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Reuters / October 3, 2018 WASHINGTON — AM General has put itself up for sale and has hired investment bank Macquarie Group Ltd to seek potential bidders in a deal that could value the builder of Humvee military vehicles at more than $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said this week. Potential bidders include competitors in the military ground vehicle market, such as General Dynamics, Oshkosh Corp and BAE Systems, according to two people familiar with the matter. Automakers like Fiat Chrysler and General Motors may also be potential buyers. GM licensed Hummer from AM General in 1998 to build civilian SUVs. None of the companies would comment or reply to a request for comment. The South Bend, Indiana-based AM General is currently owned by private equity firms. A possible sale of AM General follows a rash of deals over the past 18 months among defense contractors. But relatively fewer makers of defense equipment have gone on the auction block. Last year, United Technologies acquired Rockwell Collins for $30 billion, and in March, TransDigm Group continued its acquisition spree with a $525 million deal for Extant Components Group. AM General could fetch about 10 times its annual earnings of $160 million, one of the people said. The company's favorable tax treatment because of its current status as an limited liability corporation, would allow a buyer to reduce the company's taxable earnings for 15 years. That coupled with recent contract awards could push the ultimate value of the company to over $2 billion in a sale. The sale, should it happen, comes as the U.S. Army is gearing up for a broad effort to modernize its forces, including seeking prototypes of its Next-Generation Combat Vehicle in fiscal year 2022. Last month, AM General was awarded an Army contract for as many as 2,800 new M997A3 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) ambulances. The contract could be worth as much as $800 million if all options were exercised, AM General said at the time. Last year, the Pentagon awarded AM General a $550 million contract to deliver HMMWVs for use as protected weapons carriers, cargo transporters and ambulances to Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Jordan, Slovenia, Bahrain, Columbia, Bosnia and Kenya as a part of a larger Foreign Military Sales agreement. The sale of AM General offers an opportunity to purchase a prime contractor that delivers a finished product to the Pentagon, and not just an add-on system or service.

Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) Press Release / October 2, 2018 Making Volvo Active Driver Assist standard not only makes our roads safer for professional drivers, but for everyone else who shares the road with us. .

Cummins Westport ISX12N Engine Tested for Performance Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / October 3, 2018 An independent, third-party study on the Cummins Westport ISX12N 400 hp natural gas engine recently demonstrated that the engine meets and exceeds California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) optional Low NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr. The study was carried out by The University of California, Riverside College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology, with funding provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Energy Commission, and Southern California Gas Co. It confirms that natural gas engine technology provides one of the cleanest available options for on-highway transportation, according to Cummins. Engine testing was performed on a chassis dynamometer, with test cycles representative of operation in California’s South Coast Air Basin. Results showed that the ISX12N 400 hp engine met and exceeded the target NOx emissions throughout a range of duty cycles. When the engine operates on renewable natural gas, there are significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to providing air quality and greenhouse gas benefits, the ISX12N can also take advantage of low natural gas prices and available incentive funds. In production since February 2018, the ISX12N was the first Class 8 truck engine for larger heavy-duty vehicles to certify to CARB’s optional Low NOx standard. Currently, more than 1,000 ISX12N engines have been produced for North American customers. The ISX12N is produced at the Cummins Jamestown, N.Y., engine plant, and is available from a wide variety of vehicle manufacturers. It’s designed for regional haul, refuse, and vocational trucks, as well as motorcoach and commuter buses. Cummins Westport natural gas engines can operate on compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, or renewable natural gas.

