Dana Nears Start of Production on Spicer® Axles for Rough-Terrain Cranes

Today at Bauma China 2016, Dana Incorporated announced updates for its new series of Spicer® axles for rough-terrain cranes.  The new planetary rigid steering axles cover vehicles with lift capacities ranging from 30 to 110 tonnes (33 to 120 tons) and are part of Dana's complete drivetrain system for rough-terrain cranes.  Production on the first of these models, the Spicer® 246, will begin in the first quarter of 2017, with models 245 and 247 to soon follow.

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Dana has built on its leadership in supplying transmissions and driveshafts to the crane market by offering axles with superior pick-and-carry, over-end, and over-corner load-lift performance.  In addition to rough-terrain cranes, these axles can also accommodate aircraft ground-support pushback tractors.

These axles were developed at the Dana China Technical Center with engineering support from Dana's other global technology centers.  They will be manufactured by Dana in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, and are designed to accommodate Dana's optional Spicer® Smart Suite™ technology, a platform of fully integrated, connected-vehicle features that convert operating data from the drivetrain into actionable insights.  This vehicle intelligence package features machine-learning algorithms built into the software to optimize productivity by measuring performance, forecasting maintenance issues, and enabling capabilities such as load monitoring.

"With decades of experience serving off-highway heavy axle applications, Dana has the technical expertise to deliver reliable, full-system solutions that keep machines running in demanding environments," said Aziz Aghili, president of Dana Off-Highway Drivetrain Technologies.  "This series of axles was designed based on Dana's proven technologies specifically tailored for the crane market, and covers the most sought-after vehicle sizes to meet current demand."

Using a monolithic axle construction to enable the highest integrity design for demanding tractive load and carry conditions, this lightweight series of axles can enhance vehicle performance and maneuverability on any terrain.  These axles have been designed on a customizable platform with the flexibility to meet specific original-equipment manufacturer needs.

An optimized length and wheel bearing system fits the most popular tire track width applications, and a proven sealing system handles extreme duty environments to ensure a long lifespan.  In addition, a robust straight tie-rod design minimizes the likelihood of obstacle impact during operation.

Dana will debut its complete drivetrain system for rough-terrain cranes at Bauma China in hall N5, stand 210.