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Amazing Truck Power

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
Watch as the Kenworth K200, an American-made truck that is now popular in Australia, hauls immensely heavy loads without breaking a sweat:


Achieving the amount of torque required to go uphill so smoothly while loaded with over 80-100 tonnes (including the weight of the truck itself) is an engineering marvel.
 

Shaul

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Because
Merica!
upload_2022-8-3_12-6-9.jpeg
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
Watch as the Kenworth K200, an American-made truck that is now popular in Australia, hauls immensely heavy loads without breaking a sweat:


Achieving the amount of torque required to go uphill so smoothly while loaded with over 80-100 tonnes (including the weight of the truck itself) is an engineering marvel.
The engine seems to be a Cummins X15 in-line 6 cylinder engine, with 15l displacement, 450-600hp, running at 2000rpm. So yes a biggish high-speed automotive diesel. Max torque is 1750Nm, which may be important for ease of driving heavy loads.

But I'm not that familiar with high-speed truck engines. I used to look after lubricants for the medium-speed and low-speed engines. The designers of these tend to be European rather than American. They tend to start at around the 1000hp mark and you don't find them in trucks. Here's a 16V Wärtsilä, 32cm bore diameter (pistons ~ one foot across). They are mostly made in Finland.

wartsila-16v32d-engine-shipment_8529.JPG
 
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Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Watch as the Kenworth K200, an American-made truck that is now popular in Australia, hauls immensely heavy loads without breaking a sweat:


Achieving the amount of torque required to go uphill so smoothly while loaded with over 80-100 tonnes (including the weight of the truck itself) is an engineering marvel.
Torque is easy to achieve with the proper transmission
mated to the engine. Any engine can pull any load.
The question is how fast to pull how much. Power is
torque x speed...that's what impresses.

That Kenworth is an odd duck. We no longer see many
"cab over" tractors on the road...ever since length
restrictions were eased. Mounting the engine in front
is safer, easier to service, more aerodynamic, & less
of a problem for the driver's belongings in sleeper cabs.

The engine-forward design is preferred for big powerplants.
9d7143ff659c025392be2078fc44fff0.jpg

R.423af3b031b69fe6f4c32991fa375db9
 
Last edited:

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Watch as the Kenworth K200, an American-made truck that is now popular in Australia, hauls immensely heavy loads without breaking a sweat:


Achieving the amount of torque required to go uphill so smoothly while loaded with over 80-100 tonnes (including the weight of the truck itself) is an engineering marvel.
Probably a 13 speed Eaton Fuller or Cummins with splitter.

No such thing as hills .
 

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
Torque is easy to achieve with the proper transmission
mated to the engine. Any engine can pull any load.
The question is how fast to pull how much. Power is
torque x speed...that's what impresses.

One thing that I've been trying to understand better is why trucks can pull so well with 400-600 hp while many supercars and hypercars with 600+ hp can't even tow another car without choking. I know transmission and chassis tuning, among other things, are crucial elements in towing capacity, but since power is torque times speed, why does a truck engine need to weigh as much as several cars and have massive displacement in order to pull cargo even though it outputs less power than a supercar engine?

That Kenworth is an odd duck. We no longer see many
"cab over" tractors on the road...ever since length
restrictions were eased. Mounting the engine in front
is safer, easier to service, more aerodynamic, & less
of a problem for the driver's belongings in sleeper cabs.

The engine-forward design is preferred for big powerplants.

If I were a truck driver, I definitely think I'd prefer the roomier cabins of front-engined trucks, but modern European trucks are cab-overs and are often quite safe, comfortable, and fuel-efficient. Volvo and Scania in particular excel in all of these areas, according to reviews I've seen.

Of course, there's also the extra maneuverability that comes from having a shorter wheelbase, although I'm not sure how important that is to a skilled driver.

You should have used a spoiler on these. Pornographic content is banned by Rule 5.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
One thing that I've been trying to understand better is why trucks can pull so well with 400-600 hp while many supercars and hypercars with 600+ hp can't even tow another car without choking. I know transmission and chassis tuning, among other things, are crucial elements in towing capacity, but since power is torque times speed, why does a truck engine need to weigh as much as several cars and have massive displacement in order to pull cargo even though it outputs less power than a supercar engine?



If I were a truck driver, I definitely think I'd prefer the roomier cabins of front-engined trucks, but modern European trucks are cab-overs and are often quite safe, comfortable, and fuel-efficient. Volvo and Scania in particular excel in all of these areas, according to reviews I've seen.

Of course, there's also the extra maneuverability that comes from having a shorter wheelbase, although I'm not sure how important that is to a skilled driver.


You should have used a spoiler on these. Pornographic content is banned by Rule 5.
I didn't see anything pornographic in the pix I posted.
If there is, it's by accident.
Edit....
I realized you're joking.

