LeedsChris:
The company i work for have just got two new Renault Premiums 460.Every night trunker avoids them if possible, due to us carrying 20-24 tonne loads and the lift axle wheels not turning when you turn the steering wheel.It can feel quite hairy when taking a bend at speed.It feels like the trailer is gonna fly off unit.Gear box is excellent though, thanks to volvo.
This is the perfect example of why I cant be ar5ed With these forums …
Slow down !!
Its absolutely nothing to do with the unit, at 24 ton net you are still not even at max weight unless you have a very heavy trailer !!!
Ive been driving Renault Premiums from 56 to 62 plate continuously, and am always at 44 t (27.5 Net). I drive on the west coast of Scotland which has some of the most challenging roads to drive on narrow very poor quality and very bendy and twisty.
The premium’s handling is great in this environment … if you drive it properly. Most of the drivers I work with that have driven the premium all say the same, it is a point and drive motor, very easy to drive
The negative point is storage, its fine for a day job, but for tramping on general haulage external storage is absolutely useless in fact almost non existent
Oh and the gearbox is not manufactured by VOLVO - The software that is in the gearbox control units etc is written for/by Renault
The new Renault range will be having its first public outing at the Southwest and South Wales Truckfest at Malvern Showground next weekend, 6th and 7th July…
newmercman:
Do Volvo do a twin steer on a tractor unit? I know they have hydraulic steered rear tags on some rigid chassis, but never known it on a tractor unit?
The only twin steer Volvo tractor unit I know of is the original F1225 of c.1983 that had a castor steered center axle, but that locked straight ahead at normal road speeds and in reverse and it never lifted either.
It was not a huge success…
twin steer is an extra on a volvo, i’m sure i read in a magazine of a haulier in somerset with a twin steer volvo n am sure it was reported that it cost an extra £9000 on top of the list price
@beenngone…So why can i take the same bends at a certain speed in a daf xf and glide round the bend with ease, yet in these Renaults on same bends at same speeds, the back of the unit feels like it is on black ice and the trailer is about to fly off.It is not just me at our company saying this.Many drivers cant believe lift axle wheels do not turn.Could this be a factor?, or is it the way our trailers are loaded weightwise.
As for the gearbox thing, im just going by what our mechanic said.“it has a volvo engine and gearbox in it”.Who am i to question his knowledge ob our fleet.I know sweet fa about the specifications of lorries, it isn’t a passion for me, its just a job.
and i rarely bother commenting on the forum because it is just like being stood at the smoke shelter at work.Someone always professes to know better than you, even if you know you are right…ie…the lift axle on the volvos i drove at my last company DID turn because i phoned an ex colleague to confirm this.
LeedsChris: @beenngone…So why can i take the same bends at a certain speed in a daf xf and glide round the bend with ease, yet in these Renaults on same bends at same speeds, the back of the unit feels like it is on black ice and the trailer is about to fly off.It is not just me at our company saying this.Many drivers cant believe lift axle wheels do not turn.Could this be a factor?, or is it the way our trailers are loaded weightwise.
As for the gearbox thing, im just going by what our mechanic said.“it has a volvo engine and gearbox in it”.Who am i to question his knowledge ob our fleet.I know sweet fa about the specifications of lorries, it isn’t a passion for me, its just a job.
and i rarely bother commenting on the forum because it is just like being stood at the smoke shelter at work.Someone always professes to know better than you, even if you know you are right…ie…the lift axle on the volvos i drove at my last company DID turn because i phoned an ex colleague to confirm this.
Because XF’s have steering second axle, FH’s don’t. That is why they want to keep going forward. Your colleague got a pic of these axles?
LeedsChris: @beenngone…So why can i take the same bends at a certain speed in a daf xf and glide round the bend with ease, yet in these Renaults on same bends at same speeds, the back of the unit feels like it is on black ice and the trailer is about to fly off.It is not just me at our company saying this.Many drivers cant believe lift axle wheels do not turn.Could this be a factor?, or is it the way our trailers are loaded weightwise.
