One of the above on an 07 plate, 620,000km. Ex Funstons. This sort of thing.
What is its condition likely to be at this age and mileage? Is there anything to beware of, or look out for?
Harry, if you take a look at the unit at the front it may have a mercedes badge, if it does stay well away! I personally would rather a god awful iveco to one of these!
Why? I am told they are reliable and good on fuel, what is the downside?
Harry Monk:
Why? I am told they are reliable and good on fuel, what is the downside?
A couple of weeks ago I was in Roadrange in Liverpool picking a truck up that’d had a new tacho fitted and there were two Actros’s in there with no engines in, an 09 JMD that had it’s engine on the floor next to it & an 08 (I think) Transworld in another bay & I could see the gearbox imput shaft through the grille. Two engine failures doesn’t mean a big problem, but neither were what I’d call old worn out trucks, might be nothing might be something worth investgating??
Ross.
They are just bloody awful to drive, especially if you get one with Their semi auto box. As yet I have never found one that’s comfortable. They seem to feel very underpowered at the wrong times and over powered at other times. For example if you are backing onto a bay they will go hell for leather, yet if you pop up bluebell hill unladen you will be lucky to see 25mph, I have driven 3 of them and they all seem the same.
The other thing is that the dealer over in sittingbourne (might be your local dealer) doesn’t seem to understand the industry very well. I used to run fully loaded or empty (no in between) paid on a ton rate and when ours used to go for a service they would often offer us a 4x2 unit as a loaner because the service was 8/10 times delayed for several days.
Harry stop screwing around just go and buy a Magnum,the model with the Volvo workings and you can look forward to just getting on with the job with a reliable piece of kit underneath you.Had one for 5 years having had top of the range rigs over 30 years,the Magnum knocks them into a cocked hat.As for the Actros I would not accept the ‘new’ Actros free of charge,strange…probably why Merc haven’t offered me one.
Mercs have always had a reputation for being poor on hills, but that wouldn’t be the greatest problem in the world, I’d be more concerned about reliability.
As for a Magnum, I’m not overly keen on them anyway, but I know a couple of people who have owned them and they have been problematic.
kind of makes me wonder why they put this on the head board …
something must be right with them , i had this demo for two days last week and id swop my premium for it several times over .
yes it felt under powered at times but i think thats mostly in the drivers head , it felt to me like a big old ■■■■■■■ , it lumbered along at very low revs but did its job and i loved it . also you have to remember that the auto in an actros is not and never will be an ISHIFT i used manual over ride and it was fine . from a drivers point of view id have it in a flash …
i have no idea about running costs im just a driver , however i will say that my boss says the fuel return was’nt good
OK you can’t choose so try this tack…where you live,ask around get some genuine info on dealerships and most of them are crap then go and buy the rig with the dealer with the best rep.End 'o the day a rig is a rig.
bowser:
kind of makes me wonder why they put this on the head board …0
something must be right with them , i had this demo for two days last week and id swop my premium for it several times over .
yes it felt under powered at times but i think thats mostly in the drivers head , it felt to me like a big old ■■■■■■■ , it lumbered along at very low revs but did its job and i loved it . also you have to remember that the auto in an actros is not and never will be an ISHIFT i used manual over ride and it was fine . from a drivers point of view id have it in a flash …i have no idea about running costs im just a driver , however i will say that my boss says the fuel return was’nt good
is that an F Swain & Son trailer?
as for the merc actros, the power is low down in the revs, the sales staff tell you to let it work harder in the lower rev range instead of changing down the box to keep the revs high
as for the truck in question Harry, a friend of mine has just bought one of those ex-Funstons/Solstor trucks from Fleetex, it will be going on the road very shortly, i will ask him how he is getting on with it and what sort of fuel figures he is getting from it, i also know the driver who will be in it too, so, i can get a drivers and operators point of view for it
no spanky just swain curtains …
bowser:
no spanky just swain curtains …
i used to be subbie for that bunch of wasters, i must admit, i was as happy as a pig in ■■■■ when they went bust 
I have always liked mercs driven a few and all gone well and been reliable.
we bought a 480 in july last year on 58 plate,first merc weve had for years,were more than happy with it,nice to drive,pulls like a train and more important brillant on fuel,cant fault it at all would have another tommro.
