Scania 113 and 143 at Work E-Book

Patrick W. Dyer

• Herausgeber: Old Pond Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 124

Beschreibung

Patrick Dyer's ninth book in the 'at work' series marks a return to Scania to study the 3-series trucks produced between 1988 and 1996, with the emphasis on the 113 and 143 models. In much the same way as these trucks evolved from the previous 2-series and LB (1-series) so too does the book, taking the story forward from the previous titles covering those ranges.For Scania, masters of the modular system and evolutionary engineering processes, the 3-series represented the pinnacle of development for designs born decades earlier. Industry recognition of its achievement came early with the range being awarded the Truck of the Year title in 1989.With over 200 photographs provided by the manufacturer and enthusiasts, Scania 113 & 143 at Work charts the story of the 3-series through informative text in the popular and familiar style of previous 'at work' titles from the same author.

Leseprobe

DEDICATION

In memory of Philippa, a good friend who always showed great interest in my books.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My grateful thanks to the following for their help and support: Clive Burnet, Kjell Engman Lundberg, Hans-Ake Danielsson, Mikael Person, Del Roll, Clive Davis, Marcus Lester, Adrian Cypher, Peter Davison, Martin Aidney, Paul Willis, Steve Lynch, David Morgan, my publisher and, of course, Linda and Jess Dyer.

DECLARATION

There were at least six recognised methods of measuring engine output for trucks during the period covered by this book. Therefore, for clarity, only the figures quoted by Scania at the time are used.

Contents

TITLE PAGEDEDICATIONACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DECLARATION INTRODUCTION – A Darwinesque evolution THE 3-SERIES – Scania saves the best ’till last THE 3-SERIES – in words and pictures CENTURION – A commanding ideaBY THE SAME AUTHOR COPYRIGHT

Introduction

A Darwinesque evolution

The 3-series made its debut at the very end of 1987 following seven successful years of 2-series production that saw over 135,000 examples produced. The new range represented the pinnacle of development in a long line of trucks that all evolved essentially from the L75 of the late 1950s. Although the L75 was a bonneted type that was not especially suited to all markets, its main mechanical components, which were all designed and manufactured by Scania, and their layout would not be radically changed, but rather evolved, over the next forty or so years. In this respect it must be considered that L75 did, no doubt, provide the mechanical blueprint from which Scania would produce trucks for the modern era. Whilst the changing legislation of a fast globalising world did its best to eradicate individuality amongst manufacturers of heavy vehicles, actually sealing the fate of many, Scania, and a few notable competitors, particularly those that also manufactured most of the heavy mechanical components in-house, managed to produce trucks with a distinct character. This made a Scania unequivocally a Scania. After the initial LB trucks gained operator approval through their performance, reliability and safety, future Scanias scarcely needed badges, or indeed designation, for anyone acquainted with the mechanical components of the marque to recognise the product. The evolution process developed by Scania, which saw familiar components constantly improved rather than changed for a different design, was fundamental in building consumer confidence and brought great loyalty to the brand and that was a priceless commodity for any manufacturer, but especially one the size of Scania at the time. By making its own major components, Scania was able to control its own destiny and by rigidly sticking to the concept of constant improvement it was able to grow its market presence accordingly and take almost 14% of the UK heavy truck market in the year before the launch of the 3-series.

A prime example of Scania’s evolutionary thinking and one that has been crucial in the company’s success is the remarkable 11-litre engine. Indeed, Scania’s numeric engine designation system actually reflects the evolutionary process with a two-digit suffix that increases with each new development of any given type. Although this remarkable unit often existed in the shadow of its bigger 14-litre brother, which was first introduced in 1969 for the super-premium 140, it actually formed the backbone of the LB, 1, 2 & 3-series ranges where it was used to power the more justifiable and numeric premium trucks. Initially, when fitted in the L75, it had a 10-litre capacity, but as power requirements had increased in the intervening years the engine was stroked to 11-litres for service in the LB76. Designated as the D and DS11, for the normally aspirated and turbocharged version respectively, the unit’s subsequent power increases, right up to the end of 3-series production, were achieved via developments in areas such as; turbocharging, intercooling, fuel delivery and electronic control. All of which were applied to the same basic 11-litre block. By the time the 3-series was launched the engine was producing 360 bhp, 100 bhp more than in its final version for the LB76, and it bore the designation DSC11-13, the thirteenth development of the intercooled version of the 11-litre engine first introduced in 1983. Not only had power increased, so too had efficiency with the latest engine providing improved mpg figures over all previous versions. The trend for improved performance with economy was one that Scania managed to maintain with each new evolution of the engine. It was the rationale of this evolutionary process, when applied to the sound engineering of all the main components, which put Scania in such a great position with the 3-series at the advent of a new decade.