Honda to invest $2.75 billion in GM's Cruise autonomous vehicle unit Michael Wayland, Automotive News / October 3, 2018 DETROIT -- Honda Motor Co. will invest $2.75 billion in General Motors' autonomous vehicle operations, including plans to develop and deploy a purpose-built self-driving vehicle. The Japanese automaker will receive a 5.7 percent stake in GM Cruise LLC for the investment, which includes an immediate $750 million and another $2 billion for development and deployment of self-driving vehicles over the next 12 years, GM and Honda executives said Wednesday. Click here for the press release. Honda, according to GM CEO Mary Barra, will provide Cruise with additional engineering, design and technology expertise and assist in the company’s “global reach and the ability to deploy at-scale.” “It will really expand Cruise’s leadership in the development and deployment of autonomous technology,” Barra told reporters Wednesday at the company’s technical center in suburban Detroit. The investment values Cruise at $14.6 billion -- $3.1 billion more than when SoftBank Vision Fund, a prominent technology investment firm, announced plans to invest $2.25 billion in the operations in May. That deal gave SoftBank a 19.6 percent stake in GM Cruise, which includes Cruise and Strobe Inc., a lidar company GM acquired in October 2017. The announced partnership sent GM shares up 2.1 percent to $33.99 as of 10:27 a.m. The investment from Honda comes roughly nine months after GM announced plans to launch public ride-hailing services with self-driving vehicles that don't have manual controls such as steering wheels and pedals, starting in 2019. GM President Dan Ammann said next year “remains the objective,” however he stressed that safety will be the determining factor on when the vehicles launch. New AV Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, in a post on Medium, said the company has already started “quietly prototyping a ground-breaking new vehicle over the past two years that is fully released from the constraints of having a driver behind the wheel.” “Building a new vehicle that has an incredible user experience, optimal operational parameters, and efficient use of space is the ultimate engineering challenge,” he wrote. “We’re going to do this right, and by joining forces with Honda we’ve found the perfect partner to help make it happen.” Ammann, who oversees Cruise, on Wednesday said the vehicle will be the first purpose-built vehicle at-scale that’s “free from the constraints of having to think about vehicle design and having a driver at the wheel, and all the traditional approaches to that.” “This takes us into the true future of mobility,” he said, later declining to provide a timeline for production or deployment of such a vehicle. Cruise’s current self-driving fleet is based on the Chevrolet Bolt EV. The newest iteration of the car took out the manual controls such as pedals and steering wheels, however still has the traditional interior of the car. Vogt, in the post, questioned why shouldn’t the “car of the future” include “giant TV screens, a minibar and lay-flat seats? Maybe it should,” he wrote. A teaser photo of the front end of the vehicle released Wednesday shows a rectangular, pod-like vehicle with large vertical illuminated headlights. Ammann, on a call with investors Wednesday, said the plan is for GM, not Honda, to manufacturer the vehicle. GM was expected to begin testing its autonomous vehicles this year in New York. However, Barra on Wednesday said the company is focusing its current efforts in San Francisco. “We’ve really refocused the efforts to make sure that we are as efficient as possible to be able to deploy safely,” said Barra, adding the company continues “early work” in the Big Apple. A company spokesman confirmed Cruise has completed mapping streets in the city. ‘Running start’ Ammann described the Honda partnership as having “a running start,” as the automakers have previously teamed up on the development of other advanced technologies. He called the relationship between the two companies “longstanding and deeply trustful.” Honda’s investment in GM’s Cruise comes four months after the two companies announced plans to develop a new generation of batteries aimed at cutting costs and accelerating the companies’ rollout of electric vehicles. The companies also previously formed an advanced-technology alliance announced last year between GM and Honda, which have been working on advanced hydrogen fuel cells for deployment in 2020. Honda Executive Vice President and Representative Director COO Seiji Kuraishi, via teleconference Wednesday, said Honda hopes the collaboration “will further strengthen” the company’s efforts and partnerships with GM. When asked about reported conversations between Honda and Google’s self-driving affiliate, Waymo, Kuraishi declined to directly comment on those talks. “As we’ve announced today, we decided to announce an exclusive collaboration with GM and Cruise,” he said through a translator. While the tie-up is exclusive on Honda’s end, GM is not ruling out adding other partners to Cruise. “In terms of other partnerships and opportunities, we will evaluate things as they come along but we have an incredibly well-resourced plan and a huge pool of talent behind this effort now that’s going to enable us to go as quickly as we possibly can,” said Ammann, adding the company has been “extremely selective” in taking on partners.

Ford's 2019 Transit Connect Wagon gets 29 mpg on highway Michael Martinez, Automotive News / October 3, 2018 Ford Motor Co.'s freshened Transit Connect Wagon gets best-in-class highway and combined EPA fuel economy ratings, but the automaker said it is aiming even higher for its new, yet-to-be-rated diesel offering. The passenger wagon, on sale now, comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an eight-speed transmission. The long wheelbase, front-wheel-drive model gets an EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 24 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined. That is an improvement over the previous generation's 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined. The 2019 Transit Connect beats the Nissan NV200 Cargo Van's 24 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined rating, and also leads the 2018 Ram ProMaster City's ratings of 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. But Ford is expecting to crack the 30 mpg barrier with its upcoming 1.5-liter EcoBlue diesel engine. Ford says it expects "at least" 30 mpg when the engine earns its EPA rating sometime early next year. Ford unveiled freshened passenger wagon and cargo van versions of its Transit Connect small van earlier this year. The cargo wagon has not yet been rated. Officials say the wagon accounts for about 15 percent of Transit Connect volume, but Ford hopes to grow that to 20 to 25 percent. It will offer a class-leading towing capacity of 2,000 pounds when equipped with an available trailer tow package, Ford says. The vehicle also comes with a host of new driver-assistance features. The refresh is meant to further grow Ford's dominant share of the commercial vehicle segment. Last year, Ford sold 34,473 Transit Connects in the U.S., down 20 percent but nearly double the sales of the second-place NV200. Ford owned about a 45 percent share of the compact van segment in 2017 and hopes to grow that number by targeting active baby boomers who might not be able to afford a traditional minivan or large crossover. The Transit Connect's U.S. sales fell 9.3 percent to 23,218 units through September of this year, Ford's monthly sales report said on Tuesday. .

