Looking for some advice, am thinkin of getting a fresh truck, have been looking for another Merc either another 2546 or a 2548 or a 2551 euro 5 with an rpc, but carnt find one at the right spec/kms. Have been told the 480 is crap on fuel with the 510 been better, is this true? Have any of you got any info on either of them? Would have another 46 but feel I could do with abit more power know im running 44 ton 80% of the time now, and hopefully with abit more mpg too.
If I carnt find one im know thinking of either a Volvo 480, or poss a Scania 480/500. Would ideally like a euro 5 with rpc. Looking for some advice on mpg/faults etc on them. Any info greatly appreciated.
I run 2546 (Euro 3) and 2548 (Euro 4) Merc’s. The 2548’s are better on fuel than the 2546’s, but the ad-blue usage more or less levels it out in cost terms.
No complaints about the 2548’s - they are nice to drive, pull well and have been super-reliable so far. I would/will buy more when the time comes.
Thats the same as me, had two Mercs now, an they have both been spot on, no probs at all. The one I have now is euro 4 adblue/digi so nothing new there.
There is a guy on with us who has a 48 an he is always complaining about the fuel on it, perhaps its how he drives it then!
Would like another Merc but there doesnt seem to be anything around 18 month old ish, low mileage, it all seems to be new or 3yr old with 350k + kms on them. Thats why ive started to look elsewhere.
ive just bought a 2546 2 and half years old ,had it just shy of a month and cant complain about fuel consumption im fully freighted about 80%of the time and its genrally reterning 7.2 mpg its on block work so not exactly aerodynamic the 480 daf i had before was mid 6s mpg i find the 460 merc fine the only thing i wud say is it dosnt have the torque like the daf did verry low down i no iv only had it a month but i can say its one of the best trucks ive owned/driven,only time will tell what the serviceing/back ups like
mercactros:
Thats the same as me, had two Mercs now, an they have both been spot on, no probs at all. The one I have now is euro 4 adblue/digi so nothing new there.
There is a guy on with us who has a 48 an he is always complaining about the fuel on it, perhaps its how he drives it then!
Would like another Merc but there doesnt seem to be anything around 18 month old ish, low mileage, it all seems to be new or 3yr old with 350k + kms on them. Thats why ive started to look elsewhere.
I wonder if that’s the old one I used to drive? It had a couple of leaky injectors on it and the power was down and of course the mpg too, but as Merc wanted something ridiculous like £5k to replace each injector it was sold on.
2551 is a V8, and the V8’s can sup the fuel better than any when driven with lead boots, also they have a weight penalty with the two extra pots which is something to consider if you need max payload.
points are a smooth lazy drive with auto-trans and that subdued V8 rumble, more class than crass when compared with a rattle box scanny
If you get a Scania, just don’t get Opticruise, mkay. The manual’s are 3 over 3 though, not my cup of tea as I prefer 4 over 4 but i’d say once you get used to the gates then it would be alright.
Have you thought about an M.A.N. decent kit for the money, the autos are ok ish, on a par with the daf auto. The manual’s are great, still 4 over 4 and the comfort shift button is golden. If you can find a manual as most are auto’s, manual is an option. Ergonomically better than Mercs and Dafs inside I think.
mercactros:
What sort of mpg can you expect from 480 volvo/scania?
Had a look at a volvo today, very nice-but not sure!
I work alongside a few 480 Scanias & they are far better on fuel than my 520 Volvo, thats what the drivers tell me, having said that I know they have had loads of injector/fuel pump trouble with about 3 of them, they are 08 plates & the drivers are just going off the dashboard. They are opticruise too whic AFAIC is ■■■■ unless your going dock to dock or the likes. I believe Volvos auto thing is much better, where I park they have a 420 08 Scania thats a 6x4 tractor its fairly frugal but the driver reckons its ■■■■■ off the tarmac & the auto is rubbish. This is what the drivers say but having said that they’re all proper old hands & I don’t talk to planks. The Lad where I park has just opted for a Volvo instead of his usual Scania tractor over auto box issues. Its the new 520 13 litre, same as mine but an 8x4 tractor so we’ll see if what Volvo claim economy wise is true
I also know a guy who ran about 4 Mercs back & to to Marocco a few years back & He rated them highly, that said He now drives an FH16 version 2 himself so make of that what you will.
