Mark R:
I tend to agree with dieseldave, the firm i used to work for had one of the last 33s on a C plate, and one of the first 35s on a D plate. I suppose someone may have fitted an EPS box in a 33.
Hi Mark R,
That’s my memory of it too mate.
We had a 1633 on a “C” and the reg was C *** TLU (Can’t remember the numbers )
We also had a 1633 on a “D” which was D693XPB, which I regularly drove.
Then we got the demo in my pic.
Once we’d all given our opinions on the demo truck, the boss waited for the later plate letter and got 2x 1635s on “E” plates.
just on the EPS topic, I drove a 1987 1635 eps back in the mid to late nineties, i thought at the time it was master to pull till I sat behind the wheel of a 143. I seem to remember the eps box requiring regular reprogramming which was done by holding in the function button and turning on the ignition in some format. Anyone remember the exact sequence?
I moved onto an 1844 g cab. loads more room but still not briliant at pulling.
Hi df1, Having been prompted by another member’s post, and trawling what’s left of my brains for 20 year-old info…
Depress the clutch pedal (Keeping it depressed for the whole of the process.)
Hold the gear selector switch lightly against the ‘stop’ to the left (Keeping it there for the whole of the process.)
Turn on the ignition…
A pre-programmed sequence then takes place during which you’ll hear lots of ‘clunking’ and air-assisted shifts of gears.
IIRC, the whole sequence takes over a minute to perform.
Then the gearbox is ‘re-set’ and any fault codes were shown on the display on top of the dashboard.
I seem to also remember that the process used a fair amount of air, so it paid to have built up the air first.
IIRC, the last thing to happen was that the gear selector switch would go even further to the left, at which time you could let go of it and release the clutch pedal.
hey yella,
Im sure you gave me a lift in that 2544 once. I was walkin from connahs quay to flint once and I was just going up the slip road and you stopped and offered me a lift. I think it was about 1999 / 2000. the cambelt had snapped on my car and where it broke is where it stayed!!
Im almost certain it was you. was the company from the midlands and you parked it in prestatyn??
small world if it was you!!
if it wasnt you I apologise !! Im not a stalker! honest!!
any way that V8 sounded lovely just burbleing along.
ladies and gentlemen I give you in all their glory a 1644, a 1635 and the g-cab interior.
My god these bring back memories of going with my Dad when i was a kid. It looked just like these pics. He worked for Hodgsons of Batley on the Nisa Today contract, I can even remember the number plate E265 ADO.
Totally agree! My old man had a few SK’s - a 1628 for Swains of Stretton (althogh spent more time at Telford- and he was employed from their Huddersfield depot…), A 1644 for Burway’ (similar to this in this link - credit to Tucks Galore trucksgalore.co.uk/MERC1/pag … 1-079.html), and a couple of really hard worked 1635’s on Pandoro Refrigeration just after they bought out Stateline & Transcontinental.
Back inthe mid/late 80’s & early 90’s, with a Merc you could garuntee twin bunks with the netty business - vital for those kids not used to sleeping on bunks. OK the Daf models (pre “95” - Cabtec era) had them as standard, but a lot of others, they had to be specified from new, of course at extra cost to the purchaser. I have a couple of piccies somewhare & I will root them out & add to the post.
I worked for a firm that ran some 4x2 sk’s a few years ago, but only worked on them from time to time as my normal motor was a scania, don’t know if anyone else had the same but the seat in the sk used to give me a bad back, and I didn’t like the e.p.s box, I think it spoilt the truck but that’s just my oppinion,thats about the only complaint, they were a top quality motor, could trust them to go anywhere and tough as hell, wish I could say the same about today’s trucks what a load of ****.
There is a firm in south wales called S and K transport who had a fleet of these.
I only ever drove one, I hated it. an 1834 with the EPS box-full-of-neutrals. I remember that at the same weight, my regular scania p113 320 would leave it for dead on the hills. I have to say I’m not a fan of older merc lorries, when the actros first came out I had one of the first on a P plate, an 1840- a totally gutless bag of ■■■ that was forever back at the dealers and used as much oil as diesel. Now the new type Actros 460 with the auto box, that IS a nice truck. hard to fault in any way.
)
