CHUNKY, BUT WOULD YOU SWAP YOUR TRACTOR CAB?
CHUNKY, BUT WOULD YOU SWAP YOUR TRACTOR CAB?
How does a tractor drivers life compare with that of a
truck driver? FWs Geoff Ashcroft persuaded Mercedes to
let him take out a state-of-the-art 570hp Actros 1857 for
a day and found himself suitably impressed
THERES no substitute for space – Mega Space that is. Its the name given to the cab on Mercedes flagship truck, the Actros 1857.
Okay, so the five-step climb up to the cab may be familiar for combine and forager drivers, but once inside theres enough room to hold your own private party.
The Actros offers a level of comfort that most tractor drivers can only dream of. Armchair driving in air-suspended seats, cruise control, air-con, heated windscreen, two bunk beds (you never know!), curtains, room for a fridge and TV. There are even storage cupboards for the odd Continental road map.
To put some scale on it, the internal dimensions of Mercs Mega Space cab are 2.2m (7ft 3in) wide, 1.84m (6ft) long and 2m (6ft 6in) high – rather like a third bedroom. And the flat floor cab makes it easy to go walkabout in the cab for all but the tallest of drivers.
The truck is bristling with technology too. Under the bonnet (so to speak – you actually sit above the valve covers) is a twin-turbo 16-litre V8 which oozes horsepower. At 570hp, its the second most powerful truck in Europe, lagging just 30hp behind MANs 600hp 18-litre V10.
Without trailer, the mighty Merc feels capable of sprinting from rest to its 56mph maximum quicker than most 2-litre petrol saloon cars.
* Generous torque
With electronic diesel injection and drive-by-wire throttle, the Merc serves up a generous helping of torque at little over tick-over. On-board monitoring and diagnostic equipment also monitors how the truck is driven and this dictates the service intervals, which can be as far apart as 60,000 miles.
More cleverness is found in the Telligent 16-speed transmission (eight speeds with splitter), which allows the driver to preselect a gear, before pressing the clutch pedal to activate the shift – each shift confirmed by an audible "click" before the clutch is released.
A short, console-mounted gear lever is pulsed forward to change up and backwards to change down, and a button either side of the lever allows neutral or reverse to be selected.
Gears can also be missed out when changing up. By pulsing the gear lever twice, the transmission moves to the next higher gear. And the gear selected is illuminated on the dashboard.
Clever gearbox management means the transmission will speed-match the gear selection to road speed (so fluffed shifts are avoided) and it wont let you jump down the gearbox unless forward speed is low enough. It takes a bit of getting used to after moving a gear lever through a gate, but the smoothness and ease with which it operates is worth it.
Out on the road, the Actros behaves quite unlike the 38t brute it first appears. It performs with car-like manners, despite towing a 13.6m (45ft) long fully-loaded trailer.
* Reversing technique
Controls are easy to use, steering is incredibly light and the mirrors (heated and electrically adjustable) are generously accommodating.
Except, of course, when reversing. The key here, it appears, is to position yourself to reverse only around right-handed corners so you can see where the trailer is going. Then its a simple matter of judging the overall 16.5m (54ft) maximum length and placing the rear of the trailer where you want it.
Taking blind spots into account, its about as awkward as reversing a tractor and four-wheel trailer.
Stopping the outfit is an electro-pneumatic braking system with disc brakes and ABS on the tractor-unit. Theres no delay (unlike traditional airbrake systems which operate a brake valve to send air to the brake actuators) and the pedal is progressive. Drums however, are still predominant on trucks and trailers.
Surprisingly, theres no need to shout across the cab to be heard. Running at 53mph with your foot on the throttle produces a library-like 68.5dB(A), while lifting off the throttle reduces in-cab noise to an eerily silent 66.2 dB(A).
And its helped by the big Mercs tall gearing, bringing up the 56mph maximum speed at 1200rpm in 16th gear (top). It also does its bit for fuel economy (typically 6-8.5mpg depending on load and terrain). But despite a torque figure of 1992lb ft at 1080rpm, it doesnt help driveability much when fully loaded unless youre on the flat.
And, yes, the Actros likes fuel. The standard tank is a mere 600 litres (132gal), but an additional tank lifts this to 1000 litres (220gal).
So there you have it. Compared to even the plushest of tractor cabs, the Merc still edges ahead. And at £74,850, its cheaper than a combine.
Above: Truck and tractor do vastly different jobs but development in gearboxes
and cab comfort are moving in similar directions. Left: A nice place to while away
a week or two. Theres sleeping quarters for two and room for a fridge and TV.
MERCEDES TRUCK DATA
• Model: Actros 1857 with Mega Space cab.
• Engine: 16-litre V8 twin turbo diesel, producing 570hp at 1800rpm and 1992lb/ft torque at 1080rpm.
• Transmission: Electronically controlled preselect eight-speed gearbox with splitter.
• Suspension: air bags under cab and rear axle; 3-leaf parabolic on front axle
• Capacity: 38t.
• Fuel consumption: About 7.5mpg.
• Price: £74,850 (tractor unit only).