Hey LukeH,
In your experience how popular are Volvo's around the world? Are they easy to find parts for? Are they decent in the 4WD stakes or is a lot of work needed to bring them up to scratch?
Cheers,
Colin
OK here goes the bit where I try to justify to myself why I went for a Volvo.
In Europe I would say that as high as 20% of sub-18 tonne rigid body lorries are Volvo FL and FM (
Forward
Low cab and
Forward
Medium cab). They're everywhere, and I can guarantee that you'll find all the cab and chassis parts available in any HGV scrap yard across Europe. As the FL fleet ages, they're being progressively sold eastwards, so all the former soviet block is riddled with them too. All the standard maintenance items for the engine, cab and chassis are really easy to find. Volvo claim to have a dealer network across Africa, Asia, Australia and S. America too. I wouldn't have any qualms about taking my FL6 on a RTW.
Remember Volvo trucks, Renault trucks and Mack are all the same entity now so you've got access to OEM parts via all three networks (as long as you're nice to the guy behind the counter).
Now to the 4x4 specifics:
There are two models of FL6 4x4, one with twin rears (civil spec) and one with singles (mil spec).
I looked closely at the civil spec one, and then fell for the mil spec one.
I've got 365/85/20 XZL as standard, Parabolic springs on lockable Rockwell (made in Italy of all places) axles, driven through a Steyr TC by the standard Eaton 6 speed box that's on ALL the FL6 manuals.
It's switchable 4x4, at the moment it only selects 4x4 in low range, but that's easy to change, it's all controlled by compressed air.
I guess my biggest worry might be bearings & seals for the axles, it's probably all very standard sizes.
In the 4x4 stakes I haven't really had the time to play properly, but every time I try I can't believe it just trundles through without really noticing it. I've tried a two foot step (up and down), put one wheel over the edge of a retaining wall while manoeuvring (without realising it until afterwards), a three foot hole under one wheel, trundled up a 1 in 4 slope in 10 inches of virgin snow (my mate's modern Pajero didn't). I haven't found its limits yet.
Only thing I have noticed is the engine mounts hit their limiters when I drive one wheel up a bank to the point of getting another wheel airborn. That's not going to happen too often as I had to get the left front wheel FOUR feet higher than the right front in order to get a rear off the ground!!!
And it was a little scary, so I reckon my limits are shorter than those of the truck.
I reckon it's a very capable unit.
The 5.4 litre 6 cylinder Euro 2 (no electronics) engine came in tunes from 180 to 250 hp standard. Mine has 210 officially. I'll be looking at tuning it up when the rest is done.
If I sit on the electronic speed limiter (90 km/h in Europe) on fast motorways across France it drinks around 25 litres /100km. If I really thrash it in the Mountains (I live in the French Alps) that goes up to around 30. Gently pottering on normal roads, not racing up to the speed limit away from every roundabout I get 21.
Why Volvo? Well I wanted a german or austrian brand, but for what I paid for the Volvo I'd have got a MAN/MERCEDES/STEYR unit 10 years and 300000km older (or an ex army one with fewer kms but jus as old) and with fewer horses and torques. I like the Maggies and the KATs but the aircooled engines are really too noisy.
The comfort level within the cab is that of a saloon car, I've caught myself out redlining it in traffic because you can hardly hear the engine; only the rev counter shows you're revving too much!
All the mechanics I've talked to about the truck rave about the reliability of that engine. Three of the four that I talked to regularly service FL6 trucks that have gone over the million kms; apparently the operators see no point in changing them.
Which makes the truck I linked to even stranger, cos the Volvo in that ad needs an engine.
Well I've sold it to myself again. Mind you; trucks are a bit like women:
Once you've made your choice and committed yourself, you should really stop looking, even at the younger models that are well out of your reach ;-)
Progress is slow on the camper build, I'm moving house (down to the french Riviera) and all that that entails is slowing the camper down. This weekend I'm off to fetch a refrigerated lorry body, that I'll eventually chop up and turn into a telescopic box.
But don't hold your breath for photos or a built thread just yet, I've been dreaming of this for the last 25 years, I'm going to take my time and think about how to do it all to the best of my ability.
Once I've got a few more photos and the time to put together a blog, I'll put it up here somewhere.
Happy trails
Luke
