GS Racing Storm RTR: Ready to run...with surprising specs
GS Racing isn't the first company to release a ready-to-run 1/8-scale buggy, but the new Storm RTR package just might be the best finished. best equipped available today. In addition to a fully painted and trimmed body, a feature-laden chassis and a pull-start engine, the Storm includes JR Racing's XR3 digital-display FM radio gear.. complete with a high-torque "Premium Race" Z550 steering servo. And while it is an almost certain winner as a play buggy, the Storm looks very raceable as well. Since the Storm is "RTR.," finding out just how raceable it is is only a jug of fuel, some AA batteries and a charged glow-starter away.
Kyosho wild Dodge Ram and Baja Beetle QRC trucks
Sometimes you don't realize history has been made-until it repeats_ W1,91- Case in point: the Kyosho QRC Field Beetle, released in 1997. When the Be was introduced th rly five ago, everyone recognized the significance of its Quick Reverse Clutch (QRC) transmission that permitted it to back up under nitro power. That was history. But it wasn't until Traxxas released the T-Maxx that the Field Beetle's other drive-train features could be fully appreciated. Its front and rear gearboxes were suspended beneath the chassis and joined via shafts to a reversing center transmission that was bolted to the top of the chassis but passed through it to meet the drive shafts below-in essence, the same layout as Traxxas uses sc capably on its Maxx trucks. The differences in technica details between the Maxx trucks and Kyosho's QRC machine are myriad, but the broad strokes are the same.
Now Kyosho has released an updated version of the QRC truck chassis that, ironically, takes a page from the Traxxas design book. A disc brake has been added to the formerly brakeless drive train, and an electric starter replaces the Kyosho GSI5R engine's pull-starter. The GS15R itself is another upgrade, as the original Field Beetle included a smaller-displacement GS-liX powerplant. The revised QRC-equipped trucks are offered with Baja Beetle and "Wild" Dodge Ram-style shells, and with Ram-fin Kevin Hetmanski's help, I built and tested both.
Now Kyosho has released an updated version of the QRC truck chassis that, ironically, takes a page from the Traxxas design book. A disc brake has been added to the formerly brakeless drive train, and an electric starter replaces the Kyosho GSI5R engine's pull-starter. The GS15R itself is another upgrade, as the original Field Beetle included a smaller-displacement GS-liX powerplant. The revised QRC-equipped trucks are offered with Baja Beetle and "Wild" Dodge Ram-style shells, and with Ram-fin Kevin Hetmanski's help, I built and tested both.
Megatech Nitro Razor XT
Fast, fully loaded and RTR
It used to be a foregone conclusion that the typical buyer of a ready-to-run nitro car knew only enough about RC to know that he wanted his car nitro-powered and factory-assembled, and since any other technical details would be lost on that buyer, all the more reason to make the kit an inexpensive "stripper" model.
Times change. Today's RTR buyer is more savvy than ever and realizes that there's more to nitro-powered cars than an engine and four wheels. Nowadays ., the typical RTR buyer wants it all: tuned pipe, aluminum shocks, 2-speed tranny-the works. With that in mind, Megatech has released a new version of its nitro Razor, dubbed the Razor XT. In addition to a painted, trimmed and decaled body and installed Hitec radio gear, the XT is brimming with high-end features. The shortlist includes a .16 engine, polished aluminum tuned pipe, threaded aluminum shocks, front and rear swaybars, 2-speed transmission and full bearings. With standard equipment like that, it's clear Megatech believes "RTR" doesn't have to mean "entry level." Now let's fire it up and see whether the Razor XT looks as good on asphalt as it does on paper.
It used to be a foregone conclusion that the typical buyer of a ready-to-run nitro car knew only enough about RC to know that he wanted his car nitro-powered and factory-assembled, and since any other technical details would be lost on that buyer, all the more reason to make the kit an inexpensive "stripper" model.
Times change. Today's RTR buyer is more savvy than ever and realizes that there's more to nitro-powered cars than an engine and four wheels. Nowadays ., the typical RTR buyer wants it all: tuned pipe, aluminum shocks, 2-speed tranny-the works. With that in mind, Megatech has released a new version of its nitro Razor, dubbed the Razor XT. In addition to a painted, trimmed and decaled body and installed Hitec radio gear, the XT is brimming with high-end features. The shortlist includes a .16 engine, polished aluminum tuned pipe, threaded aluminum shocks, front and rear swaybars, 2-speed transmission and full bearings. With standard equipment like that, it's clear Megatech believes "RTR" doesn't have to mean "entry level." Now let's fire it up and see whether the Razor XT looks as good on asphalt as it does on paper.
HPI Nitro RS4 3 type SS
THE ALL-NEW, SHAFT-DRIVEN NITRO RS4 3 DEBUTED AS AN RTR (see the June 2002 issue of RC Car Action for the review), but HPI hasn't forgotten us do-it-yourself types. Whether you like to build your own so you know the job was done right, or you plan to make some mods along the way, or you just like to build, you'll be glad to know that you can now assemble a Nitro 3 from the ground up. You'll also be glad to know that the kit car isn't "just" a Nitro RS4 3; it's a "Type SS," which means you get the new Nitro Star 12R SS engine (good for more than lhp, says HPI), a smooth-flowing, round-port manifold, 2-speed transmission and steel turnbuckles-a combination that adds up to more tunability, more power and more speed. Exactly how much more? Well, that's why we test carsCHASSIS. HPI has been building its nitro cars on 2.5mm purple-anodized chassis for a while now, and the SS is the latest. The chassis sides are radiused for extra strength, and the underside is fully countersunk, as expected. An elaborate molded enclosure for the receiver battery with a separate cover for the receiver itself fills the left side of the chassis, and it's also home to the externally mounted steering and throttle servos. The receiver cover is screwed down, but battery access is gained by removing a single body clip. Two more body clips secure the entire radio-tray assembly, and this makes it easy to remove all the electronics without reaching for a single tool.
DRIVE TRAIN. The Type SS shares its essential shaft-drive parts with the RS4 MT and Super Nitro Rally, so you know they're tough. The front and rear gear diffs each house two spider gears, and their cast metal ring gears are spun by chunky bevel pinions with deeply meshing teeth. The front diff has the additional feature of a stiff spring between the spider gears. The spring forces the gears against the outsides of the diff case, which adds resistance to the diffs action and reduces its tendency to "unload" when a wheel breaks traction. Plastic gearboxes surround the diff and pinion gears to prevent any nasty parking-lot stuff from reaching the parts, and steel dogbones join the diffs to the 2-speed transmission in the chassis' center. Steel 'bones are also used to link the stub axles to the drive train, and all of the parts spin on a combination of rubber-seated and metal-shielded ball bearings.
The Type SS's 2-speed transmission shifts centrifugally via a spring-loaded steel drive dog that engages a hardened drive pin. Two drive-dog springs are included to match the transmission's shift-rpm range to the type of engine being used; since the Type SS includes a high-output race engine, the stiffer of the two springs is used. To further tune the transmission's shift point, spring preload is externally adjustable via a setscrew.
Unpadded steel caliper plates squeeze a single plastic brake disc to slow the Type SS. A fiber disc is available as an option, but HPI makes the most of the stock disc by giving it a thick, 4mm cross-section and molding it of very hard plastic.
SUSPENSION/STEERING. The Nitro RS4 3 borrows its suspension parts from the well-proven RS4 2, which means you get a lower H-arm/upper camber link setup. But instead of using non-adjustable plastic camber links (such as those on the RS4 3 RTR), the Type SS includes steel turnbuckle linkages for fast camber adjustments without disassembly. The steering tie rods are also turnbuckles, so toe-in is just as easy to adjust. In addition to changing camber-link length, there are two inboard and two outboard camber-link positions to choose from for the front end, and two inboard and four outboard locations in the rear. Other suspension geometry changes can be made by swapping included parts; the stock steering hub carriers provide io degrees of caster but can be replaced with 8-- degree parts, and the kit's standard rear uprights, which deliver 2 degrees of rear toe, can be swapped for 1-degree versions.
Plastic-body shocks suspend the car and are filled with "no. 300" shock oil, which is equivalent to 30WT silicone fluid. Only one set of shock pistons is provided, but it's doubtful the Type SS's target buyers will miss the tuning option of extra pistons; I didn't. Purple-anodized collars and plastic eyelets cap the bodies, which do not use internal bladders, and progressive-rate springs do the actual shock-absorbing; clip-on spacers are used to set ride height.
ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES. The Type SS gets its name from its engine-the new Nitro Star 12R SS. Thanks to its blacked-out case and purple-anodized heat-sink head with natural-aluminum accents, the engine is a looker, but it's what's inside that counts. Thanks to porting described as "aggressive," HPI claims the 12R SS unloads more than 1hp when its 2-needle, rotary carburetor is opened. The sleeve is special, too; it's coated with nickel-silicon carbide, an extra-hard material that shouldn't be confused with plain nickel. This new coating is harder than chrome, less hazardous to the environment to produce, and very slippery. It's already popular in full-scale racing applications; you can find nickel-silicon-carbide coatings on the pistons of super cars and racing motorcycles. It's serious stuff. The exhaust system is also a critical part of the power package. The Type SS includes the same composite-plastic, dual-chamber tuned pipe as the RTR Nitro 3, but a free-flowing tubular exhaust manifold replaces the RTR's square-cornered, cast header
DRIVE TRAIN. The Type SS shares its essential shaft-drive parts with the RS4 MT and Super Nitro Rally, so you know they're tough. The front and rear gear diffs each house two spider gears, and their cast metal ring gears are spun by chunky bevel pinions with deeply meshing teeth. The front diff has the additional feature of a stiff spring between the spider gears. The spring forces the gears against the outsides of the diff case, which adds resistance to the diffs action and reduces its tendency to "unload" when a wheel breaks traction. Plastic gearboxes surround the diff and pinion gears to prevent any nasty parking-lot stuff from reaching the parts, and steel dogbones join the diffs to the 2-speed transmission in the chassis' center. Steel 'bones are also used to link the stub axles to the drive train, and all of the parts spin on a combination of rubber-seated and metal-shielded ball bearings.
The Type SS's 2-speed transmission shifts centrifugally via a spring-loaded steel drive dog that engages a hardened drive pin. Two drive-dog springs are included to match the transmission's shift-rpm range to the type of engine being used; since the Type SS includes a high-output race engine, the stiffer of the two springs is used. To further tune the transmission's shift point, spring preload is externally adjustable via a setscrew.
Unpadded steel caliper plates squeeze a single plastic brake disc to slow the Type SS. A fiber disc is available as an option, but HPI makes the most of the stock disc by giving it a thick, 4mm cross-section and molding it of very hard plastic.
SUSPENSION/STEERING. The Nitro RS4 3 borrows its suspension parts from the well-proven RS4 2, which means you get a lower H-arm/upper camber link setup. But instead of using non-adjustable plastic camber links (such as those on the RS4 3 RTR), the Type SS includes steel turnbuckle linkages for fast camber adjustments without disassembly. The steering tie rods are also turnbuckles, so toe-in is just as easy to adjust. In addition to changing camber-link length, there are two inboard and two outboard camber-link positions to choose from for the front end, and two inboard and four outboard locations in the rear. Other suspension geometry changes can be made by swapping included parts; the stock steering hub carriers provide io degrees of caster but can be replaced with 8-- degree parts, and the kit's standard rear uprights, which deliver 2 degrees of rear toe, can be swapped for 1-degree versions.
Plastic-body shocks suspend the car and are filled with "no. 300" shock oil, which is equivalent to 30WT silicone fluid. Only one set of shock pistons is provided, but it's doubtful the Type SS's target buyers will miss the tuning option of extra pistons; I didn't. Purple-anodized collars and plastic eyelets cap the bodies, which do not use internal bladders, and progressive-rate springs do the actual shock-absorbing; clip-on spacers are used to set ride height.
ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES. The Type SS gets its name from its engine-the new Nitro Star 12R SS. Thanks to its blacked-out case and purple-anodized heat-sink head with natural-aluminum accents, the engine is a looker, but it's what's inside that counts. Thanks to porting described as "aggressive," HPI claims the 12R SS unloads more than 1hp when its 2-needle, rotary carburetor is opened. The sleeve is special, too; it's coated with nickel-silicon carbide, an extra-hard material that shouldn't be confused with plain nickel. This new coating is harder than chrome, less hazardous to the environment to produce, and very slippery. It's already popular in full-scale racing applications; you can find nickel-silicon-carbide coatings on the pistons of super cars and racing motorcycles. It's serious stuff. The exhaust system is also a critical part of the power package. The Type SS includes the same composite-plastic, dual-chamber tuned pipe as the RTR Nitro 3, but a free-flowing tubular exhaust manifold replaces the RTR's square-cornered, cast header
Feel of the Road - owners of manual transmission cars
Those who buy the Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster with a five-speed transmission will drop more than $40,000 for the privilege.
Driving a manual transmission car has always been an interactive experience, what with one hand on the wheel, the other on the stick, and both feet alternating between the clutch and gas pedals. But increasing traffic congestion and the popularity of automatic transmissions have made operating a manual gearbox relatively rare. Today, only 17 percent of U.S. adults own a car equipped with a standard transmission, and automakers increasingly regard the fans of stick shifts as a niche market - "hard-core driving enthusiasts," in the words of Art Garner, public relations manager for Honda.
But something more demographically fundamental is at work as well. Whereas cost-conscious Americans used to buy stick shifts lured by lower price tags and cheaper gas mileage, today's owners tend to be affluent, married, and college-educated men over 45 years old, who are drawn to the old-fashioned way of heel-and-toe downshifting. Consumer research shows that driving a stick shift reflects a preoccupation with authenticity and the unrefined (like coarse bread and hemp clothes) that provides its own cachet in our plastic, materialistic age.
Manual transmission owners are more likely than average Americans to do their own financial planning, engage in solo leisure pursuits (such as backpacking, jogging, and skiing), and cook from scratch. Supermarket surveys indicate that they'd rather buy products that require more effort to serve: whole-bean coffee rather than instant brands; pita over sliced white bread; high-maintenance Brie cheese instead of an easy-to-cut slab of Velveeta. The owners of manual transmission cars tend to make their own bread and pasta. "These people don't look at a car as an appliance but as something that engages them in the act of driving," says Joe Lawrence, BMW's product and price planning manager for North America. "There is some subtle signaling to others that says, 'I would rather drive the car than have the car drive me.'" It wasn't always this way. After the arrival of automatic Hydramatic and Dynaflow transmissions in the 1940s, stick shifts became the passion of two smaller consumer segments: Adults who couldn't afford the fancier automatics, and young people who thought popping the clutch at the start of a squealing takeoff was a desired benefit of car ownership. These younger motorists were more influenced by the desire to emulate the drivers of British sports cars, who'd moved from three speeds on the column to four or five speeds on the floor. The image of the owner of a manual transmission car changed from staid family man to gutsy loner who appreciated howling along isolated roads while downshifting the engine in a blast of exhaust.
But as urban roads became congested, more and more drivers chose the comfort and convenience of automatic transmissions. Nowadays, in paved-over America, there are fewer lonely roads, and the car owners who used to grind their gears have grown up to appreciate the no-fuss comfort of sport-utility vehicles with soft suspensions and cushy rides. Today's consumers who've turned to manual transmissions want to add an aspect of entertainment to their driving. As Baby Boomers reach their 50s, some are purchasing stick shifts as a nostalgic consumption experience, hoping to relive memories of their first, cheap, manual gearboxes - and willing to pay for it. Those who buy the Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster with a five-speed transmission will drop more than $40,000 for the privilege.
As shown in the attached map, based on consumer behavior in the nation's 211 media markets, the highest concentration of manual transmission owners are found in Boomer-filled metros like Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C., as well as college towns such as Madison, Wisconsin; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Lafayette, Indiana. Western states also boast a greater share of stick-shifters thanks to the recent influx of educated and mobile Americans who've moved there in search of higher paying jobs in new industries. "It's an intelligence thing," notes Lawrence, a former product manager for BMW's 3 series. "A manual driver out on a date may prompt someone to say, 'Wow, this is a cultured guy.'"
A disproportionate number of such motorists also live in the North due to weather conditions: Stick shifts provide increased traction on icy roads. By contrast, fewer are found in the rural South because of the confluence of mild temperatures, lower education levels, and relatively modest incomes that depress purchase rates for all cars. And manual transmission owners are almost as scarce in coastal cities like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, which are home to recent immigrants who perhaps lack the money and driving permits necessary for car ownership.
Of course, the owners of manual transmission cars spend their time doing more than driving their vehicles from home to office. These motorists exhibit relatively low rates for publications such as Soap Opera Weekly, that deal with a sedentary activity like watching television, or for acting as armchair athletes who read magazines like Sport. As for music on the radio, their tastes are eclectic: Classical, golden oldies, and modern rock are all enjoyed at relatively high rates. No doubt Toyota paid attention to the market's preference for modern rock when it scored its "I'm Too Sexy" spot for its Camry brand, juxtaposing a hip motorist's dream driving experience with the more usual, mundane reality. The audio features a breathy male singer whispering over the grinding of gears and a funky alternative rock beat: "I'm too sexy ... I'm too sexy for the car wash ... I'm too sexy for the grocery store ... I'm too sexy for the dry cleaners
Driving a manual transmission car has always been an interactive experience, what with one hand on the wheel, the other on the stick, and both feet alternating between the clutch and gas pedals. But increasing traffic congestion and the popularity of automatic transmissions have made operating a manual gearbox relatively rare. Today, only 17 percent of U.S. adults own a car equipped with a standard transmission, and automakers increasingly regard the fans of stick shifts as a niche market - "hard-core driving enthusiasts," in the words of Art Garner, public relations manager for Honda.
But something more demographically fundamental is at work as well. Whereas cost-conscious Americans used to buy stick shifts lured by lower price tags and cheaper gas mileage, today's owners tend to be affluent, married, and college-educated men over 45 years old, who are drawn to the old-fashioned way of heel-and-toe downshifting. Consumer research shows that driving a stick shift reflects a preoccupation with authenticity and the unrefined (like coarse bread and hemp clothes) that provides its own cachet in our plastic, materialistic age.
