Snapper may be snipped by auto
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THE NEXT generation of gearboxes from Fuller, following the 'Snapper', could be automatic according to Paul A. Miller, president of the Eaton Corporation.
Speaking at the official opening of the new Eaton factory at St Nazaire, Mr Miller said that the Eaton Corporation had a "deep respect" for the competition in the transmission field.
He added that while a future Eaton unit could be automatic, it "will be a different version from those you know now." He declined to be drawn any further as to the design of the gearbox.
But he was not over-confident about when automatic transmissions would be fitted in significant numbers to heavy lorries.
The future Eaton/Fuller development in this area was to cover every eventuality in market demand. "We cannot ignore the possibility," he said.
The much publicised Eaton 'Snapper' gearbox will reach full market availability in 1978.
Answering questions on the apparent delay in getting the gearbox into production, he said Eaton did not accept test results obtained solely on the dynamometer. It was essential, he explained, to put millions of miles into pre-pro duction units under actual road conditions. "We must at least reach the base line provided by the Fuller twin-countershaft box."
The 'Snapper' is not an automatic gearbox by the usual definitions, but a mechanical transmission with the facility of engaging the gear every time the synchonising speed is reached.
The patented Eaton mechanism results in a gear box which prevents an actual gearchange under conditions which could cause damage to the transmission.
As the Eaton Corporation expands into new areas — for example, viscous fan drives for lorries are being explored — Mr Miller was asked if such diversification would extend to engines. The president replied: "We have no intention of going into the engine business."