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So, as of this writing, I’m at the Cleveland, NC truck manufacturing plant, picking up my new 2022 Cascadia. A large part of the design in speccing out this new truck, is trying to take advantage of situations that manifest themselves when loaded lightly. The new truck has a 6 x 2 liftable pusher axle configuration. Having a liftable axle decreases the amount of energy needed to move the truck down the road, when the cargo that’s being transported is light enough not to require the load-carrying capacity of a tandem axle assembly.
In my operation, I’m also employing a lift axle on my trailer tandem assembly. There are a few customers of mine that have light enough freight to cube out the trailer, yet only have cargo weights between five to fifteen thousand pounds. It’ll be an interesting day as I embark on the maiden voyage in the new 2022 Cascadia, as my loaded gross combination vehicle weight will be over 79,000 lbs, by the time I add fuel. I’m very eager to see how the new truck performs on its maiden voyage to Laredo, Texas.
When the components that make up my new truck were picked up, versatility was always at the top of the list. Basically, the goal was to hit maximum efficiency when loaded heavy, light, or anywhere in between. My new truck will also be using a different horsepower and torque setting than my current 2018 model. The 2018 Cascadia I have been operating is a DD15 400 HP/ 1750 FPT @ 975 RPM with a DT12 direct drive AMT transmission, coupled to a Detroit 2.16 axle ratio with active lube management spinning Michelin 445 / 50 R 22.5 wide-base single tires.
The 2022 model truck will employ a Detroit DD15 455 HP / 1850 FPT @ 975 RPM's transferring power through a Detroit DT12 overdrive AMT transmission, coupled to a Detroit rear axle 2.61 axle ratio, which will transfer the power to the same Michelin wide-base single tires mentioned above. The reason for using an overdrive transmission, instead of a direct drive, is that on a 6 X 2 axle configuration, the tallest direct drive ratio available was 2.28. With a nod towards the higher speeds I’ve been cruising at in project 70+/10, we decided to use a .78 overdrive coupled to a 2.61 rear axle ratio, for an overall ratio of 2.03.
The goal for the new truck was versatility, and this first load should be a good test to see if this combination lives up to the Detroit slogan of “Demand it All”. Stay connected and follow along on updates coming soon.