International loanstar manual#

But it does give an interesting indication of where Eaton is heading. The N13 and Advantage package is aimed at 1,150 to 1,240rpm as the optimum cruising revs with an amazingly tall (by Australian standards) diff ratio of 2.64.ДЇleet testing to date has seen fuel economy improvements of up to 1.9 per cent.ДЄs the American line-haul gross weight is only 36,000kg, itвЂ™s pretty clear this package wonвЂ™t be landing in Oz anytime soon. A reduction in the ratio gap between direct and overdrive is also new, allowing for lower rpm in direct while maintaining power.

The reduction in oil churning and drag on the driveline and the reduced heat and friction from the new unit has also seen the dropping of the transmission cooler as well.

International loanstar manual#

Initially targeting line-haul applications, the 10-speed Advantage transmission is available as a manual shift or as an automated box and features a thinner iron case wall, a semi-dry sump lubrication system and the use of aluminium components where possible. The new Eaton Fuller Advantage range of on-highway transmissions has been designed to reduce weight and drag from the driveline. While we may have all been gazing longingly out the window at the assembled trucks, the guys from Eaton were keen to showcase some of the work theyвЂ™ve been doing to chase fuel. Today, however itвЂ™s a different company that is climbing back into the ring. The manufacturing behemoth had started to crumble under the weight of punishing warranty claims for the MaxxForce 13 and 15 engines, the payment of non-compliance penalties for making engines that didnвЂ™t meet the EPA10 regulations, a shareholder revolt and litigation from competitors. Navistar itself is starting to claw its way back out of the advanced exhaust gas recirculation (AEGR) mire that it had become marooned in. While aerodynamics are becoming a huge part of fuel saving targets in the US, engines, transmissions and final drive ratios are all now under scrutiny as OEMs all clamour to find that competitive edge with fuel savings. As the guys from Navistar like to point out, the International ProStar was the first real cab off the aerodynamic rank way back in 2007. The reality is however, that all American manufacturers now have a slippery-shaped prime mover for the US long-haul market.ДЇrom the Freightliner Cascadia, Kenworth T680, to the Volvo VN and the newly launched Western Star 5700EX, a streamlined bonnet and cab is now the new face of trucking in the US. The aero look of most new American prime movers is at odds with the flat, portrait style radiator grille and vertical snorkels and stacks that we associate with a big American conventional. The enduring image of American trucking is often a Peterbilt 379 or Kenworth conventional with a towering chrome shrouded snout, but emissions targets are now also mandating fuel economy for Class 8 (heavy-duty) vehicles. The circuit has a mix of highway, and off-road circuits, and like most test facilities it has lots of very interesting bits of gear tucked away to be flogged around the track when nobody is looking. From the baby TerraStar 4x4, the WorkStar vocational hauler to the ProStar highway hauler and of course the range topping LoneStar, InternationalвЂ™s king of bling.Дuring the summer months, EatonвЂ™s 600-acre (243-hectare) facility is pretty much booked solid with manufacturer testing schedules, training days, customer drive days and of course the occasional bunch of blow-in media, like us. But that day at the Eaton test facility located in Marshall, Michigan we were introduced to a cross-section of the International range. ItвЂ™s probably fair to say IвЂ™m easily amused.

He even takes some pictures for show and tell. A black International LoneStar glittering in all its retro chrome glory and his reaction is only marginally more mature. Only days earlier in the United States, a bigger kid of the adult variety finds himself standing in front of the real thing. The LoneStar tends to have that sort of effect on people. 'Wow, IвЂ™m taking this to show and tell!' he squeaks as he scurries out of the room. Inside the box is a scale model of an International LoneStar, the hero of the American International heavy-duty range. He looks up at his old man 'Can вЂ¦ can I have it?' Wide-eyed, he says 'Is it for me?' Recently in a small town in regional New South Wales, a five-year-old boy stood staring in wonder at the contents of the box that his dad had just given him.