Volvo launches new monster FH16 for heavy haulage 18 February 2011

Volvo is about to launch its FH16 in a version for heavy haulage, involving gross combination weights of up to 295 tonnes, dependent upon gradient.

According to Hayder Wokil, product manager for the long-haul segment at Volvo Trucks' Europe division, the combination of massive power, agility and robust technology now take Volvo to the top of the heavyweight class.

"This is a solution for the very heaviest and most demanding transport assignments – one of the few solutions on the market capable of handling such high gross combination weights," he says.

The new Volvo heavyweight has been equipped with a 16-litre engine producing 600hp and 2,800 Nm of torque, matched by a seven-speed automatic transmission with the all-important torque converter.

Wokil asserts that this combination allows the truck to start off smoothly and improves its manoeuvrability at low speeds. He also says that the tall seventh gear makes it possible to maintain a high average speed at relatively low engine revs on the highway.

And he points to the engine's additional Volvo's VEB+ engine brake, which offers braking effect of up to 425kW on top of the transmission's integrated retarder, which produces up to 450kW braking power on its own.

Beyond all that, the new Volvo FH16 for heavy haulage is available as a tractor with leaf springs or air suspension and comes in a range of wheel and axle combinations.

"Transports hauling gross weights of more than 200 tonnes are a growing segment in which we can now offer our customers a particularly strong alternative," says Wokil. "Both transport cost and fuel consumption per transported tonne are lower in heavy haulage compared with rigs with lower gross combination weights."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Volvo Group UK Ltd

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