Volvo Pulls 750 Tonnes from Standstill to Unveil New Gearbox

Having unveiled its I-Shift dual-clutch gearbox in 2014, Volvo has now introduced crawler gears to the system in a goal to broaden its appeal. Not satisfied with a conventional debut, the company has unveiled the transmission by pulling a 750-tonne load from standstill.

Rather than employing a specially built truck to handle the 20-trailer, 40-shipping container load, the Swedish brand lined up an FH16 with a factory-spec drivetrain, gearbox and axles. Designed to make the life of drivers tackling slippery surfaces easier, the all-new crawler system enables trucks to maintain speeds between 0.5 and 2 km/h (0.3 – 1.2 mph).

Since they come with the regular gear ratios in the dual-clutch gearbox, there is no disadvantage once you have got your heavy load up to speed. In fact, even fuel economy is not changed, though the gearbox is 12cm longer than a regular unit.

Driven by Magnus Samuelsson, former “World’s Strongest Man” title holder, the truck hauled its load 100m in Gothenburg with trucking journalist Brian Weatherley in the passenger seat. Impressed by the feat, he said he has never seen anything like it during his time in the industry.

I-Shift with crawler gears can be paired with 13- or 16-liter engines across Volvo’s range. Though the truck in Volvo’s promotional stunt pulled 750 tonnes, which is equivalent to four Boeing 747s or 150 adult elephants, the driveline and gearbox are rated to 325 tonnes for regular use.