Volvo Trucks I-Shift with crawler gears can start off with 325 tons

New member of Volvo Trucks I-Shift automated transmission

The Volvo Trucks I-Shift automated transmission is being extended by the addition of a new member of the family, by adding crawler gears. 

These new gears are added to the automated transmission, providing exceptional startability (getting the tremendous weight to start moving is a big part of the challenge) for trucks in demanding situations.

2 crawler gears added for 325 tons of GCW

Up to 2 new crawler gears, shorter than the current gearbox’s lowest gear ratio, can be added.  It can be either 1 or 2 forward gears, and with or without 2 reverse crawler gears.  With 2 crawler gears added, it allows a Volvo truck to move off from standstill at a GCW (Gross Combination Weight) of up to 325 tons.  This towing ability is unique among series-production automated trucks, states Volvo Trucks.

0.5km/h crawling for zero downtime

The problem in pulling such a huge weight is not just the movement, but manoeuvring it at crawling speeds, forward or reversing.  I-Shift with crawler gears can let the driver drive at speeds of 0.5 (half) to 2 km/h.  This ability helps greatly where immense precision is needed.

These crawler gears also assist the driver across difficult terrain on slippery surfaces as encountered at construction sites, mines or forests.  These ultra-low ratio gears would also mean the trucks and their loads can go up steeper inclines, and the strain on the drivetrain during start-off and low-speed uphill is far less.

This crawling speed functionality opens up a new scope of super-low speed regulation in the truck world – the driver can haul a heavy load without worrying about the risk of expensive time-wasting downtime caused by unplanned standstills.