Scania unveils new gearbox range

The current automated Scania Opticruise is set to be replaced according to Swedish truck maker Scania.

A new range of gearboxes, launched today, headlined by the G33CM are fitted to Scania’s updated V8 engines (with the exception of the 770hp) including the two 13-litre six cylinder engines rated at 500 and 540 horsepower.

More than $659 million has been invested in the new range as the commercial vehicle manufacturer looks to get an edge with its customary low-rev and fuel-efficient powertrains over the next decade.

A core feature of the new gearbox range is the wider ratio spread, which Scania has backed to better suit its low-rev engines with extended economy-gearing as it continues to push the envelope on reduced fuel consumption.

Scania’s new gearbox range has a significantly wider spread with a true overdrive gear on top and can handle both low and high revs in an efficient way.

The first new gearboxes will be seen coupled to three of Scania’s four Euro 6 V8s and two inline six engines.

A new 770 hp V8, however, will utilise the existing gearbox mated to the out-going 730 hp engine.

For Scania, developing a completely new gearbox range has been an enormous undertaking, especially when the range being replaced has been so successful.

In fact the all-new Scania Opticruise gearbox range has no parts in common with the existing range according to Jimmy Larsson, Senior Manager, Head of Gearbox Development at Scania R&D.

“The team’s assignment was to develop gearboxes that could handle the diverse demands of the next decade, especially regarding fuel consumption, drivability and sustainability,” he said.

“And with the new range, vehicles with high GCM can use fast axle gearing while still maintaining the required startability,” he said.

Scania has a longstanding tradition of offering powertrains with low-revs and high torque as key elements for achieving low fuel consumption.

If the engine has the torque and stamina to propel the truck at low engine speeds, less fuel is used.

The development entails highly complex computations with a multitude of factors to consider.

If a favourable cruising speed can be maintained at around, or just above, 1050 engine revolutions per minute, fuel will definitely be saved said Scania.

Until recently, a typical long-distance truck operated on a 1400 rpm level.

The first example in the new range, the G33CM, is around 60 kg lighter than the current gearboxes, mainly due to the all-aluminium housings and somewhat smaller dimensions. Another key achievement is lowered noise, a prerequisite for meeting future regulations.

The new gearboxes are shorter than the most common Scania gearbox at present, the GRS905. By only using two synchromesh gears (compared to seven) between low and high range split, the new gearboxes are shorter and sturdier, with shafts capable of handling more torque. This also enables Scania to use gears with slightly wider cogs that can handle more load and are more durable.

However, removing synchromeshes also place higher demands on the gearbox management system and the overall gear-shifting strategy. All the electronics are therefore new and manage the pneumatic actuators and the shaft brakes (three in total) that are required to deliver swift, smooth and accurate gearshifts.

Scania’s engineers adopted a new approach to reversing. In most gearboxes, selecting reverse entails letting a separate cog-wheel rotate the main shaft in the opposite direction. In the new Scania range, by contrast, the planetary engagement at the output shaft is used.

Reversing is effected by locking up the planetary wheel carrier. This solution allows access to eight reversing ratios at speeds up to 54 km/h (optional). An example of this application would be for tippers reversing over extended distances such as at tunnel construction sites.

The oil change intervals have been greatly improved, due to higher precision and the use of bigger oil filters and high-quality oil.

Power Take Off capabilities are also vital to a huge number of customers. Scania’s new range comes with an abundance of newly developed and clever PTO solutions aiming to fulfil any number of advanced PTO needs requested by our customers.

There will be nine different PTOs available, all offering increased performance, less drag losses and great flexibility via modularity. The EG PTOs are driven directly by the layshaft and are pressure-lubricated by the gearbox. The new interface on the gearbox with a lubrication port means that they can power heavier equipment such as hydraulic pumps.

The EK PTOs (flywheel driven) will consist of a separate unit, mounted between the engine and the gearbox. Four different ratios will be available and the output tower can be mounted in three different positions.

“All-in-all, we have every reason to believe that our new gearbox range is state-of- the-art for powerful truck engines,” says Alexander Vlaskamp, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing at Scania. “We hope it will support our customers in fulfilling their transportation tasks in a seamless and sustainable way for many years to come.”

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