Andy smg:
I’m 5 years off tramping, but always liked the M.A.N XXL cabs. If they made the fridges flush to the beds and reduced the size of the steering wheel, then it wouldn’t be a bad truck to stop out in all week…
Great for serious motorway work and to live in but that’s it. Their crap on twisty roads and the boxes are awful.
Saaamon:
Scanias are the best, always have been, always will be.
This is true … the worlds best selling make of truck and from personnal experience by far the best.
I have to say the best Cab I have ever done nights away in was the old Topliner…the one with the bunk up front over your head…worked for me brilliantly that cab.
Saaamon:
Scanias are the best, always have been, always will be.
+2^^^^
Personally I’d have a R440 or better, normal/highline is good enough for me…
Best 7.5tonner is a Mercedes Benz Atego.
Best 10-16ton rigid is a Mercedes Benz Atego.
Best 18ton rigid in any form (skip loader to box/fridge/curtainsider) is the Mercedes Benz Axor.
Best 6x2 rigid is the Mercedes Benz Axor.
Best 6x4 Rigid is the Daf CF.
Best 8x4 lightweight tipper is the Volvo FM.
Best Heavy Duty 8x4 tipper is the Mercedes Benz Actros.
Best regional tractor unit is the Volvo FM.
Best long distance fleet tractor unit is the Daf XF.
Best top of the range tractor unit is a V8 Scania.
Most underrated bargain of any weight class is the Renault Premium.
Saaamon:
Andy smg:
I’m 5 years off tramping, but always liked the M.A.N XXL cabs. If they made the fridges flush to the beds and reduced the size of the steering wheel, then it wouldn’t be a bad truck to stop out in all week…Great for serious motorway work and to live in but that’s it. Their crap on twisty roads and the boxes are awful.
Exactly my point. On UK tramping it’s mostly motorway drivingl with limited gear changes. I like the sweedish outfits for their .engines and quality build. The big XF is a very nice truck also, but Tue M.A.N’s are still smart looking at you.
I think it depends what you are using it for I han scanias for rdc work and they make good shopping trollies but are so unconfble had a man tgx 480 not bad but storage was poor then got a renault priemum and under powed no storage but cheap to repair o now have a actros 2546 mega space very commfy loads of storage but the wing mirrors are big blind spots.
Doesn’t matter what it is unless you can get frilly curtains, pelmets, dream catchers, steering wheel knobs and 50 magic trees retro fitted.
dew:
Chewyboy:
Go in most tips in and around London nearly all scaniaAnd what’s delivering, as apposed to what’s been dumped?
I’d say Daf CF over Scania on aggregate deliveries. If I wanted a muckshifter, then Man would be top but it’s too heavy if payload is important. If I wanted an aggregate wagon then Daf CF before Scania on price basis. For a multi purpose tipper then Merc Axor.
In fact, I’d buy a secondhand Foden Alpha as it’s a CF with a lighter chassis and a Cat/■■■■■■■ is a better engine than the Daf offering. No adblue either.
kr79:
For tipper work I’d say they Volvo fm/fmx is pretty much the best out there at the moment.
We run one FM 8w but because of reliability with the FE and dealer issues we wont buy Volvo anymore.
the one your happy to drive
and does the job it was bought for
that wouldnt be a Merc in any shape or form 
I’ve just had a week in a merc 510 gigaspace demonstrator and found it to be an excellent truck, the best I have ever been in I would say.
I loved the old scanias… 70’s 80’s … now i dont , Volvo fh globetrotter is pretty good, i dont think you can beat Daf’s for the money XF and CF reliable and easy enough to repair and plenty of room for my needs at 6ft 4ins, but at the end of the day its what your happy with and makes your nights out comfortable.
For comfort, I’ve always liked MAN’s and ERF’s, I just get comfy in them. But the MAN auto box is a pain in the harris.
Scania are nice for being quiet and actual cab comfort, but that seat - well, I got comfy in the 2010 onwards ones, no idea if they’d changed or I just found out the correct adjustment. The 3 over 3 gearbox can be great or can be a pain in the harris, false neutrals happen more often in that truck than anything else I’ve ever driven. Also, why do Scania’s suffer more than most with cruise control knocking itself off for no reason? Chilling on a motorway, and all of a sudden, that truck you passed ages ago is passing you, oh look, you’re down to 48mph, better wake up and press the throttle, but better let him finish his pass first, then pass him again 
DAF, great truck for the 1st 100k, but it’s not very nice being stood next to it, whilst it’s in for a repair AGAIN, and if a fat git uses it, the seat collapses far too easy to 1 side. The XF has the best bunk I’ve ever slept on. The CF seems to have a draft from behind the bunk, never found out where it came from or how to get rid of it.