As for the gearbox thing, im just going by what our mechanic said.“it has a volvo engine and gearbox in it”.Who am i to question his knowledge ob our fleet.I know sweet fa about the specifications of lorries, it isn’t a passion for me, its just a job.
and i rarely bother commenting on the forum because it is just like being stood at the smoke shelter at work.Someone always professes to know better than you, even if you know you are right…ie…the lift axle on the volvos i drove at my last company DID turn because i phoned an ex colleague to confirm this.
Because XF’s have steering second axle, FH’s don’t. That is why they want to keep going forward. Your colleague got a pic of these axles?
LeedsChris: @beenngone…So why can i take the same bends at a certain speed in a daf xf and glide round the bend with ease, yet in these Renaults on same bends at same speeds, the back of the unit feels like it is on black ice and the trailer is about to fly off.It is not just me at our company saying this.Many drivers cant believe lift axle wheels do not turn.Could this be a factor?, or is it the way our trailers are loaded weightwise.
As for the gearbox thing, im just going by what our mechanic said.“it has a volvo engine and gearbox in it”.Who am i to question his knowledge ob our fleet.I know sweet fa about the specifications of lorries, it isn’t a passion for me, its just a job.
and i rarely bother commenting on the forum because it is just like being stood at the smoke shelter at work.Someone always professes to know better than you, even if you know you are right…ie…the lift axle on the volvos i drove at my last company DID turn because i phoned an ex colleague to confirm this.
Because XF’s have steering second axle, FH’s don’t. That is why they want to keep going forward. Your colleague got a pic of these axles?
newmercman:
Do Volvo do a twin steer on a tractor unit? I know they have hydraulic steered rear tags on some rigid chassis, but never known it on a tractor unit?
The only twin steer Volvo tractor unit I know of is the original F1225 of c.1983 that had a castor steered center axle, but that locked straight ahead at normal road speeds and in reverse and it never lifted either.
It was not a huge success…
My brother had a bit of an old dog of one and the mid axle used to lose the lock going forward causing the steering to shake madly, closely followed by my brother leaping across the cab to turn on he reverse light to lock it off. fond memories from my early days of truck driving.
neversweat1:
Believe it or not (And it is the French) but the look of the Grille is based on the symbol for Pi
0
Steve
They’ll tell you that because modern-day truck drivers have no idea what a 1960’s GMC “Crackerbox” is; split screen apart, I can see more than a passing resemblence.
Just asked ex colleague to check the lift axle steering on the volvo.He assumed it turned but he got out and saw that it doesn’t.So apologies on my behalf on saying they did.
newmercman:
Do Volvo do a twin steer on a tractor unit? I know they have hydraulic steered rear tags on some rigid chassis, but never known it on a tractor unit?
The only twin steer Volvo tractor unit I know of is the original F1225 of c.1983 that had a castor steered center axle, but that locked straight ahead at normal road speeds and in reverse and it never lifted either.
It was not a huge success…
My brother had a bit of an old dog of one and the mid axle used to lose the lock going forward causing the steering to shake madly, closely followed by my brother leaping across the cab to turn on he reverse light to lock it off. fond memories from my early days of truck driving.
Hah hah, you dont get a motor like that anymore, the system would lock it so you could reverse being castor steer the wheels wlould be in all sorts of directions, when as you might expect it didnt allways lock off when reversing.
LeedsChris:
The company i work for have just got two new Renault Premiums 460…Gear box is excellent though, thanks to volvo.
The best gearbox IMO matched up to a Renault was the manual ZF, though I’ve never driven a Volvo varient Renault, but in my experience the bit that Renault got right was the drive train and runing gear, bullet proof. In 15 years on Renaults drive train and running gear gave me very few problems, wiring and cab durabilty is another topic
fond memories from my early days of truck driving. 
