Heavy Duty Trucking, June 2017
HDT JUNE 2017 62 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM A utomated manual transmissions quickly surpassed conventional torque convertor automatic transmissions in long haul Class 8 applications Vocational applications remain a stronghold for automatic transmissions But Melissa Sauer executive director corporate affairs and communications for Allison Transmission says the last chapter has yet to be written on the AMT vs automatic debate Vocational applications by definition tend to be more severe duty cycles she says of Allisons popularity in that space These are applications with frequent stops and starts widely varying loads less than ideal operating surfaces and low speed operation All of these conditions are ideal for Allisons automatic transmission with its torque converter and full power shifting which gives drivers full continuous power regardless of operating conditions Looking at long haul operations Sauer feels automatic transmissions offer advantages over AMTs in several ways including downsped powertrains Our TC10 automatic is a great example of where a fully automatic transmission is used in linehaul metro applications she says Allison has combined the benefits of the torque converter launch with the efficiencies of a countershaft transmission In the TC10 the torque converter is used during launch and low speed situations such as maneuvering under a trailer or backing into a dock Otherwise the transmission will operate in converter lockup mode The torque converter and full power shifting allow for an aggressive axle ratio selection to take advantage of lower engine cruise speeds This combination provides the benefits of improved driver and vehicle safety by allowing the driver to focus on operation of the vehicle not shifting the transmission Sauer says Customers using the TC10 are also reporting impressive fuel economy in longhaul operation beating manuals and AMTs by up to 5 DONT OVERLOOK THE AUTOMATIC SPECIAL ISSUE CUTTING FUEL COSTS Allison Transmission says torqueconvertor automatics still have a place in OTR trucking applications particularly in managing downsped drivelines efficiently PHOTO ALLISON TRANSMISSON Go to truckinginfo com readerservice and click on reader service 184
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