Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/873209
September 2017 | Overdrive | 41 controls, and it also allows for the inte- gration of the three-stage engine brake, which can be activated by pushing the selector switch downward. It also frees up the dash panel for better switch placement. The Paccar transmission's 18.85 gear ratio translates to better startability and lower rpm at cruising speeds. While the transmission's smoothness stands out, what steals the show are the quiet, intu- itive and seamless shifts, coupled with low-speed maneuverability. An "Urge to Move" feature prevents the truck from rolling in the wrong direction at start and allows the driver to use the brake to control truck speed. By lifting your foot off the brake with the truck in drive, it starts to roll for- ward, even fully loaded on a grade as steep as 15 percent. If you fall behind in traffic, you can upshift manually to close the gap quickly without touching the accelera- tor. You also can downshift manually as the need arises. When you reapply the brake, the transmission downshifts, as you would expect. This feature also works in reverse. When backing up, you can creep, bumping between high and low reverse gears as needed. You don't have to feather the accelerator and risk smack- ing the dock with an ill-timed lurch. I was loaded to nearly 80,000 pounds and pushed the trailer up a small grade slowly but effortlessly. When you need to come up to speed quickly, the transmission skip-shifts through the first eight gears based on torque needs, the road grade and the load. Capping the skip-shift feature at eighth gear lets the tractor build speed faster at both the top and bottom end and reach a cruising speed of 65 mph at about 1,100 rpm. The transmission puts itself into neu- tral automatically when the air brakes are applied, giving a hurried driver a failsafe that the truck is parked and out of gear when he hops out of the cab. The Paccar transmission provides Jason Cannon is equipment editor for Overdrive. VALUES+ PROGRAM™ 11R22.5 OR LP22.5 INCREDIBLE VALUE FROM THE LEADER IN RETREADING LOW PRICES ON BANDAG QUALITY TIRES $169 Cap & Casing $189 Cap & Casing $199 Cap & Casing B195™ Trailer B726™ Closed-Shoulder Drive WHL Open-Shoulder On/O Road Drive 11/32 nds 22/32 nds 26/32 nds Lifetime Limited Warranty* Assembled in America Grade A Casing Bandag Quality Tread Designs & Compounds State Of The Art Bandag Manufacturing Process © 2017 Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC. All Rights Reserved. AT PARTICIPATING BANDAG AUTHORIZED DEALERS. OTHER SIZES AND CASING GRADES MAY BE OFFERED. *Certain conditions and limitations apply. See Bandag retailer or warranty manual for details. Bridgestone_Bandag_CCJ0817_PG.indd 1 7/20/17 11:11 AM a marginal yet measurable fuel economy improvement over the offerings it competes against in the order book. It will be available only as a mate for the MX-13 engine initially, but it can be spec'd with Paccar, Meritor or Dana rear axles. The transmission comes with a five-year/750,000-mile warranty that is about 50 percent longer than its next-closest competitor.