2011 - Volume #35, Issue #3, Page #34
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On Demand Front-Wheel Dr
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"We are getting a very favorable reaction from sugar beet producers and custom forage harvesters," says Darren Foster, Tuthill Drive Systems. "Feedlots like putting it on grinder/mixer feed trucks, and fertilizer dealers are putting it on floater trucks. Dairy haulers tell us it lets them pick up milk no matter what the weather."
The EZ Trac axle is rated for up to 20,000 lbs. and can go on trucks as low as 10,000 lbs. It's a standard heavy-duty Class 5, 6, 7 or 8-style axle with brake ratings to match.
Foster notes that lots of OEM's don't offer front-wheel drive on heavy-duty straight trucks, and those who do offer it at the end of the line, not as a regular line installation. Foster says the EZ Trac is better than an OEM mechanical 4-WD because the drive units are on the wheel hubs so it has less physical impact on the front end.
"It weighs less than a mechanical front-wheel drive, which equates to an estimated 10 percent fuel savings, has a lower center of gravity, and maintains ride quality and turning radius," says Foster. "It also maintains ground clearance and automatically disengages above 20 mph, re-engaging when rear wheels lose traction. It works like 4-WD off-road, but feels like 2-WD on the road."
The EZ Trac axle assembly includes wheel speed sensors and drive units, control system and a pto-powered hydraulic system. Speed sensors are also installed on the rear drive. An on/off control is installed in the cab.
"We have installation centers across the U.S. and Canada," says Foster. "We sell through them."
Price for the unit varies, but Foster suggests a fully installed unit will run from $30,000 to $35,000.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tuthill Drive Systems, P.O. Box 600, Brookston, Ind. 47923 (ph 219 279-2801; DFoster@tuthill.com; www.tuthill.com).
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