Thanks for the info, I know of one company who has had a load of Man`s, nice trucks, nice to drive, but, crap on fuel, carnt get anywhere near the fuel economy of his old Scania 480, or the Volvo version 3 he had for a time before it got sent to another depot, he had before. An they seem to keep breaking down too. Talking to one of their guys this week ( he aint one to talk the usual driver bull), he had broke down twice last week with electric ecu probs.
From a driving point of view I can’t understand what people like about the Mercs, I have driven Axors and the Actros 2555 V8 and didn’t like any of them. I didn’t find the seat position or the steering wheel position comfortable at all. Just my personal opinion, although they are very popular and hard wearing. I drove a 5 year old with 900,000km on and a new one with 25,000km and could not tell the difference.
For me the Daf XF and Scania R Series are different class, great pulling power and drive comfort. The DAF XF cab is the best, big and comfortable. I would not touch an Auto box though, I just don’t like them and there is no need for them if you drive properly. Fuel wise I think the Daf was averaging 8-8.5mpg at 44t on hilly terrain and I don’t think you will beat that, that’s the XF460.
It depends on what age truck you want but the Daf will be cheaper and better value but does not hold its value when you come to sell it. Scania though is unbeatable on second hand value.
As you can probably tell by the name I’m a big fan of the three pointed star, so for me it would be a 46/48 Actros every time, failing that a Daf, I like the Volvo to drive, but they’re thirsty beasts so would have to be in last place for me, that leaves Scania, a 500 V8 is probably the best thing that wears a Scania badge, but they’re pricey and hard to find.
Maritime have a load of Mercs, they’re dearer than most, but they’re barely run in, so you do get a lot of lorry for your money
ive had 2 actros mercs both 480s and are perfect for most general haulage jobs, big comfortable cabs and a dream to drive.if i have one niggle its dealer spares prices but i think all dealers are much the same and dont tend to buy much from them unless i have no other options
I have the euro 4 '46,it goes fine at 42ton but pull’s way better if you run it into hill’s around 1500rpm+. MPG is between 6.5/7.0. Sound’s bad but it is a timber lorry running a crane via pto for an hour or so every day and i backload every day aswell also full weight. I have had issue’s with the powershift box and am less than happy with it’s service,too be honest most men i know driving Merc’s have had gearbox issue’s. Other than that the truck is A1. Volvo are a tramp on Derv so i’d avoid the brand as an o.d.,Scania have the mpg crown and they deserve it,they build a sweet engine wether it’s inline or V. Pity they break your back after a day behind the wheel. Good luck whatever you chose,it’s a tough decision i’d go Merc again or Scania,the rest just don’t cath my attention.
Drove an man tga 430 with xxl cab in my last job-roomy cab and pulled exceptionally well but avoid the dreadfull auto box,the turbo’s are prone to failure also around 500 000km mark.
Like the daf marque very much as a drivers truck but old 12.6 l daf engine was prone to head gasget problems-not sure what newer paccar engine in xf105 is like.
Would happily buy merc 2546 or 2548 but my first choice if buying new truck would be a volvo fh12 with 460 or 480bhp engine-i feel build quality reliability and longevity of volvo is probably best of any truck on market-the d12/d13 engines should achieve big mileages with little trouble-have read about a 98 mark 1 fh12 in holland that has clocked up 2 million km and is still on its original engine and gearbox! Only bad point about the fh is the raked windscreen which restricts interior space/storage.
I like the scania also but feel they are overpriced-if you buy one go for a manual box-avoid the opticruise its too slow pulling away from roundabouts/junctions.
