Volvo Demonstrates Adaptive Loading System (6x2 lift axle)

[kscarbel2]

Transport Topics / August 21, 2015

Volvo Trucks rolled out a drivetrain system that management hopes will give the company a larger presence among liquid and bulk haulers, regional distribution carriers and trucking companies that often deal with diminishing loads or empty backhauls.

The adaptive loading system, built around an electronically controlled suspension, switches automatically between 6x2 and 4x2 power configurations with the use of a forward tractor tandem axle that can be lifted off the ground.

Company managers told reporters and editors here on Aug. 20 that when a trailer is mostly full, the lift axle places the wheels on the ground so they can bear weight and roll freely like trailer wheels. In contrast, when a trailer is mostly or completely empty and the tractor axle is not needed, up it goes and the 18-wheeler becomes a more efficient (albeit less lyrical) 14-wheeler.

“Volvo has long been known as a highway tractor manufacturer in the longhaul segment,” said Wade Long, Volvo director of product marketing. “But this will help us on regional growth. It’s a second opportunity for growth.”

The lift axle is made by Link Manufacturing Ltd. of Sioux Center, Iowa, and the drive axle is from Meritor Inc.

Volvo announced the system at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March, having started limited production in 2014. Full production starts in January, though, so the company is starting a major offensive to garner attention.

During briefings in Salt Lake City and here, and ride-and-drive demonstrations on the highways in between, Volvo managers said the new system is not the same as a traditional 6x2 configuration where both axles are always on the ground — a drive axle and a tag axle.

(In the more commonplace 6x4 configuration, both tractor tandem axles receive power from the engine.)

Traditional 6x2s have often been criticized for their lack of traction, but Volvo has addressed the problem with “dynamic weight transfer,” said Chris Stadler, product marketing manager for regional haul.

Beyond just axle up or down, Stadler says Volvo software takes input from sensors and balances weight on the tandem tractor axles as needed. For a fully loaded trailer the weight is balanced evenly between the two.

For a lighter load the drive axle takes most but not all of the weight. Eventually when the load is light enough the axle lifts. Extra weight can also be shifted to the drive axle when there is a need for more traction.

The company brought in customers, fleet executives, who said the axle-up configuration improves safety because the tractor’s wheel becomes longer and weight is split between the drive and steer axles, leading to better steering and handling.

“Everything has been positive with this,” said Joel Morrow, vice president and part owner of his family’s Plover Transportation, a small truckload carrier in Bellevue, Ohio.

“We’ve improved fuel efficiency, and they have better handling. The trucks have helped with our driver recruitment and retention. We have drivers asking to get into trucks with lift axles,” Morrow said.

Clay Handy, president of Handy Truck Line in Paul, Idaho, said he had already been thinking about converting to regular 6x2 tractors, so when Volvo contacted him about participating in a prototype test, “We jumped on it immediately.”

Handy said he might switch over 100% of his 120 trucks to adaptive loading.

J.W. Ray said he enjoys driving an adaptive loading truck for Idaho Milk Transport of Burley, Idaho. September marks his 40th anniversary as a driver, and during that time he has racked up 6 million miles.

“This is the most expensive toy I’ve ever gotten to play with,” the smiling Ray said.

[kscarbel2]

“Volvo has long been known as a highway tractor manufacturer in the longhaul segment,” said Wade Long, Volvo director of product marketing. “But this will help us on regional growth. It’s a second opportunity for growth.”

In other words, now that Volvo Group has Mack brand longhaul buyers migrating to the Volvo brand, they are now targeting the regional haulage segment. That leaves the Mack brand only with the vocational segment.

North American Volvo brand sales are now well ahead of the Mack brand.

The master plan is on schedule.

[Marcel67]

Don't worry about buying the lift axel from Volvo. My 2013 d13 are having so many issues that my axles are lifted by TOWTRUCKS!

[chu613]

Mack has recently launched the 6 by 2 configuration. I'm not sure that Volvo wants Mack out of the hwy business, or maybe they want that but still they will allow Mack to develop a new cab based on their cab.

Truth is that Mack can't compete with Volvo when it comes to hwy trucks.

They just don't have what it takes.

Volvo doesn't have to push Mack out, as Mack goes out itself due to its uncompetitive product.

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[kscarbel2]

Mack has recently launched the 6 by 2 configuration. I'm not sure that Volvo wants Mack out of the hwy business, or maybe they want that but still they will allow Mack to develop a new cab based on their cab.

Truth is that Mack can't compete with Volvo when it comes to hwy trucks.

They just don't have what it takes.

Volvo doesn't have to push Mack out, as Mack goes out itself due to its uncompetitive product.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"but still they [Volvo] will allow Mack to develop a new cab based on their cab"

Friend, Mack isn't developing anything. There is no more Mack. Mack is now nothing more than a brand name owned by Volvo Group. Volvo engineers have designed the new Volvo global cab platform-derived Mack brand cab. Each one of those engineer's e-mail addresses end in @volvo.com.

You're right that, owing to uncompetitive product, the Volvo brand is taking over the Mack brand's on-highway market share. And that's no accident.

[chu613]

Yes, I should remember the fact that Mack no longer exists. Some of us know but it's just hard to acknowledge and act accordingly.

We want to believe that there might be 1 or 2 engineers left from the old team to trim things around.

Obviously, if Volvo develops the new cab for Mack they don't want them out of the highway business.

At the end of day money goes in the same pocket regardless if it's a Mack or Volvo truck sold.

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