anyone know if an ERF ECS is a rigid vehicle, or the tractor unit for an artic? obviously both can be driven on class 2 so long as the t/unit has no trailer (cos its still rigid then).
I ask cos its the first job I’ve got through from work for a “big” vehicle and could do with some idea of what I’ll be faced with when I arrive.
Cooo, could be my first play with a splitter box and range-change! 
I drove the previous EC model (in my sig) and it’s fair to say that they are Basic but self explanitary and intuitive to drive. Mine had a 9spd 4 over 4 box but it’s dead easy to use… It only took a few miles to get used to it for the first time…
With the range changer you simply pre-select the ratio BEFORE changing…
Luv
Chrisie… 
ECS comes in both rigid and artic form. I have only driven an artic.
It is basicly an old style MAN, with a slap across range change gear box.
As for driving a tractor unit on a rigid licence, i think I read somewhere that this can only be done if the 5th wheel is removed, but don’t quote me on that.
Steve, do they have the slapover Eaton synchro like they shove in the Seddons? If so Gord, they are dead easy M8!
On the dead-head/bobtailing front…
The removing of the 5th wheel is to put it more into the car category, since it’s then unable to carry any goods. From what I understand, you can drive round a unit on it’s own on any licence that covers the weight of the unit alone. Which usually means C1 or C boxes ticked.
In theory, you could tow a trailer, but you’d be hard pressed to find a trailer to fit that grosses under 750kg 
Here is a picture of a recent ECS with stack pipe option & top of the range ERF trim…
http://server5.uploadit.org/files/steveo999-ERFExecutive.jpg
Enjoy!!
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Ive drove a few like that Stevo!
The ECS was the same basic vehicle as the ECX - it just had the MAN F2000 steel cab instead of the ERF SP cab made of SMC.
well, it was the tractor unit!
click-switch range change and splitter. gear stick covered in gaffer tape, no diagram and hi/lo worn off so it was guesswork. none of the mechanics or sales staff knew so just took a stab in the dark and drove my first ever unit straight onto the road with no idea what to do if I cocked up - lol.
soon had it sussed and only needed gears 6, 7 & 8 unless on a hill when 5th was used - and to be fair high 8th and low 7th did everything from slow roundabouts to motorway cruising.
on my way to juice it up with 100litres of fuel, my driving school owner steve dent passed the other way on lesson and gave a cheery wave - spoke to him on the phone soon after and he was delighted to see me out in it!
got to the shell stop and then the problem occurred - no gear diagram, and no apparent extra sideway movement to get into a reverse gear. just the 4 gates for what I’d already been using.
a quick phone call to cbr-si and into low range low split and give it a good hard slap to the left, and in she goes. only 15 minutes spent parked horizontally across 8 petrol pumps mid-turn to reverse onto the hgv pump (a 3.5 metre forecourt canopy and a 13’ 10" cab to not make good bed-mates so couldn’t just whip round the other entrance and through).
all in all, including juice stop, mandatory breaks etc took nearly 6 hours to get to cricklade! eek!