The big event was in 1998, when Dana purchased Eaton's heavy axle and brake unit. http://dana.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=26450&item=69130 As part of the transaction, Dana and Eaton entered into a marketing agreement whereby Eaton will market a complete heavy-duty Class 8 Eaton-Spicer drivetrain consisting of Spicer steer and drive axles; Spicer brakes, Spicer driveshafts, Eaton Spicer clutches, and Eaton Fuller transmissions.

Come to your senses, turn the fuel back down to stock, and use the appropriate Mack spec Spicer clutch. Don't place yourself and Dale Francis above the Mack engineers who created the E9.

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Meritor Press Release / October 1, 2018 .

Dana impresses !

BPW Bergische Achsen Press Release / September 14, 2018 Loading and unloading often involves manoeuvring in tight spaces – in particular for vehicles such as tankers that collect milk from farms or trucks that deliver drinks to supermarkets. This takes a great deal of time and frequently results in damage to the vehicle. Until now, mechanical self-steering axles could only be of assistance when the vehicle was travelling forwards. The innovative auxiliary steering system from the BPW Group now also provides steering functionality – and therefore trailer manoeuvrability – during reverse manoeuvres. The vehicle can therefore be manoeuvred quicker and automatically in reverse. .

That's an earlier version with the one-piece grille (versus the later 3-piece). Nice truck.

If you want to enjoy that Mack V8 for many more years, then turn it back down to stock spec. That's adequate power. Otherwise you're going to be needing parts that are either NLA or cost a fortune.

Ford's Stock Slump Sends Dividend Yield to Highest Since 2001 Bloomberg / October 2, 2018 Ford Motor Co.’s plummeting share price has sent its dividend yield to the highest in 17 years, an indication of just how rich a disbursement the company is paying during troubled times. The automaker’s stock fell to $9.20 on Tuesday, the lowest close since August 2012. That means Ford’s 15 cents a share quarterly dividend currently has an annualized yield of 7.93 percent, a level last seen in September 2001. Wall Street has warned that Ford may have to pare back its dividend -- the most generous among its automotive peers -- as earnings evaporate overseas and the company initiates a restructuring that it’s said may cost $11 billion and take as much as five years. The company has insisted it’ll maintain the payout.

Unless the engine has been modified. stick with the Mack spec Spicer clutch that the truck was engineered with. Don't second guess Mack engineering. A new 108935-94 is exactly what's needed. Mack never installed Lipe......they don't offer a Mack spec clutch. The Spicer clutch I speak of is not an off-the-shelf clutch from Spicer. It was built by Spicer to Mack engineering's specification, and was never sold to any other OEM. If you have juiced up the engine above 500 horsepower, buy the 108935-15. But if you haven't, don't buy it.

