TRUCK ON TRIAL DAF XF480VSSCANIA R500
46 TRUCKING Summer 2019
‘TH04ORY’ Scania is immaculateengines, but again not the most
powerful on offer.Swedish delights
First up, Thory’s new kid on the block
is the Scania R500 with small mid-lift
axle. The New Gen Scanias have
proved a real hit with operators and
it’s easy to see why. Thory has taken
three R-series into its fleet: this R500
and two more conservative R450s.
The impression Trucking gets from
the marketplace is the R450 is an
absolute hit, delivering stunning fuel
returns and wooing drivers, thus
keeping everyone happy. The bigger
flat-floored S-cab is the luxury
version, but engine-wise, we can’t seemuch case for going beyond the
straight-six in its 450 or 500 bhp
offerings. V8s are all well and good,
but do the sums stack up? That’s a
debate for another day, but any
driver given an R-series should be
impressed with the room inside and
the build quality.
Often the mid-lift axles are covered
by skirts to get the payload of a
44-tonner, but the look of a 4x2
tractor. Some operators and drivers
don’t like the look of small mid-lift
axles, and if they can hide them, then
all the better. That is an option for
both these marques if desired,
although just the special R500 has
sideskirts here.Both the Scania R500
and DAF XF offer a
28,700 kg payload which
is very good in this line
of work.
Spec: SCANIA R500
nModel: Scania R500 6x2
small mid-lift
nDesign GCW/GVW: 45,000 kg /
24,000 kg
nChassis: 3950 mm
nFront axle: AM420S 8000 kg
nRear axles: MLA3 4500 kg
(mid-lift), AD220SA 11,500 kg
(rear, drive)
nEngine: Scania DC13 141,
13-litre, vertical six-cylinder
in-line, turbocharged,
intercooled, direct injection
diesel, SCR Euro 6
nMax power: 500 bhp @
1900 rpm
nMax torque: 2550 Nm @
1000-1300 rpm
nGearbox: GRS905R Opticruise
12-speed automated
nClutch: Frictionless K432
48 automatic
nBrakes: Disc
nElectronics: 24V
nAdditional equipment: Medium-
roof sleeper cab, 300-litre fuel
tank, 47-litre AdBlue tankstandard-height sleeper cabs and
small mid-lift axles. Coupled to the
right trailer, payloads of nearly 30
tonnes are easily achievable.
The two trucks under scrutiny here
are a step up from those maximum-
payload, no-frills and rather basic
machines. They have bigger cabs,
albeit not the biggest; and bigger