Truck engines are designed to run at max power
for a much longer duty cycle than cars. And they
have the weight & gearing to use it for heavy pulling.
High performance cars are lightweight & their engines
aren't designed for continuous max power output.
I recall that in the 70s, Ford designed 1st gear in
cars to only last an hour at full power. That was
more than would be used in hundreds of thousands
of miles.

Cab-over trucks are less safe because there's less
crush volume in front of the driver. European trucks
typically negotiate more cramped conditions. Perhaps
there are length limitations too...which would be bad law.

For long life, engines weigh more because they have
heavier duty components. And diesels run at far
higher compression ratios. Stationary engines weigh
even more. The 12 hp Graz I just removed weighs
around 8000#. The flywheel alone is about half.
Some low speed oil field engines have been run
continuously for 100 years. Operators just keep
replacing ignition parts (torch heated hot tubes).
Their power/weight ratio is far lower than heavy
truck engines.
 
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Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
I didn't see anything pornographic in the pix I posted.
If there is, it's by accident.

That was just a joke referencing my love of trucks. You're good.

Truck engines are designed to run at max power
for a much longer duty cycle than cars. And they
have the weight & gearing to use it for heavy pulling.
High performance cars are lightweight & their engines
aren't designed for continuous max power output.
I recall that in the 70s, Ford designed 1st gear in
cars to only last an hour at full power. That was
more than would be used in hundreds of thousands
of miles.

So the weight of truck engines is necessary to let them pull regardless of power output? Is it a function of trucks' need to be heavy in order to tow, or are there parts that simply can't be replicated in a smaller package?

Cab-over trucks are less safe because there's less
crush volume in front of the driver. European trucks
typically negotiate more cramped conditions. Perhaps
there are length limitations too...which would be bad law.

I recall reading about mechanisms designed to make the cabins of cab-overs break or disconnect in specific ways during crashes to protect drivers. I don't know how safe that makes them compared to front-engined trucks, though. The lack of crumple zones, as you said, does seem to be a potentially major issue.

Much of Europe indeed has length limitations on truck-trailer combinations, hence the prevalence of cab-overs there (along with trucks' having to navigate smaller spaces, as you mentioned). Considering the smaller streets and towns in some parts of Europe, the length limitations may not be bad law at all.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
So the weight of truck engines is necessary to let them pull regardless of power output? Is it a function of trucks' need to be heavy in order to tow, or are there parts that simply can't be replicated in a smaller package?
Weight is necessary for traction. Semi-trailers have
a major portion of weight over the tractor's drive wheels,
so it can be lighter. But still some weight is required on
the steering axle. (To the unfamiliar, "tractor" is the
term for a truck that pulls a semi-trailer.)

To design an engine that can perform at max power
with long life always involves increasing weight to
increase the durability of components. Ancillary
systems are also heavier, eg, cooling system, air
cleaner, electrical system, air compressor, air dryer.
I recall reading about mechanisms designed to make the cabins of cab-overs break or disconnect in specific ways during crashes to protect drivers. I don't know how safe that makes them compared to front-engined trucks, though. The lack of crumple zones, as you said, does seem to be a potentially major issue.
There is no substitute for crush volume between the
driver & the obstacle. The more you have, the lower
the g load the driver will experience. G loads kill.

Of course, truck designers are weight conscious.
The typical limit without special permits in USA
is 80,000# gross. So the less a tractor + trailer
weighs, the more payload capacity it has.
Weight & cost are optimized.
 

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
Weight is necessary for traction. Semi-trailers have
a major portion of weight over the tractor's drive wheels,
so it can be lighter. But still some weight is required on
the steering axle. (To the unfamiliar, "tractor" is the
term for a truck that pulls a semi-trailer.)

To design an engine that can perform at max power
with long life always involves increasing weight to
increase the durability of components. Ancillary
systems are also heavier, eg, cooling system, air
cleaner, electrical system, air compressor, air dryer.

There is no substitute for crush volume between the
driver & the obstacle. The more you have, the lower
the g load the driver will experience. G loads kill.

Of course, truck designers are weight conscious.
The typical limit without special permits in USA
is 80,000# gross. So the less a tractor + trailer
weighs, the more payload capacity it has.
Weight & cost are optimized.

These posts are quite informative and fun to read. I'd post more of my many, many questions on diesel engines, torque, etc., but that might make this thread resemble an interview. So I'll hold off for now. :D
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
These posts are quite informative and fun to read. I'd post more of my many, many questions on diesel engines, torque, etc., but that might make this thread resemble an interview. So I'll hold off for now. :D
Post what you want.
Others are knowledgeable too, with
driving experience that I lack.
 
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