I’m with with Armageddon and Myson and wouldn’t touch an Actros…made before 2003 
, but Merc have got it right with the MP2’s. The only hesitation I’d have about the Funstons one is that its the clutch pedalled Telligent g/box, and at 600,000 kms no one knows what sort of state the clutch will be in. It is possible to read the amount of wear from the dash computer but I haven’t the foggiest 
The clutchs in the auto’s should be good for a million kms, and if your the easy going chilled type they’re a more relaxed drive, in keeping with the nature of the truck. There must be lower milers for the same money. Anyone who can’t get comfortable in one must have been severly deformed by those crappy seats in Scannys, along with a permanent stoop brought on by peering under that stupidly low sun visor they put onto the 4/R series. And what about the Magnum, getting into one means hanging off vertical set of steps, hands plastered in road ■■■■ before inching along a ledge hoping the wind doesn’t blow the door shut before you can get a limb through the opening 
well read some intresting views from loads of people let me give you mine my friend i am an o/d working for astrans we run to the middle east. in the last 5 years i must of owned about 35 actros tractors 1831 35 40 43 44 and 46 we take em down deliver the load and sell em my friend graham in doha qatar must of brought 200 atleast over the last 10 years and in all that time we have only ever popped 1 piston and we have took some ■■■ most well over a million km they have minor faults all trucks do but the chassis never rust iv seen 105 dafs being rebuilt because of piston ring problems at 450k iv seen 164 scanias needing building at 900k but them old mercs keep ploddin one fault they have is the small end bush turns in the con rod and closes the oil supply to the gudgeon pine this snaps and puts a rod through the block but its quite rare and when your struggling to sell your magnum on an 06 for 12k your actros will make 20k now the arabs aint silly they wouldnt pay over the odds if i were not worth it. im leaving for saudi in the morning in a 2001 1835 lhd i paid 11k euro for it i have no worries at all in taking on a job like that in the old girl id think twice in an old magnum on of our subbies nicos has a 2004 480 all ways gettin towed some were the other week he had to leave the truck in saudi and fly to germany to get a water pump 2.5 k it cost him merc dealers are a little dear our local dealer s and b are 100 pound an hour but most know there stuff part supply is quit good as well you take a chance fella you wont be disapointed look at the price they are dear to every thing else why~?
Lots for you to ponder Harry and some good reply’s but i have just watched a prog on the tele and the answer is to buy in bulk,buy a 1,000 it would work out cheaper.
You take your chance’s with any brand but as i drive an actros (2008 1846) here’s my 2 cent’s. They are well built and that’s the problem. Merc have over engineered the Actros within an inch of it’s life,they are built to last ,fact .But there are some weak point’s.
The steering box is like Scania,vague at best check for play. The Telligent gearbox can catch driver’s out and cause early clutch failure,in saying that the Auto’s can also suffer from early failure so maybe the component’s used are’nt great. Beware of early powershift auto’s with dualmass clutch,they where recalled but some can be missed.
The V6 460 is the weapon of choice for most buyer’s they are the most proven of all and pull well when revved and will outrun a similar Volvo for example,Merc’s don’t like to labour on hill’s.Some 2007 onward V6’s have as someone pointed out blown up,there was a software uprade issued for the fuel pump but some slipped thru. They basically over supply Derv to i pot and melt a piston. In the 15 year’s of V6’s being sold here in Ireland 3 have blown,that’s good i reckon.
A '46 will return good mpg,mine does 8 when not backloading and 7 when loaded each way,remember im at timber and run a pto for the crane.Those figuire’s are 1.5mpg up on my previous Volvo.
Merc’s have an ECU on the gearbox aswell as the engine,either have been known to fail,my gearbox ECU did the replacement was €1,100.
Lift the grill on any you look at and see is there a bright red cap and lock on the dipstick,this was another recall,the mosr recent if im right.If a truck has this chance’s are it’s had all the other recall’s.
Good luck whatever you go for,there nearly all good truck’s now ,except MAN
I’ve only driven Actross now and again and every time with the auto box, nice enough but nothing to write home about, the auto box is pants as is the case with everything bar the i shift.
Axor however is a little gem with the simple 4 over 4 manual box.
I’ve driven dozens of a big blue fleets 400’s and some 430’s, the 400’s have been a bit sluggish but managed fine, the 430’s are that bit better.
Very reliable and durable, the 430’s will pull right down to 800rpm without murmer, the truck feels like it was designed in about 1989 and because it didn’t break they didn’t fix it, that sort of engineering is what cost effective trucking is all about.
The ride is rough though, better in 6x2 form which is presumably where you are going.
I’d seriously consider one as an OD, should be simple enough for any competent indy workshops to look after, did someone mention £100 an hour above at MB… 
, strewth.
edit, forgot to mention, the driver has total control over the tag axle in the Axor, put the thing up and down at will, snow was no trouble at all, and the grip situation is excellent on wet greasy roads too, far less wheelspin than virtually everything else on the road.
Incidentally pulling out of junctions and in traffic etc, the 430 manual simply romps away, and very controllable at manoeuvering speeds.
Juddian:
I’ve only driven Actross now and again and every time with the auto box, nice enough but nothing to write home about, the auto box is pants as is the case with everything bar the i shift.Axor however is a little gem with the simple 4 over 4 manual box.
I’ve driven dozens of a big blue fleets 400’s and some 430’s, the 400’s have been a bit sluggish but managed fine, the 430’s are that bit better.
Very reliable and durable, the 430’s will pull right down to 800rpm without murmer, the truck feels like it was designed in about 1989 and because it didn’t break they didn’t fix it, that sort of engineering is what cost effective trucking is all about.
The ride is rough though, better in 6x2 form which is presumably where you are going.I’d seriously consider one as an OD, should be simple enough for any competent indy workshops to look after, did someone mention £100 an hour above at MB…
edit, forgot to mention, the driver has total control over the tag axle in the Axor, put the thing up and down at will, snow was no trouble at all, and the grip situation is excellent on wet greasy roads too, far less wheelspin than virtually everything else on the road.
Incidentally pulling out of junctions and in traffic etc, the 430 manual simply romps away, and very controllable at manoeuvering speeds.
I had the pleasure of driving one of the first Axor`s on long term assesment with my company when they were first introduced into this country , I was very very impressed with the truck then and still are . Its refreshing to find a sensible report like the above and not have this truck badly critised because it not trendy or ■■■■ .