Manual transmission owners are more likely than average Americans to do their own financial planning, engage in solo leisure pursuits (such as backpacking, jogging, and skiing), and cook from scratch. Supermarket surveys indicate that they'd rather buy products that require more effort to serve: whole-bean coffee rather than instant brands; pita over sliced white bread; high-maintenance Brie cheese instead of an easy-to-cut slab of Velveeta. The owners of manual transmission cars tend to make their own bread and pasta. "These people don't look at a car as an appliance but as something that engages them in the act of driving," says Joe Lawrence, BMW's product and price planning manager for North America. "There is some subtle signaling to others that says, 'I would rather drive the car than have the car drive me.'" It wasn't always this way. After the arrival of automatic Hydramatic and Dynaflow transmissions in the 1940s, stick shifts became the passion of two smaller consumer segments: Adults who couldn't afford the fancier automatics, and young people who thought popping the clutch at the start of a squealing takeoff was a desired benefit of car ownership. These younger motorists were more influenced by the desire to emulate the drivers of British sports cars, who'd moved from three speeds on the column to four or five speeds on the floor. The image of the owner of a manual transmission car changed from staid family man to gutsy loner who appreciated howling along isolated roads while downshifting the engine in a blast of exhaust.
But as urban roads became congested, more and more drivers chose the comfort and convenience of automatic transmissions. Nowadays, in paved-over America, there are fewer lonely roads, and the car owners who used to grind their gears have grown up to appreciate the no-fuss comfort of sport-utility vehicles with soft suspensions and cushy rides. Today's consumers who've turned to manual transmissions want to add an aspect of entertainment to their driving. As Baby Boomers reach their 50s, some are purchasing stick shifts as a nostalgic consumption experience, hoping to relive memories of their first, cheap, manual gearboxes - and willing to pay for it. Those who buy the Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster with a five-speed transmission will drop more than $40,000 for the privilege.
As shown in the attached map, based on consumer behavior in the nation's 211 media markets, the highest concentration of manual transmission owners are found in Boomer-filled metros like Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C., as well as college towns such as Madison, Wisconsin; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Lafayette, Indiana. Western states also boast a greater share of stick-shifters thanks to the recent influx of educated and mobile Americans who've moved there in search of higher paying jobs in new industries. "It's an intelligence thing," notes Lawrence, a former product manager for BMW's 3 series. "A manual driver out on a date may prompt someone to say, 'Wow, this is a cultured guy.'"
A disproportionate number of such motorists also live in the North due to weather conditions: Stick shifts provide increased traction on icy roads. By contrast, fewer are found in the rural South because of the confluence of mild temperatures, lower education levels, and relatively modest incomes that depress purchase rates for all cars. And manual transmission owners are almost as scarce in coastal cities like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, which are home to recent immigrants who perhaps lack the money and driving permits necessary for car ownership.
Of course, the owners of manual transmission cars spend their time doing more than driving their vehicles from home to office. These motorists exhibit relatively low rates for publications such as Soap Opera Weekly, that deal with a sedentary activity like watching television, or for acting as armchair athletes who read magazines like Sport. As for music on the radio, their tastes are eclectic: Classical, golden oldies, and modern rock are all enjoyed at relatively high rates. No doubt Toyota paid attention to the market's preference for modern rock when it scored its "I'm Too Sexy" spot for its Camry brand, juxtaposing a hip motorist's dream driving experience with the more usual, mundane reality. The audio features a breathy male singer whispering over the grinding of gears and a funky alternative rock beat: "I'm too sexy ... I'm too sexy for the car wash ... I'm too sexy for the grocery store ... I'm too sexy for the dry cleaners
Feel of the Road
Motorists who drive a stick-shift car are purists at heart. Driving a manual transmission car has always been an interactive experience, what with one hand on the wheel, the other on the stick, and both feet alternating between the clutch and gas pedals. But increasing traffic congestion and the popularity of automatic transmissions have made operating a manual gearbox relatively rare. Today, only 17 percent of U.S. adults own a car equipped with a standard transmission, and automakers increasingly regard the fans of stick shifts as a niche market - "hard-core driving enthusiasts," in the words of Art Garner, public relations manager for Honda.
But something more demographically fundamental is at work as well. Whereas cost-conscious Americans used to buy stick shifts lured by lower price tags and cheaper gas mileage, today's owners tend to be affluent, married, and college-educated men over 45 years old, who are drawn to the old-fashioned way of heel-and-toe downshifting. Consumer research shows that driving a stick shift reflects a preoccupation with authenticity and the unrefined (like coarse bread and hemp clothes) that provides its own cachet in our plastic, materialistic age.
Manual transmission owners are more likely than average Americans to do their own financial planning, engage in solo leisure pursuits (such as backpacking, jogging, and skiing), and cook from scratch. Supermarket surveys indicate that they'd rather buy products that require more effort to serve: whole-bean coffee rather than instant brands; pita over sliced white bread; high-maintenance Brie cheese instead of an easy-to-cut slab of Velveeta. The owners of manual transmission cars tend to make their own bread and pasta. "These people don't look at a car as an appliance but as something that engages them in the act of driving," says Joe Lawrence, BMW's product and price planning manager for North America. "There is some subtle signaling to others that says, `I would rather drive the car than have the car drive me.'" It wasn't always this way. After the arrival of automatic Hydramatic and Dynaflow transmissions in the 1940s, stick shifts became the passion of two smaller consumer segments: Adults who couldn't afford the fancier automatics, and young people who thought popping the clutch at the start of a squealing takeoff was a desired benefit of car ownership. These younger motorists were more influenced by the desire to emulate the drivers of British sports cars, who'd moved from three speeds on the column to four or five speeds on the floor. The image of the owner of a manual transmission car changed from staid family man to gutsy loner who appreciated howling along isolated roads while downshifting the engine in a blast of exhaust.
But as urban roads became congested, more and more drivers chose the comfort and convenience of automatic transmissions. Nowadays, in paved-over America, there are fewer lonely roads, and the car owners who used to grind their gears have grown up to appreciate the no-fuss comfort of sport-utility vehicles with soft suspensions and cushy rides. Today's consumers who've turned to manual transmissions want to add an aspect of entertainment to their driving. As Baby Boomers reach their 50s, some are purchasing stick shifts as a nostalgic consumption experience, hoping to relive memories of their first, cheap, manual gearboxes - and willing to pay for it. Those who buy the Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster with a five-speed transmission will drop more than $40,000 for the privilege.
As shown in the attached map, based on consumer behavior in the nation's 211 media markets, the highest concentration of manual transmission owners are found in Boomer-filled metros like Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C., as well as college towns such as Madison, Wisconsin; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Lafayette, Indiana. Western states also boast a greater share of stick-shifters thanks to the recent influx of educated and mobile Americans who've moved there in search of higher paying jobs in new industries. "It's an intelligence thing," notes Lawrence, a former product manager for BMW's 3 series. "A manual driver out on a date may prompt someone to say, `Wow, this is a cultured guy.'"
A disproportionate number of such motorists also live in the North due to weather conditions: Stick shifts provide increased traction on icy roads. By contrast, fewer are found in the rural South because of the confluence of mild temperatures, lower education levels, and relatively modest incomes that depress purchase rates for all cars. And manual transmission owners are almost as scarce in coastal cities like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, which are home to recent immigrants who perhaps lack the money and driving permits necessary for car ownership.
Of course, the owners of manual transmission cars spend their time doing more than driving their vehicles from home to office. These motorists exhibit relatively low rates for publications such as Soap Opera Weekly, that deal with a sedentary activity like watching television, or for acting as armchair athletes who read magazines like Sport. As for music on the radio, their tastes are eclectic: Classical, golden oldies, and modern rock are all enjoyed at relatively high rates. No doubt Toyota paid attention to the market's preference for modern rock when it scored its "I'm Too Sexy" spot for its Camry brand, juxtaposing a hip motorist's dream driving experience with the more usual, mundane reality. The audio features a breathy male singer whispering over the grinding of gears and a funky alternative rock beat: "I'm too sexy . . . I'm too sexy for the car wash . . . I'm too sexy for the grocery store . . . I'm too sexy for the dry cleaners
But something more demographically fundamental is at work as well. Whereas cost-conscious Americans used to buy stick shifts lured by lower price tags and cheaper gas mileage, today's owners tend to be affluent, married, and college-educated men over 45 years old, who are drawn to the old-fashioned way of heel-and-toe downshifting. Consumer research shows that driving a stick shift reflects a preoccupation with authenticity and the unrefined (like coarse bread and hemp clothes) that provides its own cachet in our plastic, materialistic age.
Manual transmission owners are more likely than average Americans to do their own financial planning, engage in solo leisure pursuits (such as backpacking, jogging, and skiing), and cook from scratch. Supermarket surveys indicate that they'd rather buy products that require more effort to serve: whole-bean coffee rather than instant brands; pita over sliced white bread; high-maintenance Brie cheese instead of an easy-to-cut slab of Velveeta. The owners of manual transmission cars tend to make their own bread and pasta. "These people don't look at a car as an appliance but as something that engages them in the act of driving," says Joe Lawrence, BMW's product and price planning manager for North America. "There is some subtle signaling to others that says, `I would rather drive the car than have the car drive me.'" It wasn't always this way. After the arrival of automatic Hydramatic and Dynaflow transmissions in the 1940s, stick shifts became the passion of two smaller consumer segments: Adults who couldn't afford the fancier automatics, and young people who thought popping the clutch at the start of a squealing takeoff was a desired benefit of car ownership. These younger motorists were more influenced by the desire to emulate the drivers of British sports cars, who'd moved from three speeds on the column to four or five speeds on the floor. The image of the owner of a manual transmission car changed from staid family man to gutsy loner who appreciated howling along isolated roads while downshifting the engine in a blast of exhaust.
