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Operators holding out for a Merc tipper that puts payload first need wait no more, but is it as tough and durable as previous offerings? CM gets down and dirty to answer that very question.
MGrCedGS'BenZ has long been a significant player in the construction sector, most recently with the Actros 8x4. That model's toughness has never been in doubt, but the inevitable pay-off means it's never been a particularly attractive proposition where payload is crucial. After the odd false start trying to lighten the Actros, and a realignment of model branding, the answer has turned out to be the Axor 3240K. K is for kipper, German for tipper, and nothing to do with sleeping or smoking fish.
If the model took a while to devise, getting to test one was equally long-winded, and the example driven has done nearly 70,000km of real work, hence the '07 plates and a few less than pristine brackets around the body.
Merc's construction models now run from the 75 tonne Atego up to the Actros in 26 and 32 tonne rigid and 6x4 and 8x4 tractor form. The middle ground is the home of Axor, available for construction work as 4x2, 6x2, 6x4 and 8x4 rigids and 4x2 and 6x4 tractors. Phew! Whittling this lot down to the 8x4 leaves us with just one more major choice, engine rating. The 12-litre Euro-5 OM457LA straight-six motor, using AdBlue-fuelled SCR, of course, comes with hp and Nm ratings at 355/1,850, 396/2,000 and 422/2,100, of which we're testing the middle option.
It's rare these days for us to find a manual transmission on a press test vehicle, but we had to dust off an unused left leg for the Axor's nine-speed direct-drive synchro 'box, there being no automatic option on offer. Word from Milton Keynes is that the latest PowerShift 2 automated transmission is "on its way',' but there's no indication when, despite the take-up of clutchless tippers being around 20% across the market. Drive axles are single reduction units, with a ratio of 3.08:1, and straight "I" beams at the front. The drive axles feature the usual cross and inter-axle diff locks.
The Axor would be nothing on its own, though, and filling the gap behind the cab is...