pete 359:
hi gunner,
how are you mate i thought the early f10’s were 299 hp.it wouldn’t be the first time i have been wrong though
regards andrew.
Your correct Andrew,the first F10’s did use the 299bhp engine,we ran some mate! cheers Dennis.
Hi Andrew i’m good thanx, i’m sure the early F10s were 260s & 278s, then the mk2s from A reg onwards were 299s.
Where’s Patrick Dyer when you need him, that should be his next book
The F10 I drove regularly was certainly 278 and that was on an X plate
pete 359:
hi gunner,
how are you mate i thought the early f10’s were 299 hp.it wouldn’t be the first time i have been wrong though
regards andrew.
Your correct Andrew,the first F10’s did use the 299bhp engine,we ran some mate! cheers Dennis.
Hi Andrew i’m good thanx, i’m sure the early F10s were 260s & 278s, then the mk2s from A reg onwards were 299s.
Where’s Patrick Dyer when you need him, that should be his next book
The F10 I drove regularly was certainly 278 and that was on an X plate
That’s right Malc, the 299hp version was the intercooled one that came out with the Hi Line cab in 83.
The 305hp F12 was known as the Load Lugger, it was in the first 6x2s with the castor steer center axle
This discussion about early F10 engine options set me thinking too. As far as I can remember, the very first ones out (flat-tops) were either 240s or 278s.
As someone said has already said, they went up to the 299s when the intercooler option came out - I believe, by then the curved roof version of the cab was out.
As an aside, when did the splitter switch get moved from the dashboard to the gearlever? Whenever I recall the F12 I used to trolley-around in with a dash-mounted splitter, I get laughed at - people say “you’re dreaming - they were on the lever”, but this was a V-reg which definitely had it on the dash. If you ever look inside a late-model flat-top F10/12, there’s a blanking plate over the slot in the dash where the splitter was. When did it get moved?
marky:
This discussion about early F10 engine options set me thinking too. As far as I can remember, the very first ones out (flat-tops) were either 240s or 278s.
As someone said has already said, they went up to the 299s when the intercooler option came out - I believe, by then the curved roof version of the cab was out.
As an aside, when did the splitter switch get moved from the dashboard to the gearlever? Whenever I recall the F12 I used to trolley-around in with a dash-mounted splitter, I get laughed at - people say “you’re dreaming - they were on the lever”, but this was a V-reg which definitely had it on the dash. If you ever look inside a late-model flat-top F10/12, there’s a blanking plate over the slot in the dash where the splitter was. When did it get moved?
I think you’re spot on there Marky…The early flat top F10’s with the splitter on the dash were 240 & 278bhp…You had to rev them hard to get them to perform…Around 1981 Volvo changed the splitter to the gear lever and introduced a 256bhp version of the 9.6 litre engine…this actually pulled muched better than the 278 as the torque curve was reworked and the engine felt a lot more gutsy. This was followed a few years later by the 299bhp which came with the HiLine cab around 1983…It was international truck of the Year for the second time with this version. Volvo went to 320bhp with the 9.6 litre engine with the square headlamp version in 1988 and finally 360bhp in the final runout of the model in the early noughties
keith 2:
started working on Volvo’s in 1976,yes they was the best,no ecu,s reloads of software,etc.still working on them now Keith
Keith were you at “Crossroads” as our paths may have crossed when I worked for “Sykes Bulk Liquids” /Shaws of Huddersfield as the F88 I had was some sort of test wagon for the F10/12 and had to go in for Volvo to have good butchers at it every 6 months or so but when they took over Hallam commercials in Sheffield I used that then as they had it friday afternoon to monday dinner.
cheers Johnnie
Hi Johnnie,i did not start at crossroads birstall till 1999 when A ONE TRANSPORT went bust.got a job there been a sparky,you might be thinking of my mate Keith who is the sparky at birstall he has been threre 30 year,like the works cat,but the best around.that’s how i get called Keith 2 or k2.there is another sparky at rotherham dept also called Keith too many Keith’s,when a one was geting smaller i went driving for them for the last 12 month but that was not for me back to the workshop.now down at the normanton dept for the last 9 year,good place to work for…K2
pete 359:
hi gunner,
how are you mate i thought the early f10’s were 299 hp.it wouldn’t be the first time i have been wrong though
regards andrew.
Your correct Andrew,the first F10’s did use the 299bhp engine,we ran some mate! cheers Dennis.
Hi Andrew i’m good thanx, i’m sure the early F10s were 260s & 278s, then the mk2s from A reg onwards were 299s.