But as urban roads became congested, more and more drivers chose the comfort and convenience of automatic transmissions. Nowadays, in paved-over America, there are fewer lonely roads, and the car owners who used to grind their gears have grown up to appreciate the no-fuss comfort of sport-utility vehicles with soft suspensions and cushy rides. Today's consumers who've turned to manual transmissions want to add an aspect of entertainment to their driving. As Baby Boomers reach their 50s, some are purchasing stick shifts as a nostalgic consumption experience, hoping to relive memories of their first, cheap, manual gearboxes - and willing to pay for it. Those who buy the Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster with a five-speed transmission will drop more than $40,000 for the privilege.
As shown in the attached map, based on consumer behavior in the nation's 211 media markets, the highest concentration of manual transmission owners are found in Boomer-filled metros like Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C., as well as college towns such as Madison, Wisconsin; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Lafayette, Indiana. Western states also boast a greater share of stick-shifters thanks to the recent influx of educated and mobile Americans who've moved there in search of higher paying jobs in new industries. "It's an intelligence thing," notes Lawrence, a former product manager for BMW's 3 series. "A manual driver out on a date may prompt someone to say, `Wow, this is a cultured guy.'"
A disproportionate number of such motorists also live in the North due to weather conditions: Stick shifts provide increased traction on icy roads. By contrast, fewer are found in the rural South because of the confluence of mild temperatures, lower education levels, and relatively modest incomes that depress purchase rates for all cars. And manual transmission owners are almost as scarce in coastal cities like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, which are home to recent immigrants who perhaps lack the money and driving permits necessary for car ownership.
Of course, the owners of manual transmission cars spend their time doing more than driving their vehicles from home to office. These motorists exhibit relatively low rates for publications such as Soap Opera Weekly, that deal with a sedentary activity like watching television, or for acting as armchair athletes who read magazines like Sport. As for music on the radio, their tastes are eclectic: Classical, golden oldies, and modern rock are all enjoyed at relatively high rates. No doubt Toyota paid attention to the market's preference for modern rock when it scored its "I'm Too Sexy" spot for its Camry brand, juxtaposing a hip motorist's dream driving experience with the more usual, mundane reality. The audio features a breathy male singer whispering over the grinding of gears and a funky alternative rock beat: "I'm too sexy . . . I'm too sexy for the car wash . . . I'm too sexy for the grocery store . . . I'm too sexy for the dry cleaners
Viking Pump - debuts in-line gear reducers - Brief Article
Caption: Viking Pump has expanded its gear reducer product line to include a new series of in-line gear reducers compatible with any positive displacement pump or other equipment needing speed reduction. The company says the new gear reducers have the input and output shaft on the same center line for easy alignment and maximum space savings. All gear reducers in die new series offer double reduction high efficiency and low noise levels. The gear reducers are available in ten different sizes. In addition to the new series of in-line gear reducers, Viking has offered parallel shaft single-reduction gear reducers for in ore than 40 years For further information an the new in-line gear reducers,
Gear-Tooth Sensors include integrated filter capacitor
AC-coupled, Hall-effect gear-tooth sensors, Models A1421LK, A1422LK, and A1423LK feature monolithic integrated circuits that switch in response to changing differential magnetic fields created by moving ring magnet or by ferrous target when back-biased with magnet. On-board regulator permits operation with supply voltages of 4.0-26.5 V. Units are suited for speed, position, and timing applications such as transmission and engine management.
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Improvements include integrated capacitor, smaller package size
Worcester, MA - June 8, 2005 - Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. announces the release of the A1421LK, A1422LK, and A1423LK, improved additions to Allegro's family of AC-coupled Hall-effect gear-tooth sensors. Improvements include a smaller package size and an integrated filter capacitor to provide additional reliability to the system solution.
The A1421LK, A1422LK, and A1423LK are AC-coupled Hall-effect gear-tooth sensors with monolithic integrated circuits that switch in response to changing differential magnetic fields created by a moving ring magnet or by a ferrous target when back-biased with a magnet. These devices are ideal for use in speed, position and timing applications such as transmission and engine management. This family of devices also includes an integrated filter capacitor so a high-accuracy analog solution can be achieved without additional external components, thus improving reliability for the final sensing solution.
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Improvements include integrated capacitor, smaller package size
Worcester, MA - June 8, 2005 - Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. announces the release of the A1421LK, A1422LK, and A1423LK, improved additions to Allegro's family of AC-coupled Hall-effect gear-tooth sensors. Improvements include a smaller package size and an integrated filter capacitor to provide additional reliability to the system solution.
The A1421LK, A1422LK, and A1423LK are AC-coupled Hall-effect gear-tooth sensors with monolithic integrated circuits that switch in response to changing differential magnetic fields created by a moving ring magnet or by a ferrous target when back-biased with a magnet. These devices are ideal for use in speed, position and timing applications such as transmission and engine management. This family of devices also includes an integrated filter capacitor so a high-accuracy analog solution can be achieved without additional external components, thus improving reliability for the final sensing solution.
Bevel Gear Operators suit power industry valve applications
Designed to handle seating and unseating force of high-pressure gate and globe valves found in power plants, MT Series is available in torque ranges to 8,000 lb-ft and thrust ranges to 325,000 lb. With ductile iron bevel gears and thrust base housings, units withstand elevated process temperatures. Operator stem nut is shouldered in drive sleeve to capture thrust forces within thrust housing without transferring forces to torque housing.
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Product line optimized to deliver reliable performance in power industry valve applications
DALLAS - September 29, 2005 - Flowserve Corp., a global provider of fluid motion and control products and services, announces the launch of the Limitorque Actuation Systems MT series of bevel gear operators. The MT series operators are optimized to deliver reliable performance in power industry valve applications.
Designed as a superior combination of a bevel gear operator torque housing with a new thrust base design, the MT series is ideally suited for torque-seated valve applications and applications involving elevated process temperatures. MT series bevel gears and thrust base housings are made of ductile iron.
The MT series features robust thrust bearings and drive sleeve/stem nut design. These combine to offer the most rugged bevel gear operator available for handling the seating and unseating forces of high-pressure gate and globe valves found in power plants around the world. The MT operator stem nut is shouldered in the drive sleeve to capture thrust forces within the thrust housing without transferring those forces to the torque housing.
Available in torque ranges to 8,000 ft-lb and thrust ranges to 325,000 lb., the MT series provides high efficiency and strong design for every application. When motorized by the Limitorque MX, SMB or L120 series electric actuators, the MT series offers flexibility for a wide range of valve opening and closing times.
"With the MT series, Flowserve once again leads the market with its product offerings for the power industry," says Earnest Carey, manager, product management, Flowserve Flow Control, Limitorque Actuation Systems. "Backed by our unsurpassed sales and service support, the MT series is further evidence of Flowserve's unwavering commitment to deliver the technology needed for reliable power plant valve operation today and in the years to come."
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Product line optimized to deliver reliable performance in power industry valve applications
DALLAS - September 29, 2005 - Flowserve Corp., a global provider of fluid motion and control products and services, announces the launch of the Limitorque Actuation Systems MT series of bevel gear operators. The MT series operators are optimized to deliver reliable performance in power industry valve applications.
Designed as a superior combination of a bevel gear operator torque housing with a new thrust base design, the MT series is ideally suited for torque-seated valve applications and applications involving elevated process temperatures. MT series bevel gears and thrust base housings are made of ductile iron.
The MT series features robust thrust bearings and drive sleeve/stem nut design. These combine to offer the most rugged bevel gear operator available for handling the seating and unseating forces of high-pressure gate and globe valves found in power plants around the world. The MT operator stem nut is shouldered in the drive sleeve to capture thrust forces within the thrust housing without transferring those forces to the torque housing.
Available in torque ranges to 8,000 ft-lb and thrust ranges to 325,000 lb., the MT series provides high efficiency and strong design for every application. When motorized by the Limitorque MX, SMB or L120 series electric actuators, the MT series offers flexibility for a wide range of valve opening and closing times.
"With the MT series, Flowserve once again leads the market with its product offerings for the power industry," says Earnest Carey, manager, product management, Flowserve Flow Control, Limitorque Actuation Systems. "Backed by our unsurpassed sales and service support, the MT series is further evidence of Flowserve's unwavering commitment to deliver the technology needed for reliable power plant valve operation today and in the years to come."
Foul Weather Gear protects workers from harsh conditions
ncluded in GLoWEAR[R] High-Visibility Apparel line, rain and thermal foul weather gear shields workers from rain, sleet, snow, cold, and wind. Rain jacket, rain pant, thermal jacket, thermal pant, and 4-in-1 jacket with detachable sleeves have polyester weatherproof outer shell that uses breathable PU material and ANSI 107-certified 3M(TM) Scotchlite(TM) reflective tape. Rain gear has polyester mesh lining, and thermal pieces feature 100 g 3M(TM) Thinsulate(TM) lining.
