Dana announces Spicer tandem axle availability for Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks
Dana Holding Corporation has announced that the Spicer EconoTrek 6x2 tandem axle is now available for 2014 Peterbilt and Kenworth commercial vehicles, and that Peterbilt and Kenworth are the first production trucks in the industry to offer Spicer AdvanTEK 40 tandem axles – a technology that increases fuel economy, improves reliability, reduces vehicle weight and decreases total ownership costs.
Dana is a global leader in the supply of highly engineered driveline, sealing, and thermal-management technologies that improve the efficiency and performance of vehicles with both conventional and alternative-energy powertrains.
The AdvanTEK 40, a new 40,000-lb tandem axle for a variety of Class 8 applications, is currently offered in initial production quantities with a select number of popular axle ratios, including the industry’s fastest axle ratio of 2.26:1, says Steve Slesinski, the company’s global director of product planning. The product’s full selection of 13 ratios from 2.26 to 3.91 and options will be available this summer.
The tandem axle incorporates "a powerful combination of technologies that can enable an engine at highway cruise speed to run up to 200 rpm lower than alternative powertrain systems while still reducing weight and increasing axle efficiency," he notes. "These innovations include patented breakthroughs, such as wheel differential locks, a high-efficiency lubrication pump and a U-tube breather.
"It also features advanced gearing, 30 percent increased torque capacity for added strength with downspeed engines, the industry’s most robust driveshaft system, and an optimized carrier design.
"Ultimately, it can deliver up to $10,000 in estimated operating savings over a five-year period when compared with other tandem axle offerings," Slesinski adds.
"Dana is heavily committed to research and development that supplies real, quantifiable benefits for fleets," says Pat D’Eramo, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies. "We designed the Spicer AdvanTEK 40 to produce immediate efficiency gains without compromising the built-in reliability and durability that Dana’s products are known for in the industry."
Up to 21 pounds lighter than competitive 40,000-lb tandem axles on the market today, the Spicer AdvanTEK 40 axle was developed with faster axle ratios to handle higher axle input torques, lowering engine rpm at highway cruise speed while increasing overall axle efficiency by up to 1.2 percent.
It is offered with options including thick-wall housings, Spicer LMS and LMSi hubs, and Dana’s versatile SelecTTrac solution, which maximizes the GAWR rating for aluminum hubs and extends wheel bearing life in wide-based single-tire configurations.
The Spicer EconoTrek 6x2 tandem axle, now available for 2014 Peterbilt and Kenworth commercial vehicles, reduces vehicle weight by up to 400 pounds when compared with a traditional 40,000-lb 6x4 tandem axle arrangement, says Slesinski, and it offers numerous innovations for reducing maintenance and increasing the fuel economy of heavy duty linehaul tractors from 2 to 3 percent.
"Growing numbers of North American fleets are recognizing the gains in fuel efficiency they can achieve by spec’ing 6x2 axles for select applications," D’Eramo says.
The Spicer EconoTrek tandem axle supports the use of wide-based single tires on standard track axles with two-inch outset wheels. When specifying the Spicer EconoTrek tandem axle with single-wide aluminum wheels fleets can realize an additional 400-pound weight savings versus dual tires with steel wheels, he notes.
Later this year, Dana will release a SelecTTrac option that provides maximum gross axle weight capability for fleets that spec 0" to 0.56" outset wheels for wide-based single tires.
The Spicer EconoTrek tandem axle is optimized for use with electronic-controlled air suspension systems, such as the new Bendix eTrac system. When combined with the Dana’s patented wheel-differential lock feature, the eTrac system seamlessly transfers weight to the drive axle for improved low-speed traction.
