Mem lifts its cabs axles and engines
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by Brian Weatherley. ▪ Mercedes-Benz will bolster
its heavy truck line-up next year with a face-lifted cab, a lifting mid-axle twin-steer and electronically controlled engines for Euro-2.
Few details are available on the SK cab facelift, which affects all Mercedes-Benz models from 17-tonnes upwards, but the changes will be cosmetic rather than structural, offering some improvement in aerodynamics. The new cab will be displayed at the Hanover Show in May.
By the end of March Mercedes-Benz (UK) is also planning to offer a twin-steer Powerliner tractor with a lifting air-suspended mid-axle conversion. The raised axle is intended to appeal to operators looking at 44-tonne combined operations and those running with tipping semi-trailers who want maximum traction. A dashboard. controlled air dump will allow the mid-axle to be raised for a limited period.
The German truck maker will unveil its Euro-2 truck diesel range in Mannheim in January. All Merc's in-line sixes used in chassis up to 17-tonnes will make the Euro-2 barrier, due in 1995/96, without any major refinements beyond chargecooling. However, the vee-six and vee-eight engines used in the Powerliner tractor range will get Bosch electronic management control.
The 12.7 and 14.6-litre veeeight engines fitted in the 1838, 1844 and 1850 models will also share a single capacity block for Euro-2. While there is unlikely to be any change in engine power, torque outputs are expected to improve.
Operators looking for a new Mercedes heavy truck cab will have to wait until 1995 when the replacement to the SK cab is unveiled. The replacement cab on the middleweight LN2 range will be launched in 1996.