Freightliner is offering Bendix Spicer air disc brakes across its entire truck line.
Castrol announced that its lubricating products for ’07 will exceed specs for Mack, Caterpillar, Detroit, Volvo, International and Cummins heavy-duty, on-highway engines.
ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket group received an award for supplier excellence from Mack and Volvo. Also, the company has entered into an electric drivetrain vehicle development program with Unicell Ltd. Finally, ArvinMeritor signed a marketing agreement with Consolidated Metco (ConMet) to use MeritorLite ductile iron hubs and ConMet PreSet bearing packages for new, PreSet hub assemblies.
ChevronTexaco Products has launched www.LubricantsUniversity. com, a training and information resource for lubrication and vehicle maintenance professionals. In other news, the company has been named an Aftermarket Supplier of the Year by Volvo and Mack.
Webb Wheel Products opened a new, 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Tell City, Ind.
SKF recently received its fifth straight NAPA 95% Club Award for filling 95% or better of orders. In related news, the company has been awarded a contract to provide a lightweight hubcap for Dana Spicer Low Maintenance System wheel-ends. Finally, Chicago Rawhide (CR) products soon will be sold under the SKF brand.
Bridgestone Firestone North America will continue to supply Ryder System with new tires, while Bandag provides the leasing giant with retreading services.
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announced that its next-generation antilock braking system, ABS-6, will be available as an option on Class 8 vehicles built by International, Kenworth and Peterbilt.
Volvo Trucks North America is offering its new 16-liter D16 engine for installation in its VN series tractors. The truck and engine maker unveiled the D16 earlier this year and announced its availability in the new VT-880 owner-operator-styled tractor with ratings from 500 to 625 horsepower (See “Products,” CCJ, March 2005). The engine now will be available in the VNL daycab and the VNL 430, 630, 670 and 780 sleeper cab tractors with ratings of 450 to 535 hp. Orders for the Volvo VNL with D16 will be accepted beginning in June, with production beginning in late August.
Isuzu, GM celebrate milestone
Isuzu and General Motors recently celebrated the roll-off of their 50,000th joint-venture, gasoline-powered NPR low-cab-forward truck at GM’s Janesville, Wis., assembly plant, where it was built. The vehicle was presented to Greg Jenkins of Flowers Foods, Thomasville, Ga.
Gasoline NPRs are powered by GM’s 6-liter Vortec 6000 V8, rated at 300 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque. “This product is ideal for the business that desires the maneuverability and visibility of an LCF truck, but drives less than 25,000 miles a year,” said Jim Underwood, president, GM Isuzu Commercial Truck.
Gas NPRs are marketed under Isuzu, Chevrolet and GMC badges.
Safety’s on a roll at Haldex
Haldex rolled out several new brake products at the Mid-America Trucking Show, including the following items designed for safety and reliability:
*ModulX Air Disc Brakes, which it says outperform S-cam drum brakes with less brake fade and less pedal pressure required.
*ModulX features a lightweight, two-piece caliper; stainless steel slide pins; self-lubricating, Teflon guide bushings; and twin tappets that distribute brake pad clamping equally to ensure even wear, for longer service and less maintenance.
*The PLC Select 2M antilock braking system (ABS), featuring fewer components and connections, resulting in fewer failure points.
*The Electronic Lining Wear Sensor, which indicates when linings are worn out.
*The EB+ TRS Roll Stability System, which reduces the possibility of combination vehicle rollovers by monitoring the trailer’s center of gravity. Equipped with information regarding the trailer’s lateral acceleration, pressure from the air suspension and wheel speed, the EB+ TRS determines when a trailer is approaching its rollover threshold. If needed, the trailer brakes are applied selectively to slow the vehicle and improve its stability.
The company also announced the formation of a formal cooperation to make Haldex brakes and controls technology standard on Hendrickson integrated suspensions and axle systems.
Visit www.haldex.com for more information.
Buying the right stuff?
Below are the results of a survey by CK Marketing & Communications (www.ckkemmercomm.com) regarding fleets’ purchases and plans to purchase new products and technology.
The question was asked in January 2005 as part of CK Marketing & Communications’ Fleet Sentiment Report, and 37 fleets responded (for hire, private, government).
Tenneco Automotive previewed its exhaust aftertreatment solutions for commercial vehicles at the Mid-America Trucking Show. The company’s diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) and diesel particulate filters (DPF) are designed to help OEMs meet tough new EPA emission standards that become effective in 2007.
A DOC uses precious metals to create a chemical reaction that breaks down harmful oxides of nitrogen into less harmful components, while oxidizing absorbed hydrocarbons.
The DPF, located downstream of the DOC, captures particulates by compressing, filtering and expanding the engine’s exhaust gases, reportedly eliminating more than 95 percent of particulate matter from the exhaust stream.
These systems also can be packaged to incorporate silencing devices, eliminating the need for a separate muffler.
Tenneco – with considerable exhaust experience with its Walker brand – sports an impressive list of OE emission-control customers, including DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Ford, Volvo, Jaguar, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Porsche, PSA and BMW.
Wheels by the book
The Aftermarket Business Unit of Webb Wheel has updated its product catalog, with complete drum and rotor industry cross-references as well as application, specification and maintenance information. It also has added a hub and spoke wheel data section that includes part numbers, bearing configurations, disc wheel and drum compatibility, and mounting specifications.
The new Hub and Drum Catalog is available online at this site. You also can visit www.webbwheel.com and complete a literature request form.
Equipment Puzzler
In March we asked: How and why are disc brakes superior to drums?
The main advantages of discs: They produce more stopping force than drums, because of higher unit pressure at the friction interface; and they are less sensitive to fade from heat and water – from heat, since a hot rotor expands to the pads, while a hot drum expands away from brake shoes; and from water, since a drum collects water, while a disc setup effectively squeegees water off the rotor.
Frank Ramirez, maintenance supervisor, Jack Cooper Transport, Arlington, Texas, sent in the first correct response. He’ll get a chrome CCJ pen and an Air Brake Book, and so can you, if you’re first to send the correct answer to this month’s Puzzler to [email protected] – or if you send in a Puzzler and we use it.
This month’s Puzzler:
Ethanol and methanol can be used as motor fuels, either by themselves or blended with gasoline. They’re both alcohol, but what’s the difference?
