Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation To Offer Front-Engine Diesel Chassis Option
for RV Customers
Gaffney, S.C.—Freightliner Custom
Chassis Corporation (FCCC) announced today that it will produce a
front-engine diesel motorhome chassis. The combination of a
front-engine chassis with a diesel engine presents a unique
combination of benefits for RV manufacturers and RV owners alike.
This new configuration is affectionately nicknamed “FRED,” an
acronym for Front Engine Diesel chassis. Prototypes are planned for
the third quarter of 2005, and production will begin at the end of
2005.
“There’s no question diesel is the
optimal power plant for the RV market,” said Dean Schaper, Director
of Sales and Marketing for FCCC. “FRED is our way of showing gas
motorhome customers they can have all the power, fuel economy and
durability of a diesel engine at a price point that’s a very
attractive alternative to gas.”
The new FRED chassis also features a
lowered engine position compared to gas models, which will reduce or
even eliminate the intrusive and cumbersome “engine hump” normally
associated with front-engine RVs.
“Not only have we created a unique
combination of value and performance, we’ve improved the formula by
lowering the engine, which translates into real benefits for our
owners—more room inside and better handling,” remarked Gary Poole,
RV Product Manager, Freightliner Custom Chassis. “With all this
chassis offers—more torque, higher payloads, better fuel economy and
the strength of Freightliner’s 400-plus service centers, FRED is
going to make friends with our customers fast.”
The FRED chassis is powered by a
Cummins 5.9-liter diesel engine mated to an Allison 5-speed
transmission. The chassis will also offer a new, custom-tuned
Hendrickson spring ride suspension, exclusive to Freightliner Custom
Chassis. The front axle design allows for a 55-degree wheel cut for
increased maneuverability.
Freightliner Custom Chassis
Corporation manufactures premium chassis for the motorhome, delivery
walk-in van, school bus and shuttle bus markets. It is a subsidiary
of Freightliner LLC, the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in
North America. Freightliner produces and markets Class 3 – 8
vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, American
LaFrance and Thomas Built Buses nameplates and is a company of
DaimlerChrysler, the world’s largest commercial vehicle
manufacturer.
Reported on RV Trade
Digest
Finally the cab that came late to the party.
With GM and Ford selling more crew cabs each year than Extended and
Super Cabs, Dodge for 2006 will give them some real competition.
“Packaged with full-size Ram
capability, the all-new 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab offers the most
interior passenger space, cargo capacity and functionality of any
pickup truck on the market,” More
of course.
Quadrasteer
GMC Towing a Zeppelin travel trailer to Estes Park at the Spruce
Lake RV Park. The Denali is on the move again showing off it's
backing skills in the picturesque Rocky Mountains. It makes me want
to move to the hills near the Big Thompson River. Read
more...
It started with tailgate parties, like the ones famous where I
live in Denver at the Broncos Mile High football stadium. A clever way
to pack it all up including the tables! It's a "transformer for adults."
The Tailgate Cargo Box transforms from storage into two tables.
Read
this..
Back
into anything lately with your trailer? RostraOptical Sensing
System can help. Trailers are growing each year and campsites
aren't. Rostra, the leader in safety products has a back up
sensor that will dial in how close the back of your trailer is to those
soft trees. Reverse doesn't have to be a bad word. Gotta read this
The ideal hauling and living
vehicle, Featherlite aluminum custom & standard Sport Utility Recreation
Vehicles (SURV) trailers give outdoor enthusiasts a trailer they can rely on
to get them & their cargo to their destinations in comfort More.
Limited slip differentials. Generally in a limited slip rear end a clutch engages when the
right wheel, which is the driver, spin's, allowing both wheels to give you
traction. It's usually beneficial to have it unless you are pulling heavy
loads most of the time and on dirt or mud wearing the clutch in the
differential.
Do you need a diesel? The right diesel can dramatically out pull a gas engine. Ever see a gas
powered semi-truck? Diesels will generally last longer and get better fuel
economy. At the present they have better resale.
The down side.
Diesels can cost over $4000 more. If you keep them a
long time, or pull trailers constantly, the cost of the diesel option
will be minimized. You know diesels are louder than gas engines. If you
buy a diesel with a manual transmission, it will require more skill to
shift. In very cold conditions you will need to plug in block heaters
and be sure you are using blended fuel, #2 and #1. And the ever popular
if you get diesel on your hands while filling your tank you will smell
it for a few days option.Oil changes will cost twice as much or
more than gas trucks, and in area's where you are required to have an
emission test on trucks, the diesel costs more.
1/2 ton, 3/4 ton or 1 ton? The size of the truck you need depends of course on your needs. ½ tons
and light duty ¾ tons are for light duty work, loaded part-time.
Heavy-duty ¾ tons, 1 tons and above are designed to be loaded all of the
time. They have twice as many tapered bearings in the rear axle. It’s
called a full floating axle, similar to semi-truck eighteen-wheelers.