Where’s Patrick Dyer when you need him, that should be his next book
The F10 I drove regularly was certainly 278 and that was on an X plate
That’s right Malc, the 299hp version was the intercooled one that came out with the Hi Line cab in 83.
The 305hp F12 was known as the Load Lugger, it was in the first 6x2s with the castor steer center axle
The 305 ‘load lugger’ was a great engine, with much more torque than the 330 but nothing like the guts of the 385 intercooler which always came with the 3 over 3 + splitter box & the 299 F10 engind did indeed come in late 1983 with the ‘highline cab’.
Also, when the F10 came out in the UK the engine options were 240 & 278, I have heard of a 260 & wonder if this was a European spec engine?
The first F10’s were 278bhp and Volvo completley re designed the engine from the 290 because the 290 F88 was a modified version of the 240 because the 330 F89 was not available in right hand drive, the reliabillty of the 290 was questionable compared to the 240. they re vamped the F10 /F12 on V reg and put the 257 load lugger engine in the 10 and it was a big balls up, the idea was to let the engine lugg like the old gardner but it was gut less and would not pull the skin of a rice pudding, they had some on hercocks with coach diffs they would cruise comfortably at 70 but dropped off terrible when they came to a hill.
The F12 had the 305 and a 335, I had a 305 on Kinches and in its day a very powerfull truck nothing would catch it, because of the disasterous 257 volvo quickley had a re vamp of the F10 / F12 because of the sudden lack of sales and came up with the 299 bhp F10 intercooler and the 385 intercooler F12
One of the best volvo’s was the F88 continental spec 260 bhp a real flying machine and so reliable.
There was definately a 240hp version available in the early F10, I owned a T reg one, very different to the 278 in that it had no ‘pre heater’ (on the inlet manifold) and it had a cold start on the pump which is totally the opposite to the 278 and the 240 DIDN’T smoke it’s conkers off in the morning!!
phantom:
they had some on hercocks with coach diffs they would cruise comfortably at 70 but dropped off terrible when they came to a hill.
This was my Xreg 1981 F12 330 which had the highest ratio diff option, they were spec’d by Kammac for light loads & HARD work, that’s 1,350rpm @ a little over 50mph!! very low reving for the day.
phantom:
The F12 had the 305 and a 335, I had a 305 on Kinches and in its day a very powerfull truck nothing would catch it, because of the disasterous 257 volvo quickley had a re vamp of the F10 / F12 because of the sudden lack of sales and came up with the 299 bhp F10 intercooler and the 385 intercooler F12
All the first Globetrotters had the Intercooler engine, the early ones were 355 & from 1982 385, the 385 also became available in the ‘flat top’ from 1982. (we’ve got an early 1983 flat top 6x2 ‘T ride’ version in our yard)
pete 359:
hi gunner,
how are you mate i thought the early f10’s were 299 hp.it wouldn’t be the first time i have been wrong though
regards andrew.
Your correct Andrew,the first F10’s did use the 299bhp engine,we ran some mate! cheers Dennis.
Hi Andrew i’m good thanx, i’m sure the early F10s were 260s & 278s, then the mk2s from A reg onwards were 299s.
Where’s Patrick Dyer when you need him, that should be his next book
The F10 I drove regularly was certainly 278 and that was on an X plate
That’s right Malc, the 299hp version was the intercooled one that came out with the Hi Line cab in 83.
The 305hp F12 was known as the Load Lugger, it was in the first 6x2s with the castor steer center axle
it was the f10 240 load lugger mate the bigger f12 was 385 and pulled like a train
There was definately a 240hp version available in the early F10, I owned a T reg one, very different to the 278 in that it had no ‘pre heater’ (on the inlet manifold) and it had a cold start on the pump which is totally the opposite to the 278 and the 240 DIDN’T smoke it’s conkers off in the morning!!
phantom:
they had some on hercocks with coach diffs they would cruise comfortably at 70 but dropped off terrible when they came to a hill.
This was my Xreg 1981 F12 330 which had the highest ratio diff option, they were spec’d by Kammac for light loads & HARD work, that’s 1,350rpm @ a little over 50mph!! very low reving for the day.
phantom:
The F12 had the 305 and a 335, I had a 305 on Kinches and in its day a very powerfull truck nothing would catch it, because of the disasterous 257 volvo quickley had a re vamp of the F10 / F12 because of the sudden lack of sales and came up with the 299 bhp F10 intercooler and the 385 intercooler F12
All the first Globetrotters had the Intercooler engine, the early ones were 355 & from 1982 385, the 385 also became available in the ‘flat top’ from 1982. (we’ve got an early 1983 flat top 6x2 ‘T ride’ version in our yard)
Ross.
