![]() or higher are capable of some high GCW ratings, but gear ratios and transmission selections are key to finding low-enough gears to pull the heavy loads up grades as well as achieve top speeds as required to haul on the highway.”Ĭomponents need to be properly rated. “Drivelines must be capable of transmitting the torque required to do the job, though, so often, up-sizing drivelines is required in these applications. Dean explains that the driveline serves as a fusible link, protecting the expensive items like transmissions and rear axles. GCWR impacts driveline selection and the torque capabilities of drivelines. and Canada to ensure all of the requirements above are considered and optimized.” Freightliner’s powertrain partner, Detroit, has dedicated technical resources (TSRs) located in each region in the U.S. Knowing where and how a customer plans to operate a vehicle is essential in optimizing the powertrain. A good starting point is the desired road speed and startability. “This includes everything from the driveline, axles, transmission and engines. “We prioritize and optimize the powertrain first when spec’ing a truck,” says Brain Daniels, severe duty product manager, Freightliner Trucks. You really need to understand your load and the terrain you will be hauling it over.The engine, transmission and axles must work in concert to get the load started and keep it moving at the desired speed. tractor would cost.” Balance startability and top speedĭifferent loads and varied geography make it difficult to suggest a generic heavy-haul spec. As the GCWR goes up, vehicle speed comes down and the price of the chassis goes up dramatically, in some cases three to four times what a 120,000-lb. level requires planetary axles and an auxiliary transmission. level starts requiring dedicated components to do the job. The next level is 140,000 to 180,000 lbs., which is more expensive, but nothing specialized. ![]() “The first is 120,000 to 140,000 lbs., which can be met fairly easily with normal components. ![]() “There are a number of levels of heavy haul applications,” explains Dean. Another consideration is the location of the operation in terms of on-highway/off-highway ratio, terrain and geographic factors.”ĭifferent weight levels require different components. John Felder, Volvo Trucks North America, says, “The load will determine the number of axles in terms of configuration and capacity, truck suspension, engine, gearbox, driveline, braking capacity and truck frame strength. Different loads and varied geography make it difficult to suggest a generic heavy-haul spec. “First ask what is the weight you are going to be hauling and over what terrain,” says Chad Semler, director of product marketing for severe service, Navistar. The challenge is to achieve the right balance between the truck’s job requirement and expected annual mileage to help produce the lowest operating cost per mile.” “An over-spec’d truck may reduce fuel mileage and increase acquisition costs while an under spec’d truck may not be sufficient to move the load, or may increase maintenance costs. gross combination weight (GCW) must carefully specify their trucks for both durability and power,” says Patrick Dean, Kenworth chief engineer. “Heavy haulers that transport loads above 120,000 lbs. The weight of the load, distance traveled, amount of time spent off road and a host of other factors determine the proper choice. I'll give it another shot.When spec’ing a heavy haul truck there is no single best solution. I have tried it in the past but it always seemed to have a hard time figuring out where I was. Hope that helps somebody, especially in an area with no sirens. When the weather is bad and I'm in my car, I do listen to local radio rather than XM or my iPod or whatever, but even then it can be hard to know what's really going on in the immediate area- especially when the information is usually given by county rather than city.įWIW.Red Cross app warns you of severe weather wherever you are. Many areas (such as the one hit) are unincorporated and do not have their own sirens. I don't live in those areas and it is almost impossible to get alerts for every single area I cover on my phone. No idea there were tornado warnings in the area. I heard interviews with a few of them- some just thought it was a bad storm. I saw the semi get blown over but not sure if that was when the tornado crossed I-39. What surprised me was the cars and trucks on I-39 driving straight toward that big wedge storm that clobbered Fairdale! What the hell were they thinking? No brake lights, no one even slowing down. Getting into that time of year although there has been to this point in time a dearth of tornadoes.
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