I’m possibly looking to do a deal on trading a 2001 Foden Alpha on a low mileage 2003 Merc Axor long distance cab 6x2 and will be specced with twin tanks/pto/stack as I need these for my quarry work.
I know that the Axor is light,the 9 speed box is simple,it is supposed to be half decent on the fuel at 44t,they are quite reasonably priced used and the 430hp engine is supposed to pull like a donkey on steroids 
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I was originally looking at the grand down and £177/week inc R+M for 3 years deal that is advertised in the CM but as soon as you mention the magic letters “PTO” the deal goes up by £40/50 week , so I’m now dealing on a straight trade and then finance lease (I think )
What do you guy’s think about the Axor, bearing in mind I need something tough for the 44t quarry work and the fact that I do mostly 20/40 mile urban round trips (anything from 5 to 10 loads/day) hauling tarmac/stone/sand in an insulated aggregate trailer and no nights out 
personally id prefer a somthing like 12 or 16 speed as it would get more flexability out of the engine if your at 44t most of the time. Having said that the axor is supposed to pull extremly well as it has a very tourqey engine.
I beleive that the Axor and Actros are the same truck under the skin (waits to be corrected)… if this is indeed the case, with regard to the 430 V6, it has wet liners which, after a while (mine has done 500,000Km) begin to move up and down with the piston, only slightly, but enough to constantly pound the head. The original heads are not hardened and so the movement of the liner causes a ring shaped dent which allows the head gasket to blow. To get over this problem, Mercedes have begun to offer a hardened head, which they recomend is fitted when the head gasket goes. This modification costs £250.00, and there are 6 individual heads, a total cost of £1500.00 + labour. It might be worth checking if this has been done already.
correction time hehe…
the Axor is a actros chassis with a completely different engine that is specific to the Axor range with a Actros cab
Carters transport in Alconbury used to have loads of them for running to felixstowe and back with boxe son. In my limited experience of them, they are a torquey engine, and quite comfortable, could definately do with a splitter for hills etc, and they seemed to be fairly reliable.
However, they were a bit thirtsy, and being abused by agency drivers every night, they used a lot of oil. In fact one that I had used 7 litres to do 1 trip to felixstowe and back 
But, they are cheap, and spacious, and have quite big tanks as standard.
Personally, I would have an actros instead, but the price of an axor makes it tempting. And I think they did offer it with the 16 speed semi-auto box as an option.
alix776:
correction time hehe…the Axor is a actros chassis with a completely different engine that is specific to the Axor range with a Actros cab
Just checked it out on the MB site, and your right about the engine, the Axor doesn’t have a V6 option, but the cabs aren’t Actros, theyr’e much thinner.
sorry tramper memory went it the Atego cab
Tramper:
alix776:
correction time hehe…the Axor is a actros chassis with a completely different engine that is specific to the Axor range with a Actros cab
The Actros artics can be specced with V6/V8 engines and the Axor has the straight 6 which from what I can gather will be the MB 350/500hp engine of choice in the future especially in N.America,you may even find they will drop the V6
As for the 16sp EPS/Telligent box available in very few used Axors,I don’t know if it would be suitable for quarry work when you need to “■■■■■■” a gear quickly to “send her on” up a hill in a quarry looking for grip when loaded to 44t.
Have to agree with others - the 430hp engine is superb and very torquey but if you’re pulling at full weight you will quickly miss the splits (assuming you’re planning on the 8 speed box variety). 7th to 8th is quite a jump and given your line of work you’ll be making hard work for yourself.
Also worthy of note is the traction, or more to the point, lack of it. They do slide around a lot in the wet and different brand tyres make no difference. If you power round a slight bend in the wet onto a motorway slip road (for example), you’ll lose traction and your trailer will start wanting to lead the way. I’ve had quite a few arse-nipping moments with them in the wet.
The driving position is an “acquired taste” - you either love it or you hate it, there’s no in between. Also, just going back to the 8 speed box again, you’ll need a left arm made of steel to push the stick far enough over in order to get reverse. 9 times out of 10 you’ll find you’ve put it in 1st gear . Slapping the stick across between high and low range gives you a bloody sore arm at the end of each shift too.
Give one a whirl, see what you think, but I’d recommend somehow “borrowing” one to try before you commit - imho they’re not driver friendly and need working.
Hmm… well… you really want to know. The ealier model up to 05 is diabolical, the only thing any good is the engine. It is the Atego cab bodged very badly onto a 44T chassis. Apart from anything else they are tail happy, and I haven’t noticed one yet with TC, the tachogaph is on the passenger side. There’s loads of the crap things round this way - they must be dirt cheap, because they certainly don’t sell on driver appeal and comfort. All the hire companies seem to have them.
Pants City and no mistake.
they are marketed as a fleet workhorse and nothing else
I have driven an Axor before for about a week back in 2004 when Montgomery Transport put alot of new ones into the fleet. Being used to previously driving their p cab Scany’s and the 4x2 Premiums I was really impressed with the Axor although they where brand new.
An O/D who works out of one of the quarries with me runs a 3 year old 2540 fleet cab 6x2 Axor pulling a steel bodied SDC trailer, his name is “Mad Stevie” and as you can guess he works the arse out of his truck.When some of us have done 8 loads in a day he has managed to squeeze in 11 
. The Axor has given him no bother whatsoever and even though its only the 400hp engine and running at 44t he says its dead on with the fuel.
At the end of the day I run a Foden so I’m not spoiled by your toplines/XL Globbeys/SSC’s 550hp donkey’s etc
A problem could be the Foden as a trade as I think the arse has fallen out of the used Foden market as “Doomsday” draws ever nearer,I know of a local small general haulier who recently bought two 2002 Fodens nearly the same spec as mine for 12 grand and that was for both .
Maybe I will just have to drive mine until she stops .
if its any consolation weve been offered 10 ish for an nreg 143/450 topline midlift