According to the team at transmission manufacturer, Eaton, the Collins Transport run from Adelaide to Sydney is the ultimate test for their Endurant XD Pro AMT.
“The AMT is smooth, not jerky or jolty or anything like that,” says Rick Vatsinaris, one of three Collins’ driver trainers. “It engages so much more smoothly.”
The strategy Rick decided to take, coming down from the Adelaide Hills into the city of Adelaide on the South East Freeway, was to select manual on the Endurant and 10th gear, the option he would choose with the previous AMT in a loaded B-double. As the descent progressed, the truck descended at just 20 km/h, but experience suggests the truck would probably handle it OK in 11th gear, and at 1650 rpm the engine brake would hold the truck back to descend safely.
The other option, when using the Endurant, begins when the truck gets to the top of a grade, the driver retains auto mode but engages low on the engine brake, pulling the stalk down as far as it can go. This is telling the AMT to hold the current gear and not change up. If the truck slows further, the AMT may change down, but will not change back up, unless it has to protect the engine from severe over-revving.
On this occasion, the variation in the gradient saw the truck slow too much at a couple of points, and it seemed more effective to go back to the manual option. An experienced driver will be able to experiment with the options and work out the best strategy on each downhill grade.
“We don’t do over analyse our fuel usage ” says Carl. “We keep an eye on it, but our main objective is utilisation and reliability. Our choice of suppliers assist us in delivering our service on time. We will choose an engine or gearbox, or truck, by looking at reliability and utilisation, whilst fuel economy is still important.
“That’s not to say that we don’t want to get the best fuel we can, but the way that the industry is going, and the Endurant boxes are a great example of that, means things of just changing without us asking for it.
“Once upon a time fuel economy, for example, would rely 100 per cent on the driver’s ability. Where, now, it doesn’t, you can stick it in auto and off you go, especially with the Endurant.
“I think it’ll be a lot better for us, the new box is easier on the driveline, is easier on the driver. The drivability of the whole truck is different, it just means everything will have an easier life. We’re talking universal joints, tail shafts and all of those sorts of things. We think we’ll get a little bit more longevity out of them.”
Bringing in the new technology
In the last couple of years the latest model, the Kenworth K220 has started to enter the fleet, as they became available. With this introduction came the latest AMT available on the cabover, the Eaton Endurant XD Pro. This latest 18 speed AMT has seen a major step-change in the sophistication and flexibility of the Eaton transmission, bringing its functionality into the same realm as the European AMTs available in other brands on the market.
This new technology arrives alongside new Euro 6 Cummins X15 engines and also the suite of electronic safety systems which have debuted on the K220, in preparation for them being mandated over the next 18 months.
Where the previous transmission could be ponderous, the new Endurant XD Pro is positive in its gear changing and virtually instantaneous in its reaction to changes. The new AMT was designed as as an auto from the ground up and has given Eaton the ability to utilise all of the sophisticated smarts now available on the computer controlled transmission.
The reception from the drivers at Collins has been good, although there is still some scepticism on the part of some drivers about AMTs, especially the longer serving ones, they seem to be allowing the Endurant to do its job. Downloads from the engine and transmission’s CANbus show that the drivers, who are now driving the new K220 with the Endurant, are switching over to manual mode a lot less often than they were when driving with the previous generation UltraShift AMTs.
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