The mechanical blueprint may have been set with the L75 and developed with the LB76, but Scania’s modern forward control trucks, and the company’s rise to prominence, started right here, with the LB110 of 1968. When Scania married the proven mechanical components of the LB76 with this modern, high profile tilting cab it created a great truck: a driver’s truck. And it would win the company a loyal following in the industry.

This example, an LBT110 (T-denoting tandem drive) shows the larger SCANIA lettering introduced in 1970. This photo, somewhat cropped, was used on the cover of Scania’s 1971 brochure for the 6x4 model and the choice of a British operator’s truck shows how seriously Scania viewed the all important UK market, even in its earliest plans.(Photo: Scania AB)

The 2-series wowed the industry with its bold new cabs, designed by the Italian styling genius, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and the incredible number of variants that the G P R range offered operators thanks to the company’s extensive investment in developing a modular system. However, the main mechanical components - engines, gearboxes and axles - were carried over unchanged from the outgoing LB range. These components had been subject to constant development during the life of the LB range and at the time of the 2-series launch they still fully met the performance levels expected and required by the industry. 2-series production ended after a successful eight year run with 112/142 production totalling over 135,000 examples.(Photo: Marcus Lester)

3-series

Scania saves the best ‘till last

The 3-series was announced at the very end of 1987 and although it was first shown to the public, albeit in a very low-key manner, at the Geneva show in January 1988, its official launch was to be held in February at the Amsterdam show.

The 3-series was essentially an evolution of the immensely successful 2-series and in fact many of the new and improved components, particularly in regard to chassis hardware such as diesel tanks and battery boxes, had already appeared in use on the last examples of the outgoing 2-series range and were therefore already familiar to those in the industry.

The biggest difference, with the exception of engine developments which brought more power from the familiar 11 and 14-litre engines, concerned the cabs and provided the biggest visual difference from the 2- series trucks. Here Scania had applied a significant redesign of the interior which was accompanied by detail changes on the outside and as an option on the tall R cab by a new high roof version, named Topline, which went some way towards challenging the likes of Volvo’s Globetrotter and DAF’s Spacecab for offering improved living space.

Whilst the new interior colour scheme was sombre, in varying tones of grey, it was nonetheless attractive, welcoming and above all, comfortable. The most striking feature of the interior was a new curving dashboard. Wraparound dashboards had long been a feature of American cabovers and whilst it restricted cross cab access in some cases, it did put all controls and switches safely within the driver’s reach. In the years leading up to the launch of the 3-series a number of other European manufacturers had adopted the idea on their new models and it had proved to be popular with drivers. Scania’s approach was not so much a full wraparound design or the hard angled approach of some rivals, but more a gentle curve that was both functional and rather elegant.

This fine Scania cut-away illustration by Hans Juler shows the layout of the four-point cab suspension system, which was introduced to combat the extra weight and increased air resistance of the new Topline cab. The air-fed bellows are clear to see at the four mounting points of the cab. The system, which was self-levelling, also included a substantial anti-roll torsion bar. (Photo: Scania AB)

In response to the growing trend for higher roofs, Scania’s Topline option offered a 220mm extension over the standard R cab. Although rather modest in comparison to some of the competition this did allow drivers of average height the luxury of being able to stand up to get dressed and that operation was further facilitated by a truly novel idea; a passenger seat that could be slid right to the back wall of the cab or forward to the dashboard. From the outside the roof extension was well designed and neatly executed, further complimenting the eight-year old, but still attractive, cab that was so familiar from use on the 2-series trucks. Other exterior refinements included new heated mirrors with streamlined housings and large corner deflectors; the latter intended to keep the former clean by directing a strong stream of air across and above the front wheels to sweep road grime away.

