2006 Renault Magnum 480DXi

[carbuilder2002]

When i was in my early teens about 1967 Iusedto spend part of my school holidays riding about in the Ford Thames Trader Tippers Ridgid 2 axle with twin rear wheels delivering sand and gravel from the Quarry where my mother worked. Happy days

[agent006]

You can tell times are changing when truckers start arguing on the internet about how their more powerful trucks make them more manly. It's usually who can get closest to driving 100 tons over Shap in 18 feet of snow with a Gardner 190 a crash box and no cab heater that wins.

Edited by agent006 on Sunday 5th July 23:34

[Venisonpie]

GC8 said:

Cat-engined Foden 380 Alpha: 6.5mpg. Brand new Renault 430: 7.9mpg.

I used to drive a 14 litre cat engined foden back in the 90's, it was rated at 350 bhp. It was very impressive and probably kept more consistent road speeds than the 380 FH12 that I had afterwards. The Volvo was a much nicer truck mind and I wouldn't have swapped back.

[thepeoplespal]

agent006 said:

You can tell times are changing when truckers start arguing on the internet about how their more powerful trucks make them more manly. It's usually who can get closest to driving 100 tons over Shap in 18 feet of snow with a Gardner 190 a crash box and no cab heater that wins.

Edited by agent006 on Sunday 5th July 23:34

More of a GUY BigJ4T man myself, it didn't need a heater as the engine was beside you.

I'd say a Magnum is held in the realms of what Marathons and Ford Transcontinentals were for many truckers of an older era.

[anotherswifty]

carbuilder2002 said:

Well I'm used to building cars and just done a rebuild on a V10 4 cam engine for the car currently under construction ...
Jeff

Sounds intriguing, any clues as to that Ora build thread ?

[carbuilder2002]

Well think 1995 Le-mans and a certain car sponsored by Gulf.
Regarding the Magnum been trying to find the master switch and air tank drain valves. According to the handbook the master switch should be somewhere under the cab lift pump but mine does not seem to have one there and the tank drain valves the manual points to the area under the expansion tank in the front O/S corner but again can see nothing that would equate to what I'm looking for. Beensome very iffy characters been spotted wandering around the site where it's kept and dont want it going missing they already had an attempt at diesel theft

[GC8]

I wouldnt worry about it being stolen until after it is restored. Lorries are a magnet for the summiest members of society - theyll be looking to steal fuel. Leave the cap unlocked.

[carbuilder2002]

I only leave enough in it to give it about half an hours run upand down the yard every week so nothing siezes up

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

The air drain valves will be located on the bottom of each air tank.

[carbuilder2002]

There are 2 plugs in the bottom of the tanks, I wonder if I have the manual for an earlier or latter version?
Quite a few things aren't where the manual say they should be.
Oh by the way it's a February 2006 model with Volvo mechanicals

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

Do you mean it's got two blanking plugs in the air tanks? If so then it probably hasn't got air drain valves fitted.

Water build up in the air tanks was generally an old school issue. Nowadays every truck has an air dryer unit with a desiccant cartridge to remove the moisture from the compressed air.

[carbuilder2002]

Yes they seem to be blanking plugs unless the taps broke off and they just stuck plugs in their place, may try and find some from a breakers and put them in, it can't be a bad thing to be ableto drain them

[GC8]

carbuilder2002 said:

Yep the mate who left it to me said it could have it's logbook changed to private use but I would still need a class C licence and the tacho is a very grey area so thinking of using ot anyway just to be sure. Had a hell of a job even finding someone to insure it as a non working truck as it's not old enough to be considered classic.
Oh one last stipulation was I was not to turn it into a bloody christmas tree (his words)

There is absolutely no grey area with regards to the tachograph: unless you are using the vehicle commercially then you do not need to use it, irrespective of whether it is registered as a PHGV or not (but why wouldnt you?). If it is a chart type then it would be better to insert one, but it can stay in there forever.

[GC8]

fesuvious said:

Great thread.
Kudos OP.

Just to clarify,
If you register as private HGV (with DVSA?) then for one of these its just a Cat C license?

What's the insurance and road tax like?

Private or regular HGV, you will still only need a Category C entitlement. Private HGV tax is extremely cheap though and insurance will probably be around the same.

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

carbuilder2002 said:

may try and find some from a breakers and put them in

Don't mess around with second hand ones, they are so cheap they are not worth the hassle if you can't get the rubber o-ring to reseal.

Either get some from your local HGV parts place or they are on eBay for about £6 each. Search for M22 Air Tank Drain Valve.

You only need one in the bottom of each air tank.

[GC8]

I was just about to say this. Id try somewhere like Bison and HS Atec first, then HGV Direct.

[carbuilder2002]

Insurance for mileage limited to 6000 miles per annum is £825 for fully comprehensive with protected NCB not got it taxed yet as still SORN.
Thanks for the heads up regarding drain valves.
Just booked my medical for next tuesday then will be sending my stuff off for the provisional.

[GC8]

Id have expected £150 and £150, tax and insurance.

[GC8]

fesuvious said:

If the unit were 8.1 tonnes (as stated in this thread) then does this mean for private use you could fit a towbar to tow 3.5 tonne trailer?

Train weight would be 11.6t. under the 12t limit on C1.
And isn't C1 actually to 8250kg?

The 12 tonne limit for C1+E licenses is only for people who have either taken a C1 (which can be grandfathered) trailer test to add +E, or people who have taken a C+E test which then adds a trailer entitlement in every lower group.

This is a rigid HGV and you can drive it with a Cat.C entitlement. You can tow a trailer weighing up to 750 kilos but over that requires a C+E. If you have a grandfathered C1 entitlement then it will have an endorsement (107?) which limits the train weight to 8,250kg rather than 12 tonnes, following the same +750kg unbraked trailer principle used with HGV trailers.

If you can get it plated at 7,500 kilos then it can be driven on a grandfathered C1 entitlement. Id be surprised though - Foden Alpha 4x2 were easily under, but this is a lot bigger.

[carbuilder2002]

I took my car and bike tests in the mid 70's so have grandads rights but this beast at over 8 tons is well over the 7.5 ton limit. Many people have said just remove the fifth wheel but from what I gleaned from the DVLA that would make no difference as it goes on actual weight and nothing else otherwise I could have saved the hastle and cost of doing my Cat C
How Criss Eubank gets away with it I have no idea unless he actually has got a Cat C licence