Freightliner, Sterling Offer Eaton’s Automated Medium-Duty Transmissions

CLEVELAND … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation recently announced that the UltraShift^® Highway Value (HV) transmission is now being offered by Daimler Trucks North America on the company’s 2009 lineup of Freightliner M2-106 and Sterling Acterra medium-duty trucks. The vehicles are available with Cummins engines and GVW ratings up to 33,000 pounds.

“Daimler Trucks North America, which manufactures Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star trucks, has selected the UltraShift HV so that they could offer their customers the fuel saving features of an automated transmission,” said Dontia M. Warren, NAFTA medium duty market development & strategy manager for Eaton’s Truck business. “Their familiarity and success with other Roadranger products and the people who represent those products were also contributing factors.”

Tests conducted by an independent firm in accordance with SAE J1526 Joint TMC/SAE Fuel Consumption In-Service Test Procedure, Type III, measured the UltraShift HV transmission against a conventional automatic transmission and determined that the UltraShift HV transmission delivered fuel economy savings from six percent to 19 percent, depending on the duty cycle.

“The UltraShift transmission is without question the most efficient, cost effective way for medium duty customers to improve fuel economy,” said Jeff Bowen, general sales manager, Dallas Freightliner – Western Star. “Not only is the transmission more efficient than comparable automatics, it can be serviced in most cases by the selling dealer instead of a local distributor. Customers experiencing transmission problems will no longer need to guess between a distributor and a dealer. In some cases what was thought to be a transmission problem can actually be a truck problem. When that happens someone has to get the truck where it needs to be and it’s usually the customer. These reasons alone make the Eaton UltraShift transmission a strong consideration.”

”The fact that the Eaton automated transmission is lubed for life and doesn’t require lube and filter changes is another important feature,” continued Bowen. ”Comparable automatics require multiple lube and filter changes during their lifecycle, and in most cases, the service needs to be performed by a distributor and not the selling dealer. Ultimately, the UltraShift presents an opportunity to keep the money in the hands where it belongs, the customer’s.”

The UltraShift HV transmission is a fully automated transmission system for Class 6 and 7 vehicles with diesel engines in the 195 to 260 horsepower range. The HV is capable of handling torque capacities up to 660 pounds per foot and loads up to 33,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. The UltraShift HV transmission is ideally suited for pickup/delivery, service/utility and recovery applications.

Additional key features and benefits of the UltraShift HV transmission include:

• No scheduled maintenance: no filters to change feature provides lower maintenance and reduced downtime costs.

• Hill assist: automatically minimizes rollback on up to 10 percent grades while the operator makes the transition from the brake pedal to the accelerator, which benefits the driver in both uphill and downhill stop/start situations.

• Modular design: provides more rapid service and reduced service costs.

• Commonality: electronics modules and shift controls used on other Fuller^® manual and automated transmissions allow service providers to reduce service parts inventories and speed training and certification of technicians

For additional information on Eaton’s UltraShift HV transmission and other Roadranger® commercial vehicle components visit www.roadranger.com. To reach Roadranger customer service in the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-826-HELP (4357). In Mexico, dial 001-800-826-4357. The Roadranger Solution is an unbeatable combination of the best drivetrain, chassis and safety components from Dana Corporation and Eaton Corporation; all backed by Roadranger customer service – the most experienced and accessible drivetrain consultants in the business.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2007 sales of $13 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has 81,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries.

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