up the Strator’s nearside by way of a bus lane, were never lost from view. Lastly the tapered lines of the yellow bonnet actually provide good reference points for the tractor’s perimeter, but a pair of front corner, ‘lollipop marker sticks’ would not go amiss on this motor. As the blind spot or cleavage mirror has limited capacity on the Strator, Billy Bowie has wisely had a camera system fixed for the front of the prime mover which is linked to a small monitor on the dashboard. Iveco’s 500hp Cursor 13 engine has won a good reputation in our industry and this Euro 5, turbocharged six in-line was barely tested during my run, as the Crossland tanker behind was empty. The power plant’s maximum oomph is delivered between 1,525 and 1,900rpm, whilst a very usable 2300Nm of torque exerts its muscles in the 1,000 to 1,525rpm green band. As my unloaded run was merely an initial appraisal, no fuel measuring equipment was on board, so the Transport News fuel consumption record set by the Strator’s stable mate, a 450hp Cursor 10 engined Stralis in 2009, remains intact for the time being. On the subject of diesel, the aluminium 455 litre tank was located behind the side skirt on the offside of the chassis, together with its AdBlue counterpart and although hidden out of view, they’re relatively easy to fill. These days’ trucks with a manual gearbox are a rarity and Iveco’s AS2330 TD EuroTronic gearbox is up amongst the best of the 21st century, auto change set ups. The controlling system is well programmed even running empty and smooth, relaxed shifts were the order of the day. Drive selection is as simple as it gets with just neutral, reverse and drive rocker switches to choose from. Holding the D or R buttons down for a full two seconds engages tortoise mode for careful manoeuvring or reversing. With maximum torque from the Cursor 13 unit in front commencing at 1,000rpm, the ‘box likes to let the straight six lug right down before initiating a shift. Ratios on the 12 speed EuroTronic ranged from 15.86:1 in first to 1.00:1 direct top. Further back, a Meritor MS13-175X hypoid drive axle carried a standard fit ratio of 2.85:1. ROCK SOLID Common-sense says that mounting the Active Space Super3 double bunk sleeper cab further back and therefore nearer to the chassis’ centre should improve the unit’s handling characteristics. Certainly under normal driving conditions on two way and dual carriageway roads, the Strator felt as solid as a rock. A slight nodding of the 6x2 was detected on some uneven surfaces, but it’s fair to say that was caused by a lack of liquids in the cylinder behind. As per its Stralis brothers’ standard set up, a front parabolic spring/middle and rear air set up was used and this proved more trust inspiring while delivering predictable cornering or turning. Electronically operated full air brakes act on all round 436mm ventilated discs and these are complemented by ABS and ASR traction control. As usual with any Iveco I’ve driven, there is always slightly more pedal travel with their anchors than most other marques, but after one application the slightly different foot movement required is easily stored in the grey matter for future reference. Having said that though, all service brake use whether hot or cold, was superbly efficient and constant at any speed. The parking brake is ideally located in the bottom right corner of the angled dash unit and falls straight to hand. I thoroughly enjoyed my hour and a half behind the wheel of Billy Bowie’s Iveco Strator and although this truck works beautifully, it is basically a showpiece flagship. The maximum permissible coupled trailer length restrictions would, from a productivity point of view, rule it out for a good few haulage applications. However, if you should buy a Strator and paint it up in a bright, eye catching livery like this Kilmarnock based operation has, what you will get is thousands of pounds worth of free publicity every day. After my experience in Ayrshire, I reckon that I would have enjoyed much less attention even if I’d been at the wheel of a customised 700bhp plus, forward control super Swede. There’s just something about a conventional tractor unit that the majority of folks seem to like. The image of road transport can always do with a helpful push and I think that commercial vehicles like the Iveco Strator create more interest in trucks whilst having a positive impact on public perception. Although it has only been around for a couple of months, it would be fair to say that this unique Iveco from Kilmarnock’s Billy Bowie Special Projects Ltd has already stolen the show. • Further information on the Iveco Strator, on www.strator.nl or contact George Simmons at CFG gsimons@cfg.nl