I’ve always liked Volvo’s, but I’m driving a FH 520 80th anniversary special edition now with all the bells and whistles, the heated part of the seat doesn’t work but the cooling part does, not sure if it’s because of the heated part not working, but I’m getting terrible back ache, like leaning on a cold wall back ache, will be trying to fix the heater part on monday. Engine and gearbox are ok, not as special as I thought it’d be. The ACC had to be disabled by me on my 1st night after it kept bleeping at me there was a car too close in front, and if I had the retarder on (A) it’d keep braking too, so had to turn it off (A) which meant I ran over 60mph a few times over Shap.
The Merc Actros was probably the truck that fit me best overall, but it kept spilling my brew, and I will never forgive it for that, crappy cup holder and on some a crappy drivers door blind.
On tippers, I drove a 54 plate MAN and an 07 Hino, the MAN was great, good gearbox and clutch and engine, but it bounced like mad - all leaf spring 8w - and had the steering lock of the QE2, the HINO was good but it was brand new, you just knew it was going to need LOTS of repairs soon, lots of squeeks and rattles and loose fittings.
I like the (newer) Renault Premium, but I’ve no idea why they don’t make the cab the same width as the steps / trailer / box. I hate hanging out of my door trying to line pins up at Felix. The old Premiums were ■■■■■■ the knocker gearbox was crap, the seat was crap, it rattled like hell and half of it didn’t work.
Didn’t rate the only Magnum I ever drove, but it was an old X reg, and was just not a nice place to be, horrible interior, feels like sat too close to windscreen, dash looked like it was out of an old Renault 25 and it used to scrape going into and out of most of the yards I delivered to, so it had to go before the fuel tank fell off - it was the strap that was scraping. Would love to try a newer one though.
I hate Merc Haxor’s with a passion, except an 11 plate 1 I drove with the Actros automatic box, I’m assuming it also had the Actros seat as it was just nice, normally I can’t get comfy in them. But still a truck I’ll do my best to avoid forever.
We just got the new Merc Actros at work, but I was in a rush so didn’t get a good look round, I’ll see if it’s in the yard on days and try and nick it.
Saaamon:
Scanias are the best, always have been, always will be.
Scanias are cack! Brilliant in the late 80’s with the 3 Series and possibly the first of the 4 Series (the one with the bunk above the seats) but after that, cack!
Mercedes Actros Megaspace beats everything hands down (the previous model to the new one). It has the most civilised, well-planned driving environment, wide bed, loads of storage, the steering is weighted just right and an intuitive gearbox that gives Volvo’s i-Shift a run for it’s money. Don’t get me wrong, the i-Shift is a very good gearbox but I think the Actros’s Telligent system is just (only just) that little bit better in both clutch and clutchless derivatives.
waynedl:
The Merc Actros was probably the truck that fit me best overall, but it kept spilling my brew, and I will never forgive it for that,
And the winner is… 
I absolutely agree, a truck is only as good as its cupholder…seriously.
NewLad:
I saw a lovely MAN TGX the other day could have done a little ■■■ wee it looked that good lol
The 700bhp ■■■ wee can’t be topped, nothing comes close. 
.
schrodingers cat:
waynedl:
The Merc Actros was probably the truck that fit me best overall, but it kept spilling my brew, and I will never forgive it for that,And the winner is…
Wasn’t it the Actros that the cup holders right above the gearbox, and would dump your brew into it and short everything out?
Muckaway:
kr79:
For tipper work I’d say they Volvo fm/fmx is pretty much the best out there at the moment.We run one FM 8w but because of reliability with the FE and dealer issues we wont buy Volvo anymore.
My firm was volvo for years but just bought daf skip lorrys as the 57 on volvo is it the fl gave lots of trouble but volvo for the heavier stuff still.
dew:
schrodingers cat:
waynedl:
The Merc Actros was probably the truck that fit me best overall, but it kept spilling my brew, and I will never forgive it for that,And the winner is…
Wasn’t it the Actros that the cup holders right above the gearbox, and would dump your brew into it and short everything out?
Yeah, well, it’s on the dash and the gear selector is on the drivers arm, but yeah, it’d throw your brew all over the gear selector as you try and negotiate the well placed speed bump just before the barrier at the security hut. Where you’ll then click neutral (which doesn’t work anymore) and turn the engine off to go and be told stories of how the security guard used to drive trucks, then go back to truck which is still in gear and won’t start
