this week on the agency i did a night for exel (t&b) at whitwood and had a volvo fm 04 reg globetrotter 420 and what a lovely little truck really nice ok for a couple of nights a week but nothing more i was really impressed…
last night i was in an merc axor going to jockland airdrie and that was a 53 reg and what a pile of crap with a capital S.
both these trucks are aimed at the same market the volvo was pure class and the axor was like the germans had based it on a ■■■■ sherman tank.
im not kidding the merc was rubbish.
last sunday i was at bedfords at birstal and i was in one of their new fh globbies and that was bloody nice drive with the i shift which i think is better than the daf as tronic… cant belive i just said that!!!
one of these?
i have had one for the past 3 days with a manual box. tomorrow i am using a different one with an auto box. its still a 54 reg but its plated at 44 tons which is why i have to take it. they hired it for tomorrow along with a trailer. i havent used an auto or pulled 44 tons. tomorrow will be an experience for me
back to the subject, i love the globey. i have never liked mercs. im back on the ERF on monday though. im collecting it tomorrow when i get back from london colney
I can agree with you about the Volvo but I can’t with the Merc. I used drive 6x2 Axor 2543’s and they were great!
During the late eighties, Mercedes dropped the V8 engines in favour of the V6 on their mid-range trucks. I used to have an “E” reg 2535 V8 whilst the rest of the fleet were new “M” reg 1834 V6’s. Despite having 10 bhp more, and seven years older, it used to perform far better than the newer trucks.
When Mercedes replaced the SK cab with the Actros they never really got it right, they were still under-powered; the release of the Axor was a major improvement in terms of performance. However, nighting out in the standard cab is still like “sleeping in a coffin” - drivers of the former SK cab will know what I mean, the extended cab is much better.
jessicas dad:
this week on the agency i did a night for exel (t&b) at whitwood and had a volvo fm 04 reg globetrotter 420 and what a lovely little truck really nice ok for a couple of nights a week but nothing more i was really impressed…
last night i was in an merc axor going to jockland airdrie and that was a 53 reg and what a pile of crap with a capital S.
Wait til they give a Premiun, then you’ll turn down those other micky mouse makes
its been 6 years since my last go in an FH12 but from the outside, i cant tell the difference between the FH and FM. why have both on the forecourt when they are so similiar?
An FH is higher, there are 3 steps up into the cab and the hump in the middle is only a few inches off the footwell floor, where as a FM is a lower cab with a big hump in the middle.
I drive an 05 plate FM12 420hp Globetrotter with I-Shift, and I think it’s great.
It is badged ‘2000 Nm’ (torque rating) rather than ‘420’ though - why have they started to do this
It is good at everything really - it’s nice and comfy, has a cracking cd/radio stereo, pulls like a train, has good visibility and if it’'s anything like the 03 plate one I had before it, - will be utterly reliable.
I really like the way the gearbox works with the Volvo Engine Brake - to hold you back on steep gradients.
Not driven the new Axor, but it’d have to be pretty special for me to want one over a Volvo.
not driven either but it seems a very competative market as renault will be revamping the premium and apparently scania do a special order topline on the new p cab
I drove a high cab Axor for the first time on friday, It had the auto box in it, I have to say that I quite liked it. It was a bit of a hike getting into it, but once in the drivers seat everything fell to hand and I settled into the drive very quickly. I liked the layout and the flat floor, as for the arm rest with the gear selector on it - what a great idea. I had a very easy day with it, only down side was that you needed to plan well ahead when starting off as it took a bit of time to work out what it was going to do to pull away. The week before I had a Stralis, I cant say there is much to choose between them, build quality was much better in the Merc, but Iveco was more comfortable for me, and gearbox was better in Iveco. But if I was out all week I think the Merc would be better to live in, Might even be tempted to take one over a Scania Topliner if I was really pushed.
The problem is that Volvo have all ways been made to a high standard
and seldom is it that one hears of a BAD one, where as the merc is formost a employers motor and you seldom find the quality in the normal
cheapo version of the merc, but it is made to be used by even the worse
driver possibly, and they do have the most workshops in all countrys
so therefore well loved by many bosses “” UNFORTUNATLY""
brit pete:
The problem is that Volvo have all ways been made to a high standard
and seldom is it that one hears of a BAD one, where as the merc is formost a employers motor and you seldom find the quality in the normal
cheapo version of the merc, but it is made to be used by even the worse
driver possibly, and they do have the most workshops in all countrys
so therefore well loved by many bosses “” UNFORTUNATLY""
Mmmm try telling North Surrey Haulage that there’s no bad Volvos
I have beeen lucky enough to have driven volvo in the following guises
F12; a great vehicle just like sitting in the armchair at home, no problems at all, we also had the first F10 on trail for 6 months, we used this vehicle
24/7 evrery day of the week except when it was due a service ,we had with my self a total of 3Drivers and the vehicle only stood still when unloading,
swoping drivers, or changeing tanks,plus refueling, we covered a total of 139,775km,s in the 6 months trail, unfortunatly the boss would not buy them due to the price as he is reluctent to pay too much for the tractor units
we use,
as for NSH go with your lorry to the main office and force the people who
are in the higher positions of director etc to get down to the table with you and fix this problem as in all truth this is doing VOLVO harm in the long run,when the sales diminish due to people not haveing any faith in the workminship and sales service and customer service,
i have to admit, the volvo has always been my favourite marque but i did notice the mirror covers created a nasty blind spot. the seat was not as supportive as the ERF that i normally drive either. the ERF has side support whereas i found the volvo allowed me to slide sideways. the cup holders were a bit far from comfortable reach too. not enough cubby holes either. the manual had a reasonable hole under the radio but the auto had some kind of card reader thing using up that space. they were both 54 reg FM 420s. i cant find anything else to nit pick about
brit pete:
The problem is that Volvo have all ways been made to a high standard
and seldom is it that one hears of a BAD one, where as the merc is formost a employers motor and you seldom find the quality in the normal
cheapo version of the merc, but it is made to be used by even the worse
driver possibly, and they do have the most workshops in all countrys
so therefore well loved by many bosses “” UNFORTUNATLY""
Mmmm try telling North Surrey Haulage that there’s no bad Volvos
I didnt think NSH had problems with his Volvo, more like problems with the dealer who prepared it and sold it to him.
I think his problems with MOPACC are to be expected with something new ,and him being a guinea pig