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New Gear Keeps Workers Safe, Comfortable In Harsh Weather Conditions
ST. PAUL, Minn. (September 12, 2005) - Ergodyne today introduced new rain and thermal foul weather gear to its popular line of GLoWEAR[R] High-Visibility Apparel. The new gear shields workers from rain, sleet, snow, cold, and wind while keeping them conspicuous on the job with high-visibility, ANSI-certified materials. Breathable fabrics and a high-quality design ensure a comfortable fit, allowing workers to move freely on the job site.
The new collection includes a rain jacket, rain pant, thermal jacket, thermal pant, and a 4-in-1 jacket with detachable sleeves. Each item has a polyester weatherproof outer shell that uses a breathable PU material and ANSI 107-certified 3M(TM) Scotchlite(TM) reflective tape. The rain gear has a polyester mesh lining and the thermal pieces feature a 100-gram 3M(TM) Thinsulate(TM) lining. All of the jackets are Class 3-certified and the pants are Class-E certified.
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New Gear Keeps Workers Safe, Comfortable In Harsh Weather Conditions
ST. PAUL, Minn. (September 12, 2005) - Ergodyne today introduced new rain and thermal foul weather gear to its popular line of GLoWEAR[R] High-Visibility Apparel. The new gear shields workers from rain, sleet, snow, cold, and wind while keeping them conspicuous on the job with high-visibility, ANSI-certified materials. Breathable fabrics and a high-quality design ensure a comfortable fit, allowing workers to move freely on the job site.
The new collection includes a rain jacket, rain pant, thermal jacket, thermal pant, and a 4-in-1 jacket with detachable sleeves. Each item has a polyester weatherproof outer shell that uses a breathable PU material and ANSI 107-certified 3M(TM) Scotchlite(TM) reflective tape. The rain gear has a polyester mesh lining and the thermal pieces feature a 100-gram 3M(TM) Thinsulate(TM) lining. All of the jackets are Class 3-certified and the pants are Class-E certified.
Textron Acquires ALSTOM Gears; Acquisition Establishes Preferred Supplier Relationship and Enhances Technological Offerings
Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) announced today the acquisition of U.K.-based ALSTOM Gears, part of ALSTOM, a leading supplier of components, systems and services to the world's energy and transport infrastructure markets. ALSTOM Gears manufactures and sells a range of gears and gearboxes, including high-speed epicyclic and parallel shaft gearboxes, for the industrial, rail and marine industries. The acquisition will be fully integrated into Textron's Power Transmission Products business, part of the company's Fluid & Power Systems Group. For the fiscal year-ended March 1999, ALSTOM Gear's revenues were approximately $10 million. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"Textron's acquisition of ALSTOM Gears further strengthens our power transmission capabilities, adding a range of technologically advanced gearbox systems to our existing product brands, including David Brown, Cone Drive and Textron Industrial gears," said Textron Fluid & Power Systems President Bob Geckle. "Furthermore, the acquisition establishes a multi-year preferred supplier agreement for Textron with ALSTOM for power transmission products," he added.
With approximately $1 billion in annualized revenues and locations in 23 countries, Textron's Fluid & Power Systems Group is a leading manufacturer of mechanical power transmission, motion control, fluid handling and electronic systems and components. The Fluid & Power Systems Group is part of Textron's $4 billion Industrial Segment.
"Textron's acquisition of ALSTOM Gears further strengthens our power transmission capabilities, adding a range of technologically advanced gearbox systems to our existing product brands, including David Brown, Cone Drive and Textron Industrial gears," said Textron Fluid & Power Systems President Bob Geckle. "Furthermore, the acquisition establishes a multi-year preferred supplier agreement for Textron with ALSTOM for power transmission products," he added.
With approximately $1 billion in annualized revenues and locations in 23 countries, Textron's Fluid & Power Systems Group is a leading manufacturer of mechanical power transmission, motion control, fluid handling and electronic systems and components. The Fluid & Power Systems Group is part of Textron's $4 billion Industrial Segment.
Expert system for selecting speed reduction components for a power transmission
This paper describes the development of an expert system that will allow for the concurrent consideration and analysis of the many facets of product constraints, particularly function and manufacturability, at the early stages of power transmission development. The Power Transmission Design Assistant methodology is based on the concept of directed refinement, where the product and analysis methodology become less abstract as more information is given. This allows for analysis and guidance throughout the product development process. The methodology has been demonstrated on a small-scale, semi-automatic tool. The tool was the foundation for a larger tool that incorporates expert rules to help optimize power transmission component design.
Power transmission systems are a crucial component in many types of machinery. Mechanical power transmissions are used in products such as food mixers, automobiles, and aircraft. The power transmission design problem involves deciding the input, intermediate components, and their layout for a required motion, force, or torque output. With the increased popularity of computer-based design tools, many difficult engineering problems, such as power transmission design, can be eased, which allows engineers to spend more time optimizing the product.
A partial listing of the various components involved in power transmission is shown in Figure 1. Power transmission can be achieved by either electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic means; however, most transmission systems are designed for mechanical, rotary applications. Power transmission of rotary systems typically consists of components such as shafts, bearings, gears, pulleys, sprockets, chains, belts, connectors, and fasteners. These elements can be prepackaged to meet a specific design goal, or they may be individual elements that the designer selects to meet a need. In either case, each has its own design criteria and constraints.
In the past, optimization of power transmission systems involved achieving the following interdependent functional requirements in an iterative, trial-and-error approach:
Geometry-Are there space limitations between elements, especially moving and stationary components? What is the relationship between input and output locations?
Kinematics-What is the direction of motion of the input and output transmission components? Is it at constant speed or is it transient?
Kinetics-What are the forces and torques present in the system?
Speeds-What are the required input and output speeds and forces?
Design adequacy-Once the loads and speeds are known, are the stresses, vibrations, and weights within acceptable limits?
However, after functional optimization occurs, the product is often still suboptimal in terms of cost, especially when life cycle costs are considered. The main reason for the suboptimal result is that the trade-offs between the requirements are often impossible to consider manually. It is necessary to develop a set of design tools to tackle this complex problem and integrate the many areas of the life cycle cost into a set of optimal solutions.
The iterative nature of the product development process implies that a considerable amount of time is spent repeating common but sometimes difficult tasks. If, as in power transmissions, there are a substantial number of functional constraints, these tasks become even more difficult. The process of finding optimal solutions to design problems is usually difficult and is often abandoned in favor of a quick solution that works but may not be optimal. The difficulty may simply be a result of computational ability to solve for the optimal solution or lack of a metric for deciding the optimal solution.
Engineers must be able to make correct engineering decisions early in the product development process to maintain profitability and competitiveness. The consequences of poor decision making include increased development time, increased time to market, pressure from internal groups who depend on the design decisions, and increased change order costs. Decisions or changes made later in the product development are more costly because they have greater repercussions. It is therefore advantageous to make decisions as early in the product's design as possible. The major hindrance to achieving this is the lack of quantitative knowledge on which to base these decisions.
In recent years, computer-aided engineering (CAE) has been used to relieve some of the pressures on design decisions. CAE is used to size components, evaluate products, and perform low-level design tasks. CAE has mostly been used to automate complicated and repetitive mathematical tasks; however, automation of these mathematical tasks usually requires information about product parameters that is not available early in the product development process. Currently, such design automation software falls into one of several categories: CAD-based design for manufacturability/design for assembly (DFM/DFA)1,2
Power transmission systems are a crucial component in many types of machinery. Mechanical power transmissions are used in products such as food mixers, automobiles, and aircraft. The power transmission design problem involves deciding the input, intermediate components, and their layout for a required motion, force, or torque output. With the increased popularity of computer-based design tools, many difficult engineering problems, such as power transmission design, can be eased, which allows engineers to spend more time optimizing the product.
A partial listing of the various components involved in power transmission is shown in Figure 1. Power transmission can be achieved by either electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic means; however, most transmission systems are designed for mechanical, rotary applications. Power transmission of rotary systems typically consists of components such as shafts, bearings, gears, pulleys, sprockets, chains, belts, connectors, and fasteners. These elements can be prepackaged to meet a specific design goal, or they may be individual elements that the designer selects to meet a need. In either case, each has its own design criteria and constraints.
In the past, optimization of power transmission systems involved achieving the following interdependent functional requirements in an iterative, trial-and-error approach:
Geometry-Are there space limitations between elements, especially moving and stationary components? What is the relationship between input and output locations?
Kinematics-What is the direction of motion of the input and output transmission components? Is it at constant speed or is it transient?
Kinetics-What are the forces and torques present in the system?
Speeds-What are the required input and output speeds and forces?
Design adequacy-Once the loads and speeds are known, are the stresses, vibrations, and weights within acceptable limits?
However, after functional optimization occurs, the product is often still suboptimal in terms of cost, especially when life cycle costs are considered. The main reason for the suboptimal result is that the trade-offs between the requirements are often impossible to consider manually. It is necessary to develop a set of design tools to tackle this complex problem and integrate the many areas of the life cycle cost into a set of optimal solutions.