The added weight and increased frontal area of the Topline option brought about another major change with the introduction of a four-point air suspension system for the cab. This was a first for Scania and in this respect it finally brought its flagship offering in line with those of its main competitors.

Engines, of course, make trucks and whilst the 3-series arrived offering more power for the 113 and 143 trucks at the top of the range, the increases were achieved through further developments of the well-established 11 and 14-litre engines already known and respected throughout the industry rather than by new designs.

The top 11-litre engine, now designated the DSC11-13, delivered a nominal 360 bhp and 1106 lb/ft of torque at 2000 and 1200 rpm respectively. The engine was turbocharged and intercooled, like its predecessor, but the increase in power came mostly via changes made to the combustion chambers and a higher compression ratio, which was now 16:1.

Now in its third form, as denoted by the –03 suffix, the latest version of the intercooled 14-litre engine, the DSC14-03, put out a massive 450 bhp at 1900 rpm with peak torque of 1412 lb/ft at 1900 rpm. As with the DSC11-13, the increase was achieved mainly through changes in combustion and compression with neither engine needing to be stroked for more capacity.

To match the increased torque of the 14-litre engine, Scania announced a new gearbox specifically for use in the 143 chassis. The GR880 was an improved version of the GR871, which was to remain the standard gearbox for the rest of the range. The new strengthened unit had the same ten-speed synchromesh range-change layout that was so familiar to Scania drivers, but was fitted with different gear ratios that were more suited to the output of the new DSC14-03.

Although the 3-series did not represent the same level of re-design as the 2-series, when an entirely new cab was introduced, testing was nonetheless thorough. Here a standard R cab is being subjected to accelerated vibration cycles. As the cab structure was essentially the same as the outgoing one, it would be fair to surmise that the aim of this test was to ascertain the integrity of the new interior and items such as the door mirrors, the new design of the latter being clear here despite the best efforts of the test rig. (Photo: Scania AB)

The only other major change concerned the steering and this marked a significant improvement over the 2-series. Taking note of criticism in this area, Scania adopted a different kingpin arrangement and utilised a new steering box, now designated, SH40R03. Not only did this set up provide improved steering feel it was also much quicker with just 4.1 turns required lock to lock over the 5.9 needed by the old system.

Following extensive expansion in 1970, Scania’s cab production plant at Oskarshamn became second only in size to the main assembly plant at Sodertalje, some 200 miles to the north. The cab facility was originally established by Be-Ge Karosserifabrik, but was acquired by Scania in 1966 and operated as Scania Hytter AB. This prudent acquisition, not unlike that of ERF and its former cab supplier, Jennings, gave Scania full control over another vital and expensive to out source, aspect of its production.

Around 3000 standard components from the modular system went into every 3-series cab that was produced at Oskarshamn. Each cab left the facility fully trimmed and fitted out to the customer’s required specification, right down to the choice of stereo, and was delivered to Sodertalje essentially ready to be fitted.

Although it was not subject to a major re-design, the cab for the 3-series did undergo some revisions, chiefly the Topline high roof extension, which dictated changes such as increased gantry heights along the production lines of both factories.

Note the mix of P, R and R Topline variants being fitted out together at Oskarshamn and the newly delivered cab at Sodertalje, fitted with basic 2-series mirrors, waiting to be raised on the overhead gantry system that would deliver it to the appropriate 143 chassis on the line. (Photos: Scania AB)

As well as the extensive laboratory testing of components and test track miles accumulated by prototypes, Scania, as it had done with preceding ranges, placed around fifty pre-production trucks from the new range with trusted customers for real world testing. Although closely monitored by the factory, these vehicles were expected to undertake the normal duties of the operator and were not to be treated any differently. Sweden’s natural topography and climate, combined with its high weight limits, particularly suited the development of the flagship 143, making home operators like this one especially suitable for the purpose of evaluating the new models. (Photo: Scania AB)