We also had 3 of the 240 F10’s at Richard Ford, not the best of pullers, these were on T reg.
bay634t:
it was the f10 240 load lugger mate the bigger f12 was 385 and pulled like a train
There was definately an F12 305 ‘load lugger’ mate, we’ve got one, an ex EM Rogers Xreg in our yard, these normally had the 16 speed SR62 gearbox. At the time you could also get the F12 330 & the ‘Intercooler’ with 385bhp!! This was the real stump puller were the 240 F10 would struggle to pull the skin of a home made rice pudding!! it was however very reliable with none of the smoke issues and cold starting problems that the 290 F88 & 278 F10’s had.
bigr250:
All the first Globetrotters had the Intercooler engine, the early ones were 355 & from 1982 385, the 385 also became available in the ‘flat top’ from 1982. (we’ve got an early 1983 flat top 6x2 ‘T ride’ version in our yard)
Ross.
Not quite, Brian Yeardley owned at least one Globetrotter and probably more which wasn’t intercooled. It is still in service with its subsequent owner and the registration is A401 OAT
bigr250:
All the first Globetrotters had the Intercooler engine, the early ones were 355 & from 1982 385, the 385 also became available in the ‘flat top’ from 1982. (we’ve got an early 1983 flat top 6x2 ‘T ride’ version in our yard)
Ross.
Not quite, Brian Yeardley owned at least one Globetrotter and probably more which wasn’t intercooled. It is still in service with its subsequent owner and the registration is A401 OAT
I’m no expert, it’s just that I was around at the time and in fact, I almost bought a new F12 in 1985 and was told that the only engine option was the 385? (it wasn’t the engine spec that put me off, just the ammount of debt!!) That said, I don’t doubt that for a good customer who ran a fleet of none intercooled F12’s Volvo would fit what ever spec engine required by the operator, especially at the none intercooled motors were still a current spec.
Wheel Nut:
Again, my local dealer seemed to offer different specs. my 1979 Volvo only had a normal heater and a sponge pad for the rear window
I’m pretty certain that the single bunk F series volvo’s all had the foam pad (with the four velcro strips) for the back window and the Gobstopper & normal cab twin sleepers had no rear windows.
I’ve never seen a flat top without the green aircon switch, (snow flake symbol in the middle) but I don’t think I’ve seen every F10 ever made It might have been a ‘delete option’ when orderd new, a bit like the F12 Gobstopper without the intercooler motor.
I heard (from one of their drivers @ Freds in Madrid) that Traction GB ordered a load of 144 Topliner Scanias & when the first couple arrived he asked for the remaining trucks in the order to come without the air-con (so the drivers wouldn’t sit with the engines running all day) from what the driver told me, Scania wanted £1,600 per truck to ‘delete’ it from the build spec!!! Also, the dealer wouldn’t just remove the gas from the system as it would invalidate the warranty so they all came with the air-con that’s fitted standard in the 4 series Topline!!
Wheel Nut:
Again, my local dealer seemed to offer different specs. my 1979 Volvo only had a normal heater and a sponge pad for the rear window
I’m pretty certain that the single bunk F series volvo’s all had the foam pad (with the four velcro strips) for the back window and the Gobstopper & normal cab twin sleepers had no rear windows.
I’ve never seen a flat top without the green aircon switch, (snow flake symbol in the middle) but I don’t think I’ve seen every F10 ever made It might have been a ‘delete option’ when orderd new, a bit like the F12 Gobstopper without the intercooler motor.
Ross.
I reckon you’re right on the back window, Dawsonfreight had reinforced glass and bits of iron welded over the window rubbers on theirs, as a Volvo dealer it would’ve been easier to delete the back window if that was possible
I hated them back windows, waste of time as I never used them to look out of, they let heat/cold and noise from a fridge into the cab and that silly foam pad never stayed in without bungees
In the flat top F12 I had the splitter was on the stick, it was a 330hp with SR62. I also had a square headlight F series that still had a pull stop and had ABS warning lights in the blanking space where the splitter used to live, only a lucky few will have had the pleasure of driving one of these
i thought
back to the workshop.now down at the normanton dept for the last 9 year,good place to work for…K2 
didn’t the first flat roofs also have aircon as standard?
It might have been a ‘delete option’ when orderd new, a bit like the F12 Gobstopper without the intercooler motor.