The iterative nature of the product development process implies that a considerable amount of time is spent repeating common but sometimes difficult tasks. If, as in power transmissions, there are a substantial number of functional constraints, these tasks become even more difficult. The process of finding optimal solutions to design problems is usually difficult and is often abandoned in favor of a quick solution that works but may not be optimal. The difficulty may simply be a result of computational ability to solve for the optimal solution or lack of a metric for deciding the optimal solution.
Engineers must be able to make correct engineering decisions early in the product development process to maintain profitability and competitiveness. The consequences of poor decision making include increased development time, increased time to market, pressure from internal groups who depend on the design decisions, and increased change order costs. Decisions or changes made later in the product development are more costly because they have greater repercussions. It is therefore advantageous to make decisions as early in the product's design as possible. The major hindrance to achieving this is the lack of quantitative knowledge on which to base these decisions.
In recent years, computer-aided engineering (CAE) has been used to relieve some of the pressures on design decisions. CAE is used to size components, evaluate products, and perform low-level design tasks. CAE has mostly been used to automate complicated and repetitive mathematical tasks; however, automation of these mathematical tasks usually requires information about product parameters that is not available early in the product development process. Currently, such design automation software falls into one of several categories: CAD-based design for manufacturability/design for assembly (DFM/DFA)1,2
Techno trucks: Roush racing
I'n a western suburb of Detroit, the Roush Racing NASCAR Craftsman Truck teams have been busy all winter preparing for the 1999 season opener in Homestead, Florida. The snow-shrouded shop could be mistaken for any other factory in a row of commercial buildings that line the service drive of a major expressway leading into downtown Detroit. But inside lies one of the most organized and complete shops in racing.
Don't tell Jack Roush that NASCAR teams must be located in the Carolinas to be competitive. The Roush truck teams have been extremely successful operating right out of Michigan, thank you, with third and eighth place overall standings in the 1998 series, almost identical to 1997. And don't tell Roush he has to purchase his chassis, engines or other components from someone in the South. If it can be done at all, it can be done well by Roush Racing.
Perhaps this formula has been the secret to the success of Roush's NASCAR teams over the last few years. (Roush Racing campaigns five Winston Cup and two Busch Grand National cars, in addition to the trucks.)
Part of the credit, however, must be given to the vast amount of technology used in this operation. Everywhere I looked I saw laptop computers used for reference and data recording. Nothing is left to human memory or the possibility of miscommunication.
The Teams
The two truck teams consist of the No. 50 Grainger Ford, driven by Greg Biffle, and the No. 99 Exide Battery Ford, now piloted by Mike Bliss for 1999.
I was given a shop tour by Matt Chambers, Crew Chief for the No. 99 truck and Randy Goss, Crew Chief for the No. 50 truck. I asked them what it was like, working in close proximity to another team.
"The two teams eat their lunches together and share information and communication. It keeps everybody together," said Goss. "It's an advantage."
"Randy and I work together closely, comparing notes and finding out what works and what doesn't," Chambers added. "It saves us a lot of time." Chambers prefers working in the NASCAR Truck Series rather than the Winston Cup or Busch Grand National cars. He's been on Winston Cup and Grand National teams and thinks the trucks are the best, "especially here with Roush. This is the best team I've been on," he continued, "and I find it's a lot of fun. In Winston Cup, there's tremendous pressure to please sponsors. We know we still have to make them happy,' but the pressure doesn't seem as bad in the Truck Series. We're also very fortunate to have great sponsors, as well as great ownership."
"We still have fun," Goss chimed in. "We race hard and take it seriously, but we still enjoy ourselves. Plus, when we leave home, we know we've got a chance to win. Some teams can't say that, and it takes all the fun out of it."
The huge facility is large enough to house both teams, with plenty of space for several built-up trucks, plus the offices and fabricating and storage areas. There's even a "wall" area for practicing pit stops. Each team has bays to work on five or six trucks that are in various stages of completion. Located in the fabricating area is a machine shop, a shop where oil pans and coolers are made, a shop for making headers, a chassis-building section and a shop to create the steel body shells. Outside, the transport trucks for each team wait to be loaded for the trip to Homestead.
Technology Abounds
I visited with Kevin Caparella, an experienced shock man who builds the shock absorbers for both teams. He creates a computer profile of each track on the schedule, compares it to last year's results and prebuilds the shocks for each truck accordingly. Caparella says short tracks with higher banks, like Bristol, create his biggest problems, because "a lot is happening in a short distance"-lots of bumps and turns. He then prepares several sets of shocks for each of the two trucks, which can then be fine-tuned at the track during testing and qualifying.
Caparella logs the mileage of each component and records the changes on his laptop computer. He inspects the shocks after every race and rebuilds them after three races. He uses a dynamometer that's specially made for testing and proofing the shocks before returning them to action. Again, the dynamics of each shock are recorded on his laptop for later reference.
Brian Hoye builds the transmissions and differentials for the truck teams. He has 22 Jerico four-speed gearboxes in his inventory and prebuilds several boxes prior to each race. Hoye usually prepares a tranny and two spare boxes for each truck, while the parts truck hauls two extra units, just in case. Having eight transmissions for the two trucks gives him the flexibility to rebuild quickly at the track to suit the driver's needs.
Don't tell Jack Roush that NASCAR teams must be located in the Carolinas to be competitive. The Roush truck teams have been extremely successful operating right out of Michigan, thank you, with third and eighth place overall standings in the 1998 series, almost identical to 1997. And don't tell Roush he has to purchase his chassis, engines or other components from someone in the South. If it can be done at all, it can be done well by Roush Racing.
Perhaps this formula has been the secret to the success of Roush's NASCAR teams over the last few years. (Roush Racing campaigns five Winston Cup and two Busch Grand National cars, in addition to the trucks.)
Part of the credit, however, must be given to the vast amount of technology used in this operation. Everywhere I looked I saw laptop computers used for reference and data recording. Nothing is left to human memory or the possibility of miscommunication.
The Teams
The two truck teams consist of the No. 50 Grainger Ford, driven by Greg Biffle, and the No. 99 Exide Battery Ford, now piloted by Mike Bliss for 1999.
I was given a shop tour by Matt Chambers, Crew Chief for the No. 99 truck and Randy Goss, Crew Chief for the No. 50 truck. I asked them what it was like, working in close proximity to another team.
"The two teams eat their lunches together and share information and communication. It keeps everybody together," said Goss. "It's an advantage."
"Randy and I work together closely, comparing notes and finding out what works and what doesn't," Chambers added. "It saves us a lot of time." Chambers prefers working in the NASCAR Truck Series rather than the Winston Cup or Busch Grand National cars. He's been on Winston Cup and Grand National teams and thinks the trucks are the best, "especially here with Roush. This is the best team I've been on," he continued, "and I find it's a lot of fun. In Winston Cup, there's tremendous pressure to please sponsors. We know we still have to make them happy,' but the pressure doesn't seem as bad in the Truck Series. We're also very fortunate to have great sponsors, as well as great ownership."
"We still have fun," Goss chimed in. "We race hard and take it seriously, but we still enjoy ourselves. Plus, when we leave home, we know we've got a chance to win. Some teams can't say that, and it takes all the fun out of it."
The huge facility is large enough to house both teams, with plenty of space for several built-up trucks, plus the offices and fabricating and storage areas. There's even a "wall" area for practicing pit stops. Each team has bays to work on five or six trucks that are in various stages of completion. Located in the fabricating area is a machine shop, a shop where oil pans and coolers are made, a shop for making headers, a chassis-building section and a shop to create the steel body shells. Outside, the transport trucks for each team wait to be loaded for the trip to Homestead.
Technology Abounds
I visited with Kevin Caparella, an experienced shock man who builds the shock absorbers for both teams. He creates a computer profile of each track on the schedule, compares it to last year's results and prebuilds the shocks for each truck accordingly. Caparella says short tracks with higher banks, like Bristol, create his biggest problems, because "a lot is happening in a short distance"-lots of bumps and turns. He then prepares several sets of shocks for each of the two trucks, which can then be fine-tuned at the track during testing and qualifying.
Caparella logs the mileage of each component and records the changes on his laptop computer. He inspects the shocks after every race and rebuilds them after three races. He uses a dynamometer that's specially made for testing and proofing the shocks before returning them to action. Again, the dynamics of each shock are recorded on his laptop for later reference.
Brian Hoye builds the transmissions and differentials for the truck teams. He has 22 Jerico four-speed gearboxes in his inventory and prebuilds several boxes prior to each race. Hoye usually prepares a tranny and two spare boxes for each truck, while the parts truck hauls two extra units, just in case. Having eight transmissions for the two trucks gives him the flexibility to rebuild quickly at the track to suit the driver's needs.
Tech & Trends; Alfa Romeo Solves 'Tiptronic' FoibleEngaging the 'logic' gear to improve manual automatic transmissions
Fiat SpA's Alfa Romeo acts on an astute insight into one ergonomic problem that, to now, has vexed the new breed of sequential-shift automatic transmissions: the gear lever offers the driver no perception of which gear is being used.
