Marmon-Herrington starts with a medium or heavy-duty truck, and adds front-wheel-drive components and “Axleless,” independent, rear air-ride suspension.
Look at the picture and think of the possibilities. It’s one of 34 Peterbilts to be purchased by the City of Los Angeles for its sanitation department, featuring Low Floor Front Drive technology from Marmon-Herrington, (of Marmon Group fame), Louisville, Ky.
The company starts with a medium or heavy-duty truck, and converts it with front-wheel-drive components and “Axleless,” independent, rear air-ride suspension. The result is a stout, commercial vehicle, with a floor height as low as 14 inches.
According to Marmon, many vocations can benefit from such a conversion.
Ambulances, for example, could have increased interior height and width for performing medical services; food-service delivery trucks wouldn’t need ramps and lifts; boarding a city bus would be as easy as stepping onto the curb; repair crews could access their tools at street level; vending and office machinery could be rolled directly from the side of the vehicle onto the sidewalk.
Moreover, Low Floor Front Drive could virtually eliminate the need for a liftgate, thereby reducing maintenance, and doing away with dangerous rear unloading in traffic.
A Low Floor Front Drive demonstrator will be at major truck shows this spring. For more information visit www.marmon-herrington.com.
