Eaton Launching New Heavy-Duty Transmissions

Eaton Corp. said it is launching its Fuller Advantage Series of heavy-duty transmissions, whose new features include reduced weight and higher efficiency, designed to help increase fuel economy.

The new line of 10-speed transmissions, scheduled to begin commercial production in September, will be available in both manual and automated designs, with the automated versions scheduled for production in the first quarter of 2014, Eaton said.

“This initial launch is designed for our linehaul and regional haul customers, and the Fuller Advantage Series transmissions include the most performance, reliability and maintenance savings upgrades.” said Jeff Walker, Eaton’s global product director for manual transmissions.

The component maker said the line will offer “significant weight savings” up to 75 pounds with no sacrifice to strength and with aluminum replacing cast iron for the shift bar housing, auxiliary section cover and range cylinder. The exact weight savings will depend on the truck make, as vendor-supplied cooler weight reductions vary by manufacturer, Eaton said.