Many drivers of automatic-transmission vehicles equipped with a "manual" sequential-shift function - often called "Tiptronic" after the system name coined by early adopter Porsche AG - have complaints. They say the lackof aural and tactile feedback from the driveline - combined with a gear lever that remains centrally situated regardless of which gear is being employed - makes it difficult to discern one gear from the next.
This is particularly a problem for sequential-shift automatics hooked to larger-displacement, 6- or 8-cyl. engines that are too refined to give much seat-of-the-pants indication about gear selection. Drivers of sequential-shift automatics thus must drive by the tachometer or peer at a usually too-small digital gear indicator located in the gauge cluster.
Alfa Romeo solves the problem with its all-new "Q-System" 4-speed automatic for the 156: its manual-function "quadrant" effectively replicates that of a manual transmission (see diagram), with the four forward speeds arranged in the standard "H" pattern.
Rather than simply moving - or "tipping" - the gear lever forward or backward sequentially for up- or down-shifts, the Q-System's gears can be selected much like those of a manual transmission, with no need to move sequentially from one gear to the next. And because it's an automatic at heart, the Q-System, like all sequential-shift gearboxes, of course doesn't require a clutch.
Most important, the Q-System's gear lever, by moving through a distinct H-pattern, provides the driver with a quick visual confirmation of which gear is engaged. In effect, the Q-System provides for much more intuitive information about gear selection than a Tiptronic-style gear lever.
In addition, a digital display placed in the tachometer offers a readout of which gear is engaged - the only indicator with most other sequential-shift systems.
The Q-System was designed as the automatic transmission for the Alfa 156 after its launch with only manual transmissions, which means Alfa Romeo was able to engineer the H-pattern for the shifter from the onset; most sequential-shift automatics were designed to make use of an already existing automatic transmission's gear selector and console housings, making it more difficult - and costly - to incorporate a manual-transmission-replicating gearlever and shift "pattern."
Many drivers of automatic-transmission vehicles equipped with a "manual" sequential-shift function - often called "Tiptronic" after the system name coined by early adopter Porsche AG - have complaints. They say the lackof aural and tactile feedback from the driveline - combined with a gear lever that remains centrally situated regardless of which gear is being employed - makes it difficult to discern one gear from the next.
This is particularly a problem for sequential-shift automatics hooked to larger-displacement, 6- or 8-cyl. engines that are too refined to give much seat-of-the-pants indication about gear selection. Drivers of sequential-shift automatics thus must drive by the tachometer or peer at a usually too-small digital gear indicator located in the gauge cluster.
Alfa Romeo solves the problem with its all-new "Q-System" 4-speed automatic for the 156: its manual-function "quadrant" effectively replicates that of a manual transmission (see diagram), with the four forward speeds arranged in the standard "H" pattern.
Rather than simply moving - or "tipping" - the gear lever forward or backward sequentially for up- or down-shifts, the Q-System's gears can be selected much like those of a manual transmission, with no need to move sequentially from one gear to the next. And because it's an automatic at heart, the Q-System, like all sequential-shift gearboxes, of course doesn't require a clutch.
Most important, the Q-System's gear lever, by moving through a distinct H-pattern, provides the driver with a quick visual confirmation of which gear is engaged. In effect, the Q-System provides for much more intuitive information about gear selection than a Tiptronic-style gear lever.
In addition, a digital display placed in the tachometer offers a readout of which gear is engaged - the only indicator with most other sequential-shift systems.
The Q-System was designed as the automatic transmission for the Alfa 156 after its launch with only manual transmissions, which means Alfa Romeo was able to engineer the H-pattern for the shifter from the onset; most sequential-shift automatics were designed to make use of an already existing automatic transmission's gear selector and console housings, making it more difficult - and costly - to incorporate a manual-transmission-replicating gearlever and shift "pattern."
Maintenance management: Smart methods (cont.)
Note: This column is a continuation of the December, February, and April P&P maintenance columns by Christer Idhammar discussing smart corrective maintenance methods. This month, he covers some techniques in preventive and corrective maintenance for beginning to advanced readers.
MICROCANS TECHNOLOGY IS THE closest thing to a paperless maintenance system I have seen. The MicroCan is a stainless steel container about the size of a dime with a thickness of about three dimes. Inside the container is a microchip that stores information. With a handheld probe, you can touch the MicroCan and read information from it, or you can add information it.
This technology has been used for many years in security systems, car locks, maintenance management, and other applications. Many years ago, I saw a MicroCan fastened in a cow's ear. This triggered my curiosity and led me to develop a demonstration route system for preventive maintenance that was used for training and idea creation in training programs. Today, many companies are using MicroCan technology in their maintenance departments-especially for lubrication and inspection routes.
The applications for this technology are limited only by our imaginations. I have introduced it to many maintenance software suppliers without success. They apparently do not see its benefits and say that they have other solutions, including bar codes and other technology. However, bar codes can easily be damaged or painted over.The biggest obstacle with software suppliers is most probably a resistance to change.
The MicroCan technology is so effective that I am convinced we will see more and more of it in the future. If you are interested in learning more about it, you can contact Dallas Semiconductor in Dallas, Texas, and ask for a demonstration kit. We can also give you names of lubrication suppliers offering this system as part of their services.
HYGROSCOPIC BREATHERS AND FILTERS. Poor filtration and moisture in hydraulic systems and lubrication systems are costing the pulp and paper industry millions of dollars. If you keep hydraulic fluids cool and clean, hydraulic systems -to the contrary belief of American industrywill not leak as much as they do in most U.S. pulp and paper mills. If hydraulic fluids and lubrication oils are kept clean from particles bigger than five microns and there is no water content in the systems, components in these systems will have much longer life.
If you use silica-filled filters as breathers on hydraulic systems and, for example, gearboxes, you will eliminate one source of contamination. Desiccant bag filters will dry the air entering the system and filter out particles down to one micron. An indicator will change color when it is time to change the unit. More information is available from Des-Case Corp. in White House,Tenn.
I talked with a pulp and paper maintenance manager in a mill I worked with for many years. This mill used to have problems with the short life-about eight months-of small gears driving its big rotating filters and washers.After trying to solve the problem with other types of oil, the lubrication team modified the gears so that it was easy to connect a mobile filter. They also put hygroscopic filters on the gears. They have now been running the gears for six years without a problem!
HIGH INTENSITY LIGHT. We recently followed up on the results of a PM/ECCM (preventive maintenance/essential care condition monitoring) program that was implemented in two pulp and paper mills. They both used cost avoidance reports to follow up on results. A conservative estimate showed that, in both mills, savings were about ten times the cost of implementing the program in the first six months.
Most of these savings came from avoiding production losses. In one mill, 80% of all work in a shutdown was the result of inspections instead of short notice work orders. Also, one mill followed up on the methods used to identify potential problems. It showed that 73% of identified problems were detected by use of high intensity light and that another 15% were detected by the use of strobe lights. Before the program was implemented, sporadic "when-we-have-time" inspections were done using flashlights. In the initial training, the inspector trainees were introduced to better lights with a light beam of l000w. They discovered that this opened up a new world when they inspected equipment, especially when it was performed in conjunction with detailed cleaning of components.
MICROCANS TECHNOLOGY IS THE closest thing to a paperless maintenance system I have seen. The MicroCan is a stainless steel container about the size of a dime with a thickness of about three dimes. Inside the container is a microchip that stores information. With a handheld probe, you can touch the MicroCan and read information from it, or you can add information it.
This technology has been used for many years in security systems, car locks, maintenance management, and other applications. Many years ago, I saw a MicroCan fastened in a cow's ear. This triggered my curiosity and led me to develop a demonstration route system for preventive maintenance that was used for training and idea creation in training programs. Today, many companies are using MicroCan technology in their maintenance departments-especially for lubrication and inspection routes.
The applications for this technology are limited only by our imaginations. I have introduced it to many maintenance software suppliers without success. They apparently do not see its benefits and say that they have other solutions, including bar codes and other technology. However, bar codes can easily be damaged or painted over.The biggest obstacle with software suppliers is most probably a resistance to change.
The MicroCan technology is so effective that I am convinced we will see more and more of it in the future. If you are interested in learning more about it, you can contact Dallas Semiconductor in Dallas, Texas, and ask for a demonstration kit. We can also give you names of lubrication suppliers offering this system as part of their services.
HYGROSCOPIC BREATHERS AND FILTERS. Poor filtration and moisture in hydraulic systems and lubrication systems are costing the pulp and paper industry millions of dollars. If you keep hydraulic fluids cool and clean, hydraulic systems -to the contrary belief of American industrywill not leak as much as they do in most U.S. pulp and paper mills. If hydraulic fluids and lubrication oils are kept clean from particles bigger than five microns and there is no water content in the systems, components in these systems will have much longer life.
If you use silica-filled filters as breathers on hydraulic systems and, for example, gearboxes, you will eliminate one source of contamination. Desiccant bag filters will dry the air entering the system and filter out particles down to one micron. An indicator will change color when it is time to change the unit. More information is available from Des-Case Corp. in White House,Tenn.
I talked with a pulp and paper maintenance manager in a mill I worked with for many years. This mill used to have problems with the short life-about eight months-of small gears driving its big rotating filters and washers.After trying to solve the problem with other types of oil, the lubrication team modified the gears so that it was easy to connect a mobile filter. They also put hygroscopic filters on the gears. They have now been running the gears for six years without a problem!
