Volvo Trucks adds new crawlers to I-Shift range

New forward and reverse crawler gear options have been added to the Volvo I-Shift line-up for startability improvements

 

Volvo Trucks has launched a new version of the I-Shift range, integrating an additional two crawler gears to the automated transmission to improve take-off for heavily-loaded vehicles.

Aimed at construction and maintenance roles, the new I-Shift with crawler gears offering allows trucks to travel at speeds as low as 0.5-2 km/h – an aid for drivers performing precise manoeuvres.

With the crawler gears, Volvo Trucks FM and FMX product manager Peter Hardin says drivers will be able to “regulate their speed when crawling slowly and reversing” and avoid “costly standstills.”

“The vastly improved driveability and startability with the new crawler gears makes the driver’s job far easier when operating in difficult terrain on slippery surfaces with heavy loads, such as at construction sites, in mines or in forests,” Hardin says.

“The heavier the transport operation and the poorer the surface or the terrain, the more the driver gains from a truck with crawler gears.”

Available with Volvo’s 13- and 16-litre engines found in FM, FMX, FH, and FH16 models, the new I-Shift with crawler gears offering is capable of helping a vehicle transport a gross combination weight (GCW) of up to 325 tonnes.

According to the truck maker, the transmission comes in direct-drive and overdrive gearbox options, with the option of two reverse crawler gears.

With one forward crawler gear, the direct-drive and overdrive ratios are 19:1 and 17:1, respectively.

For those with two forward crawler gears, the lowest ratios are both 32:1.

In terms of the lowest reverse gear ratio, the direct-drive gearbox can reach 37:1.

To handle the new gears, Volvo says the crawler gearbox is 12cm longer than the conventional I-Shift unit and several components have are constructed from “high-strength materials.”

While Volvo says the gearboxes will suit poor-terrain locations, Hardin says the crawler gears can also aid vehicles working across highway haulage roles too.

“I-Shift with crawler gears makes it possible to start off from standstill in extreme situations,” Hardin says.

“Combining them with a suitable rear axle ratio that optimises engine revs at high speeds results in lower fuel consumption on the highway.

“This is a significant benefit to haulage firms doing this kind of work.”

 

Volvo has released a video on the new offering, watch it below:

 

 

 

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