Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/14162
Truck Spotlight HARLEY-DAVIDSON EDITION LONESTAR ENGINES • Cummins ISX 435-600 hp TRANSMISSIONS • Eaton Fuller 10-, 13-, 15-, 18-speed manual; AutoShift 10-, 18-speed ; UltraShift 10-speed fully automated manual FRONT AXLES • Hendrickson, Meritor, and Dana from 12,350 lb. to 14,600 lb. REAR AXLES • Meritor and Dana-Spicer single reduction, 40,000 and 46,000 lb., optional lube pump BRAKING/STABILITY • Meritor Wabco and Bendix 4-channel ABS; Bendix roll stability and full stability; Meritor Wabco roll stability. FUEL TANKS • Dual back-of-cab 26-in. polished look like any other. It meant it had to ride and handle extraordinarily well, a design task that requires not only exotic features like air suspension on all three axles but ideal compromises between ride smooth- ness and stability in corners. It meant that its aerodynamics had to contribute to top fuel economy. At its introduction, says Wolford, the drag coeffi cient was as good as its best competitor’s and only a few percentage points less effi cient than International’s highly aerodynamic ProStar. He says aero drag is 10 to 15 percent mostly on back roads that are often unpaved and steep. “Still, the truck is holding up really well,” he says. It’s pow- ered by a 525-hp Cummins ISX with a 13-speed transmission and 3.58:1 rears. “At truck stops, everybody looks at the lower than competitive trucks with a traditional look. LoneStar Harley-Davidson owner Chris Hawker hauls sand in a Trail King bulk trailer supporting gas-drilling efforts in Pennsylvania. The tractor has a power take-off on it that drives a pump to load and unload the trailer. Hawker drives 46 OVERDRIVE AUGUST 2010 truck as they walk by in the parking lot. They say, ‘That is one bad truck!’ ” He loves the room in the cab, the design of the cabinets and the “great ride and low noise level.” The truck is “very quiet, even with the engine brake engaged,” he says, noting the result of design features like extra noise insulation and even rubber mounts for the cabinets in the sleeper. Hawker also enjoys the full gauge trim package, leather-wrapped wood wheel, leather-covered shift knob with his name and the serial number on top, and the leather seats and sofa bed. The dashboard reflects custom truck design elements, such as the hooded gauge bezels. ■