Argosy aims to woo US drivers
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by Steve Sturgess • Freightliner, the Daimler-Benz division that leads the American truck market, has launched the Argosy, a cab-over design derived from the American Century Class conventional rather than Mercedes' Actros.
According to Freightliner president Jim Hebe, the idea was to design a cabover that felt like a premium conventional while addressing American drivers' concerns about cabover accommodation, access and safety.
Inside, the Argosy is just like the Century Class conventional. There's the same ceiling height, with the engine hump intruding just 76inm. The seats, door, dashboard and instrumentation are also straight out of the Century: from the driving seat, only the lack of a bonnet betrays the difference. Optional swingout steps provide a staircase that can be negotiated with a cup of coffee in each hand. A flip-up front panel gives access to the usual daily checkpoints, and safety has been addressed too: the structure meets the EUI's ECE R-29 frontal impact standard and the latest SAE cab crash standard which includes rollover tests.
With 6,000 sales a year, cabovers currently account for only 3°0 of Class 8 sales in North America—the Argosy launch is designed to increase this share. It includes the Safety and Productivity Concept (SPC) truck: a co-operative design between Freightliner and
number-one trailer maker Wabash National which couples an Argosy with a 58ft triaxle trailer at a target GC1N of 90,000Ih (40,700kg).
The project's partners hope to convince US federal safety authorities that this configuration—two feet shorter than a conventional sleeper tractor and 53ft trailer—offers better productivity and would reduce the number of trucks on the road.
Freightliner is also counting on exports. The Argosy is engineered for right-hand-drive markets and is aimed squarely at Australia and New Zealand— shipments are promised for 1999. Export orders are also expected from Smith Africa, Israel and Latin America.
The Argosy is a 870m derivative of the Century Class and shares much of the conventional's cab shell: the Century Class programme anticipated the introduction of a new cabover.
The Argosy cab is 305min wider at the driver's shoulder than the Century Class, but particular attention has been given to locating the seats in the same position relative to the doors and dashboard so drivers get the same feel as the Century.
Windscreens are available with a central glaz ing bar and two windshield wipers or in one piece with three wipers.
The decision not to give the Argosy a completely flat cab floor allowed a lower cab mounting. This makes the Argosy feel more like the Century and facilitates access. The Argosy takes all proprietory engines up to 600hp; some of these require a taller hump of up to 178mm. Gear-lever intrusion is minimised with a dash mount and cable shift.
Driver and passenger seats swivel, and the cab is amply provided with storage. The dash features the same instrumentation and switchgear as its conventional stablemate.
Maintenance is minimised on the Argosy, with a base chassis service interval of 100,000 miles (160,000km). The steering shaft, front spring bushings, driveshaft and clutch bearing are all zero-maintenance.
Access to the driveline is superb: an electric pump tilts the cab up to 85° and the steps raise with it.
The optional cab access stair is electrically operated when the door is opened.
The SPC truck
The Wabash National trailer is 11.7m long and 2.59m wide. The walls are steel/plastic composite and the deck height is lowered through the use of 19.5in wheels, making the interior 2.58m wide by 3.08m tall throughout. The result is 136m3 of cargo space.
The tag axle. like the tandem, is air suspended hut is equipped with a fast-acting dump valve activated automatically from the tractor when the vehicle is manoeuvring at walking speed. A speed signal from the truck and a large steeling angle signal are required before the trailer will dump the air. When it noes, a height sensor or the tag axle pumps up the tandem to regain ride height. The trailer turns about the tandem axle group for enhanced manoeuvrability and minimised tire scrub.
With six axles, even at 40,700kg the truck will impose 13'. less weight on the road surface than a standard fire-axle 80,000Ib (36,400kg) rig. The 1.21-tonne Argosy and its 6.82-tonne Wabash semi could handle a payload of almost 27 tonnes.
Safety features include 15% better rollover stability thanks to the lower trailer floor and the 19.5in tractor wheels on full-width 2.59m axles. Freightliner has equipped the rig with ABS and front Mentor disc brakes. Even at the higher gross weight, the outfit will stop in a 15°A shorter distance than a standard air-braked attic.
The latest Vorad EVT-300 collision-warning system alerts tlie driver to obstacles ahead; cruise control varies the speed to maintain a safe distance behind other vehicles. The warning system includes a blind-spot sensor for the tractor's right side, and the Argosy has a prototype warning device which alerts the driver if the truck strays over the lane markings unless the indicators are activated. Other safety equipment includes
The SPC truck
an air bag and the Freightliner-pioneered SPACE seat-belt tensioning device.