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Iron Castings - Jan 3, 2017

Cut the weight | Move more freight | Truck News

Derek Clouthier | Truck News

Cast iron drums can be lightweight and achieve lightweighting objectives.

你可能无法把你的半卡车带到健身房或尊巴班来帮它减掉多余的体重, 但车队有办法让天平向有利于他们的方向倾斜，让他们的卡车减轻一些重量，这样他们就可以运送更多的货物.

 

Cut the weight, move more freight - Truck News

 

 

Bison Transport recently added 40 new Freightliner tractors to its fleet, 正如温尼伯公司的设备采购和创新经理史蒂文·奥班斯基所解释的那样 Truck News, 今年2月，他上任后的首要任务之一就是对这些卡车进行轻量化.

“If the weight on our equipment is too heavy, we can’t haul as much payload as we could (otherwise),” Orbanski said. “The problem is really prevalent in the reefer industry, 这就是这个项目的由来……我们需要减少很多重量，因为我们无法在这方面与我们那种重型的一辆卡车适合每种应用的交易竞争.”

奥班斯基需要减轻卡车和拖车的重量，使其至少能容纳45人,000 lbs of payload into the reefer, 但他几乎找不到可以减轻拖车重量的地方.

“在拖车方面，我们只能做一些小的事情，”他说. “We’re experimenting with some lighter dolly legs and lighter-weight hubs, 但是我们真的不能从那里节省很多因为我们需要隔热和(冷藏箱)的体积.”

Bison used aluminum dolly legs to cut some weight, 并且一直在挑战原始设备制造商找到更多的方法来增加拖车的重量. With the trailer only permitting so much in terms of cutting weight, Orbanski started focusing on the truck itself.

With 25% of Bison’s business hauled by long combination vehicles, 该公司无法从用于运输双挂车的重型卡车上减重.

“On that note, we were able to play with a few items,” said Orbanski.

The first was to move away from a 15-liter engine and employ a 13-liter, which saved approximately 550 lbs, not only because of the engine weight, 还有它所携带的液体以及发动机安装和支撑所需的支架. 接下来，奥班斯基使用了重量更轻的盘式制动器，这样他就能减重100磅. Bison was also able to reduce the weight of the truck frame, since it did not have to support as much force with the lighter engine, 最终节省超过200磅与减少框架厚度和规格.

“We were also able to, on at least one of the models, shorten the hood because of the smaller engine,” Orbanski said. “所以缩短引擎盖，取出框架和额外的支架也要花费几百英镑.”

Mike Palmer, manager of fleet product support for Freightliner Manitoba, 他说，车队可以利用轻量化规格的三种主要方式是发动机, cab configurations and chassis options.

除了使用13升DD13底特律发动机外，帕尔默还指出了排气配置.

“If the fleet chooses an underslung exhaust compared to vertical exhaust, the weight savings is approximately 115 lbs,” he said.

Palmer还表示，使用13加仑的柴油排气液(DEF)油箱比使用23加仑的DEF油箱要轻15磅左右.

奥尔班斯基补充说，在较小的DEF坦克中，仅携带重量就减少了近800磅. 帕尔默还强调，底特律DT 12自动变速器的重量比伊顿富勒ultrasshift Plus 13速变速器轻约340磅. Brake drums are another area to shed some weight.

“When spec’ing brake drums, there are SteeLite and CastLite drums, which are about 15-17 lbs lighter than regular drums,” Palmer said.

Wheel and suspension components are two areas Jason Stubbs, national sales manager for Maxim Truck and Trailer, said fleets can cut weight from their trailers.

Stubbs said going to aluminum hubs or lightweight steel hubs, 设计轻型悬架和拖车的整体设计, specifically the usage of more aluminum like cross-members, all reduce weight.

On the truck side of things, Kevin Bowen, national truck and bus sales manager for Maxim, said there are several ways to lightweight spec’ a truck, including 6×2 axle configurations (where permitted), lighter frame rails, aluminum axle carriers and cross-members and lighter-weight drive axles.

“The higher use of plastics in component manufacturing lightens a truck,” Bowen stated, “but durability is compromised.”

Stubbs concurred, 他说，重量较轻的部件通常成本更高，而且没有钢铁部件那么有弹性. “重量更轻的规格”并不适合所有人，因为额外的成本和耐用性需要得到回报,” said Stubbs. “Also, weight in some applications is not a concern.”

For Orbanski, 他说，野牛公司一直在寻找减轻卡车和拖车重量的方法, as long as it doesn’t compromise the service it provides.

奥班斯基说:“我们正在经历一种改变，试图为应用程序制定规范。. “轻量化确实推动了这一趋势，并将其推向了其他业务领域. We just try and do our homework, and weight is always a great reduction. It’s always going to be there for us, 在不影响卡车使用寿命和功能的前提下，尽可能减轻设备的重量.”

铝制部件的使用当然是减重的关键因素之一.

Using an aluminum air tank instead of steel saves about 30 lbs; an aluminum fifth wheel sheds around 100 lbs compared to a cast iron fifth wheel; and Alcoa Ultra One aluminum rims are five pounds lighter than regular Alcoa rims, according to Palmer.

A smaller fuel tank can also help lighten a truck’s load, 考虑到需要更少的燃料和更轻的卡车，哪一个可能是一个实际的选择.

“We did some calculations on the fuel mileage we were expecting, 我们想要跑的路线和司机应该能加满油的地方,” Orbanski explained. “Basically, we wanted to run Winnipeg to Toronto without a fill, 这样我们就把300加仑的油箱减少到了200加仑.”

Orbanski said despite the obvious benefits in fuel economy, 探索轻量级规格主要是为了更好地在冷冻机行业竞争.

“如果你有四个人在竞标一项工作，其中一个人的载荷比你大得多, however they do it,” he said. “我们的首要任务是能够立即做到这一点，并获得更多的业务.”

After fuel savings, 奥班斯基说，由于减少了引擎盖，Bison能够缩短轻型卡车的轴距.

“Drivers are able to have a little bit more maneuverability,” he said. “And this is without losing any of the driver comforts we have. 对我们来说，留住司机也是一个重要的考虑因素……我们能够保留同样的高层客舱卧铺，以及所有的冰箱和逆变器, Bluetooth radios…all that stuff that they enjoy.”

Orbanski said Bison considered going even smaller, but after offering drivers some sample trucks to look over, the feedback was that the drivers preferred having some extra space.

Bowen指出，目前市面上的许多轻型飞机都是为美国市场设计的，因为美国最多有80架,双轴牵引车-挂车组合的车辆总重量额定值为000磅.

“In Canada, our weight laws are less stringent, so these weight saving options have not proven to be as popular,” he said. “这些部件的供应商是为重量不超过8万磅的卡车设计的. That would be okay if someone was traveling continually in the US, but we all know in Canada that is not the case. Our Canadian road and climate conditions are much harsher.”

Bowen added that in 2020, 更严格的温室气体排放法规将迫使制造商在运输设备的组装中使用更高比例的轻质部件. Well, shedding some weight is seldom a bad thing.

 

 

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