Heavy transport company Ale has unveiled their latest new truck, the Trojan Truck!
This is a truck that was designed by ALE enginering and it was produces in the UK. The unique feature is that the truck is able to link up to multiple tractor units in a command and drone convoy. The command vehicle controls not only itself, but also the other tractors that are linked mecanicly, by air and by the can bus data system. The truck weighs 72 tons and it has a max speed of 77 km/h. One Trojan Truck can tow a 300 ton combination weight over a maximum gradiënt of 14%.
The steering, vehicle braking, electrics, engine and transmissions on all tractor units
are synchronised by computer which ensures each vehicle is in a matched gear,
matched RPM and matched torque. Vehicle braking, engine compression braking
and transmission retardation can be controlled identically and there is no limit to the
number of vehicles that can be added to the convoy. The engine and transmission performance reduces emissions and provides a fuel saving of 40% compared to that achieved by previous models. A key design consideration for ALE was to ensure that the power could be delivered effectively, producing significantly improved tractive effort compared to other standard market products. Critical to this was to ensure that the trucks provided a significant and balanced footprint which would also assist with retardation. “We wanted to replace our current fleet of trucks with a specification that improved on vehicle performance, capability and fuel efficiency but there was no other truck on the market that delivered this”, said Gary Butler, ALE Project Manager and designer of the Trojan truck. “We therefore designed our own based on our specific requirements which included computer synchronisation, future-proof electronics, automatic gear change, ABS, transmission retardation, a good footprint for power and torque, and a stainless steel cab.
“Through the custom drive and transmissions, we are now able to deliver the required power to move abnormal loads more efficiently, more smoothly and in a more environmentally friendly way. It was very much a team effort and without the hard work from everyone involved the truck could not have been created.”
This is the first of a fleet of six new trucks to be built by ALE. Four will be retained in the UK, with two destined for the United Arab Emirates.
The 8×8 Trojan Truck is driven by a Volvo Penta 16 liter engine with 700 Hp and a torque of 3220 Nm.
Main transmission: Allison M6620AR full automatic 6 speed. Integral torque
converter, PTO, & retarder.
Auxiliary Transmission: Kessler VG2500, 2 speed transfer case, with built in torque
proportioning 1/3 to the front 2 axles, 2/3 to the Rear 2 axles. Low range = 2,07:1
High range = 1,03:1