Reuters / October 2, 2018 U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday hailed a “remarkably positive outlook” for the U.S. economy that he feels is on the verge of a “historically rare” era of ultra-low unemployment and tame prices for the foreseeable future. It is a view, he said, based on how a changed economy is operating today, with businesses and households immunized by strong central bank policy from the inflationary psychology that caused unemployment, inflation and interest rates to swing wildly in the 1960s and 1970s. It is an outlook that includes an economic performance “unique in modern U.S. data,” with unemployment of below 4 percent expected for at least two more years and inflation remaining modest even as wages rise. And it is an outlook he feels will even survive the Trump administration’s efforts to rewrite the global trading system, a policy shift Powell said may lead to one-time price hikes, but not to persistent changes in the annual rate of inflation going forward. “This forecast is not too good to be true,” Powell told the National Associate for Business Economics, but instead “is testament to the fact that we remain in extraordinary times.” “These developments amount to a better world for households and businesses which no longer experience or even fear the scourge of high and volatile inflation.” Asked about the impact of tariffs on inflation, he replied that, so far, “we don’t see that in the data.” Powell spoke as debate among economic analysts and investors has begun turning toward a central question: Will the current low rate of unemployment inevitably doom a near decade-long expansion by driving inflation to levels the Fed will have to suppress with faster and higher than expected rate increases? That’s not the view contained in the Fed’s most recent round of forecasts, which sees a hot job market, steady economic growth, steady 2 percent inflation and only modest rate increases through 2021 - as if the United States had slipped into the sort of pleasant long-run equilibrium described in textbook economic models. Seeds of Trouble But several economists here argue that the seeds of trouble have already been planted, with companies using the recent tariff hikes on steel and other goods as an excuse to raise prices more generally, and to perhaps keep doing so. At a time when Amazon announced a nationwide minimum wage increase that could put pressure on other retailers, the administration was trumpeting a trade pact with Mexico and Canada that will steer auto production to higher wage locales, and leaves in place new tariffs on steel, a key industrial input. Boston Federal Reserve bank president Eric Rosengren said the current debate over globalization was not so much a “trade war” but “more of a supply chain war” that could take years to sort out as companies shift around production to higher-cost locales to escape tariffs on imports from China. “Big importers will tell you it is not that easy to change...It becomes a real risk if all of a sudden you are not sure what your price is going to be,” he said on Monday. Catherine Mann, global chief economist at Citigroup and former chief economist at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said the spark could be lit early next year. The costs of adjusting to tariffs and to trade uncertainty “gives firms cover to say, ‘I’m going to raise my prices,’” she told the NABE annual conference. “I’m timing it for the beginning of the year,” Mann said, when a windfall from this year’s tax cuts fade. Powell, in his remarks, said the Fed is not blind to the possible “revenge” of prices rising as they have before during times of sustained low unemployment. The central bank is guarding against that with its current, gradual interest rate increases, and will respond “with authority” if an inflationary mindset threatens to take hold. But he noted that many current and past Fed officials, himself among them, had warned in the years following the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis that falling unemployment and the Fed’s printing of trillions of dollars of new money would unhinge inflation at any moment. It never happened, and he said there is no reason now to expect it will. “I am glad to be able to stand here and say that the economy is strong, unemployment is near 50-year lows, and inflation is roughly at our 2 percent objective,” Powell said. “The baseline outlook for forecasters inside and outside the Fed is for more of the same.”

I can tell you for a fact that 4MR334P21 is indeed the Mack part number.

You want a new coaxially dampened ceramic button Spicer. Mack model number CL7984 (part number 11HB59P120) (9 spring / 6 paddle 15.5'" discs) Spicer number 108935-94 reference: https://www.stemontreal.com/cat/Eaton-Fuller-Clts/Clts-Mack-App-Guide.pdf

What's the number you're seeing?

Diesel News Australia / September 2018 After being shown at an expo next week, there will be an example of Iveco’s Electric Acco on the road. The new truck will be an Australian-first, an operational Iveco Acco waste truck, not powered by traditional diesel but by battery electric power. The joint project between waste body equipment manufacturer, Superior Pak and Australian electric drivetrain manufacturer SEA Electric, will see the Acco enter full service shortly after the expo with WM Waste Management Services. Superior Pak have the exclusive distributorship for the vehicle within the Australian Waste Industry. Powering the truck is a SEA-Drive 180 electric driveline featuring 220kWh NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) batteries, which provides the vehicle with a range of approximately 250km at full GVM (up to 23.5 tonnes) along with a limited top speed of 100km/h. The vehicle features a 22kW on-board charger allowing the truck to be plugged-in and charged from any three-phase power source. Battery charging time from totally flat to full charge is reckoned to be approximately eight hours. Battery longevity is calculated at 3,500 charge cycles. The first truck off the production line is a special order featuring a two-in-one body incorporating an industrial cage with electric ramp for picking up white goods and similar heavy items, while at the rear is a more traditional compactor body, it will be used on a hard waste collection with the City of Casey in Melbourne. “We’ve had a similar electric powered collection vehicle operating in New Zealand for some time now, and the owners are very pleased with the performance,” said Rob Wrigley, Superior Pak Managing Director. “The payback on the vehicle is attractive as is the low operating costs and lower total cost of ownership. “So when the idea came to develop a vehicle for Australia we again looked at the Iveco Acco platform. The Acco is such an icon of the industry and we’re already extremely familiar working with this platform, so our choice of truck was easy. “Being locally manufactured was another consideration for us in using the Acco, as the build process was more streamlined and we could also offer the market a complete, Australian designed and built, turn-key solution.” Iveco’s production line can provide Superior Pak and SEA Electric with a ‘glider’, essentially this is a complete cab chassis minus the driveline and associated equipment such as exhaust, fuel tanks, traditional battery boxes and related items. “These vehicles normally operate on known fixed routes where their travel range can be managed,” said Tony Fairweather, SEA Electric Group Managing Director. “The work is also ‘back to base’ in nature, meaning that at the end of a route, the vehicle has completed the job and can then be fully charged before the next working day.” .

Cloudy but no rain. https://weather.com/weather/5day/l/USPA0925:1:US