Scania six floating on air
Page 11
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Barring any hiccups with Type Approval, UK truck operators are soon to be given a choice of six different righthand-drive Scania rigids with full air suspension.
From the beginning of October P93/113 and R93/113 ML and MV all-air chassis, powered by Scania's 8.5 and 11-litre engines, will include both 4x2 and 6x2 variants with wheelbases available from 4.2-5.4m. Scania's air-sprung front axle is suspended by two air bellows, and located longitudinally by four reaction rods in front of the axle, which also absorb torque during braking.
The stiffness of the ML and MV air suspension is automatically adapted to suit the load via sensing valves on the front and rear axles. The all-air chassisframe height can be adjusted by +150mm and –100mm on the
front axle and +130mm and –75mm on the rear, allowing easy matching with demount bodies or loading docks.
Left-hand-drive MV "volume adapted" two and three-axle rigids were launched at the Amsterdam Show last year. On lowprofile tyres they have an 850mm chassis height — 70mm lower than the ML — allowing a load ceiling of 3m within an overall height of 4m.
MV chassis are virtually identical to the ML models but with a modified air intake, turbocharger and gearshift linkage to avoid any intrusion into the load space behind the cab. To achieve the lower frame height MV's also have reworked the frontaxle trailing link brackets and more compact spring bellows.
A left-hand-drive, low-height, all-air tractor called the MW is available in the UK but Scania has no immediate plans for an all-air right-hand-drive artic.
From 1 October all 2.9m wheelbase Scania MA6x2A tractors will gain rear air suspension as standard.