While ½ ton pickups have a semi-floating axle similar to a car, with
just 2 bearings. ½ tons and light duty ¾ tons will have a flush axle
housing matching the wheel. With the heavy duty ¾ ton, 1 ton trucks and
larger, the rear axle housing will actually stick out past the wheel and
have an additional 8 bolts on the end of the hub holding the axle into
the differential.
Nissan
Pathfinder Armada, new full-size SUV and new Fleetwood model. More...
click on picture to enlarge and back button to return.
2003
Lincoln Aviator pulls a Coyote Sportster To Estes Park. Parked here in
front of Estes Ark a popular place to find stuffed animals Click for review
click on picture to enlarge and back button to return.
After you spent the $40,000 on the Truck, Do You know if it will pull your
Trailer in the Mountains?
TRAILERS THE BASICS.
#1 Gooseneck, fifth wheel or bumper type. The gooseneck, attached to a 2 5/16 ball in the bed of the pickup truck or
the fifth wheel trailer attached to a pivoting receiver with a king pin
from the trailer similar to semi-trucks, are usually attached to the truck
2 to 4 inches in front of the rear axle toward the cab. This puts enough
weight on the front axle to steer properly leaving the majority of weight
on the rear axle. This type of trailer is dramatically easier to pull,
back up and control. Bumper trailers are for lighter loads. They tend to
sway back and forth unless you attach a weight distributing hitch to the
tongue of the trailer and are more sensitive to load balance. Bumper
trailers are also harder to back up. With any trailer, having too light
of a pulling vehicle can be dangerous traveling down hill or when
stopping, the trailer can push the vehicle!
#2 Tandem, double or triple axles. It all depends on use. For heavy loads triple axles are cheaper, but are
harder on your tires unless you never turn corners. When you turn corners
with triple axles the front tire and the rear tire flex their sidewalls
extremely. It can pop the tire beads under a heavy load. Not to mention
the pressure on the wheel bearings. I had trailer house axles for awhile
under my 33 foot hay trailer. The tires on trailer house axles are touchy.
I had to have at least 90 PSI of air in them to keep them from heating and
disintegrating. I found some 6 bolt Chevy wheels that matched the spindle
bearings. That was an improvement! When I bought my first new gooseneck 32
foot flatbed, I made sure it had 8 bolt wheels to match my pickup wheels.
You can never have enough spare tires and it's nice to have the trailer
and truck use the same spares.
#3 Springs. The right springs makes life much simpler if you use your trailer a lot.
Torsion axles, the most expensive, involve an round axle inside of a
square axle. The gaps between the round axle and the round axle are filled
with rubber. These axles are the least maintenance and easiest to replace.
The slipper springs are cheaper. They are a leaf spring attached at the
front and allowed to slide through equalizer at the rear. Also a low
maintenance spring. The shackle spring, popular because it's cheaper, is
attached with hangers to the leafs. This spring gives you the least
independence of the axles. The bolts and bushings and equalizers need
checked more often or replaced. They do work well on light trailers not
used everyday.
#4 Wheels, tires and bearings I've wore out several trailers, axles, and those wonderful brakes.
I switched to Dually's just to be sure I had brakes. If you can, match the
trailer wheel to your pickup truck wheel. Six bolt, five bolt, and 8 bolt.
You will generally have more flat tires on your trailer than on your
truck. The axles are closer together and they tend to throw what ever they
pick up from the road at each other. I like the axle hubs that are
greaseable from the outside or oil bath with a site glass and plug. Get
the highest ply or load rated tire. C rated is 6 ply, D is 8 ply, and E is
10 ply.
Trailer
News with Andrew Lyons.
Technology is changing the
trailer world to keep up with the more
powerful trucks that pull them. News on air brakes, disc brakes,
independent suspensions, hydraulic brake controls, and pour on flooring.
For more click
Andrew Lyons next to a Hart aluminum slant horse trailer. Horse
hauling has come a long way from the "seventies" when I would back my
truck into the ditch and jump my Quarter Horse in the back of stock racks.
Stop
tire cupping, vibration and premature wear on those expensive
truck, RV & trailer tires. Centramatic
automatic wheel balancers have been saving money on tires for
semi-trucks for over twenty years. Now you can automatically
balance your tires, wheels, hub and rotors or drums while you
drive. A balanced tire doesn't cub, vibrates less & lowers the
tire sidewall temperature from less flexing, giving you longer
tire life. 5 year warranty, made in the USA. More
"MrTruck's Insider Club"
The Truth about Trucks! Nine
fact filled reports
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Right Truck and Accessories! Get breaking truck news first. Reviews and custom truck evaluations just for you.
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For the rest of
the story Click
or at least a year of it!
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Trailer
News with Andrew Lyons.
Stop
tire cupping, vibration and premature wear on those expensive
truck, RV & trailer tires.
Centramatic
automatic wheel balancers have been saving money on tires for
semi-trucks for over twenty years. Now you can automatically
balance your tires, wheels, hub and rotors or drums while you
drive. A balanced tire doesn't cub, vibrates less & lowers the
tire sidewall temperature from less flexing, giving you longer
tire life. 5 year warranty, made in the USA.
More