HIGH INTENSITY LIGHT. We recently followed up on the results of a PM/ECCM (preventive maintenance/essential care condition monitoring) program that was implemented in two pulp and paper mills. They both used cost avoidance reports to follow up on results. A conservative estimate showed that, in both mills, savings were about ten times the cost of implementing the program in the first six months.
Most of these savings came from avoiding production losses. In one mill, 80% of all work in a shutdown was the result of inspections instead of short notice work orders. Also, one mill followed up on the methods used to identify potential problems. It showed that 73% of identified problems were detected by use of high intensity light and that another 15% were detected by the use of strobe lights. Before the program was implemented, sporadic "when-we-have-time" inspections were done using flashlights. In the initial training, the inspector trainees were introduced to better lights with a light beam of l000w. They discovered that this opened up a new world when they inspected equipment, especially when it was performed in conjunction with detailed cleaning of components.
Ikona to Exhibit New Gearing Products at Permian Basin International Oil Show
Ikona Gear International, Inc. (OTCBB: IKGI) ("Ikona"), an innovator in compact, lightweight, gearing systems solutions, announced today that it will be exhibiting its new gearing products for the oil industry at the upcoming 2006 Permian Basin International Oil Show.
Billed as "The World's Largest Inland Petroleum Exposition," the show will be held at the Ector County Coliseum Complex in Odessa, Texas on October 17, 18 and 19, 2006. Ikona will be located at booth E 23 and will exhibit dedicated oil & gas field machinery product designs for mud pump drives and drawworks.
Ikona COO George Stefan will attend the Odessa show with Ikona's Vice President of Business Development, Vladimir Scekic. Visitors to the Ikona booth at the Odessa show are invited to talk with Ikona's senior management team, access printed materials, and watch animated presentations of Ikona products.
"Our compact and lightweight products offer reduced maintenance requirements, competitive prices, and the best warranty in the industry -- six months longer than the competition," said Stefan. "This helps drilling companies with reducing their capital investments, operating costs, and rig relocation costs.
"As a direct result of the contacts established at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary, AB, June 13-15, 2006, we received our first oil & gas orders, which currently are either delivered or in process of manufacturing for delivery in December 2006 and January 2007. We have successfully delivered two complete prototype gearboxes within 9 weeks from receipt of the order against an industry standard of 12 to 14 weeks delivery, thus demonstrating Ikona's superior time-to-market abilities and the strength of our supply chain."
About the Permian Basin Show
The Permian Basin International Oil Show, Inc. brings together people from every phase of the petroleum industry. Oil & Gas Leaders come to Odessa, Texas from every corner of the world to learn about the latest technology, the newest equipment, and to transact business and renew friendships. For more information go to
About Ikona Gear International, Inc.
Ikona Gear is a knowledge-based company focused on the design and manufacture of innovative and patented solutions for gearing and power transmission applications, a $100 billion market. The Ikona gear system is better, stronger, more precise and generally superior to standard gearing systems. The Company's unique, patented technology is ideally suited for deep ratio, weight and size constrained applications where often it is the only solution. The Ikona gear technology is the only technology that enables internal gear-sets with only one tooth difference, resulting in a much higher meshing of gears, and significantly higher gear ratios -- very important factors, especially in plastic gearing solutions.
Billed as "The World's Largest Inland Petroleum Exposition," the show will be held at the Ector County Coliseum Complex in Odessa, Texas on October 17, 18 and 19, 2006. Ikona will be located at booth E 23 and will exhibit dedicated oil & gas field machinery product designs for mud pump drives and drawworks.
Ikona COO George Stefan will attend the Odessa show with Ikona's Vice President of Business Development, Vladimir Scekic. Visitors to the Ikona booth at the Odessa show are invited to talk with Ikona's senior management team, access printed materials, and watch animated presentations of Ikona products.
"Our compact and lightweight products offer reduced maintenance requirements, competitive prices, and the best warranty in the industry -- six months longer than the competition," said Stefan. "This helps drilling companies with reducing their capital investments, operating costs, and rig relocation costs.
"As a direct result of the contacts established at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary, AB, June 13-15, 2006, we received our first oil & gas orders, which currently are either delivered or in process of manufacturing for delivery in December 2006 and January 2007. We have successfully delivered two complete prototype gearboxes within 9 weeks from receipt of the order against an industry standard of 12 to 14 weeks delivery, thus demonstrating Ikona's superior time-to-market abilities and the strength of our supply chain."
About the Permian Basin Show
The Permian Basin International Oil Show, Inc. brings together people from every phase of the petroleum industry. Oil & Gas Leaders come to Odessa, Texas from every corner of the world to learn about the latest technology, the newest equipment, and to transact business and renew friendships. For more information go to
About Ikona Gear International, Inc.
Ikona Gear is a knowledge-based company focused on the design and manufacture of innovative and patented solutions for gearing and power transmission applications, a $100 billion market. The Ikona gear system is better, stronger, more precise and generally superior to standard gearing systems. The Company's unique, patented technology is ideally suited for deep ratio, weight and size constrained applications where often it is the only solution. The Ikona gear technology is the only technology that enables internal gear-sets with only one tooth difference, resulting in a much higher meshing of gears, and significantly higher gear ratios -- very important factors, especially in plastic gearing solutions.
New Breakthrough Mobil Industrial Gear Lubricants Designed to Maximize Performance
Mobilgear 600 XP Series Delivers Exceptional Protection to Reduce Wear and Increase Customers' Productivity
FAIRFAX, Va. -- ExxonMobil today announced that the new Mobilgear 600 XP Series of premium industrial gear oils will be introduced worldwide. Formulated to deliver exceptional, long-lasting protection for industrial gearboxes, Mobilgear 600 XP can help industrial companies become more competitive in global markets by raising their productivity.
"Gearbox technology has advanced significantly in recent years. As a result, maintenance professionals are demanding higher-performance gear oils that can enhance the durability and performance of gearboxes," said Jeff Biamonte, ExxonMobil's global industrial advisor. "At the same time, gear industry groups, gearbox and equipment manufacturers continue to introduce new specifications and equipment designs which impose ever higher demands on gear lubricants."
With its advanced and balanced formulation, Mobilgear 600 XP delivers exceptional performance over the long haul, even under the most demanding operating conditions, surpassing the industry's most demanding specifications, such as Flender BA Table 7300 A, DIN 51517 Part 3 and AGMA 9005 E02.
Mobilgear 600 XP is formulated to minimize wear and enhance the performance of all critical gearbox components - including gears, bearings and seals.
By providing exceptional wear protection, Mobilgear 600 XP helps control micropitting and other forms of gear wear. Its balanced formulation improves bearing and corrosion protection while remaining compatible with commonly used gearbox sealing materials. Furthermore, Mobilgear 600 XP is designed to significantly reduce the formation of oil degradation by-products that often lead to frequent oil changes.
Robert Errichello, a gear failure analysis expert and head of GEARTECH consulting firm based in the United States, stated, "All gear metallurgies are susceptible to wear, and without the appropriate lubrication, this can lead to machine failure. Gear oils need to have basestocks and additives that are properly balanced to protect against micropitting, macropitting, scuffing and corrosion."
"Maintenance and production professionals continue to seek ways to increase productivity and reduce costs by maximizing the reliability of their equipment. Mobilgear 600 XP offers them a huge advance in this quest," said Dr. Tim Nadasdi, ExxonMobil's product technical advisor.
FAIRFAX, Va. -- ExxonMobil today announced that the new Mobilgear 600 XP Series of premium industrial gear oils will be introduced worldwide. Formulated to deliver exceptional, long-lasting protection for industrial gearboxes, Mobilgear 600 XP can help industrial companies become more competitive in global markets by raising their productivity.
"Gearbox technology has advanced significantly in recent years. As a result, maintenance professionals are demanding higher-performance gear oils that can enhance the durability and performance of gearboxes," said Jeff Biamonte, ExxonMobil's global industrial advisor. "At the same time, gear industry groups, gearbox and equipment manufacturers continue to introduce new specifications and equipment designs which impose ever higher demands on gear lubricants."
With its advanced and balanced formulation, Mobilgear 600 XP delivers exceptional performance over the long haul, even under the most demanding operating conditions, surpassing the industry's most demanding specifications, such as Flender BA Table 7300 A, DIN 51517 Part 3 and AGMA 9005 E02.
Mobilgear 600 XP is formulated to minimize wear and enhance the performance of all critical gearbox components - including gears, bearings and seals.
By providing exceptional wear protection, Mobilgear 600 XP helps control micropitting and other forms of gear wear. Its balanced formulation improves bearing and corrosion protection while remaining compatible with commonly used gearbox sealing materials. Furthermore, Mobilgear 600 XP is designed to significantly reduce the formation of oil degradation by-products that often lead to frequent oil changes.
Robert Errichello, a gear failure analysis expert and head of GEARTECH consulting firm based in the United States, stated, "All gear metallurgies are susceptible to wear, and without the appropriate lubrication, this can lead to machine failure. Gear oils need to have basestocks and additives that are properly balanced to protect against micropitting, macropitting, scuffing and corrosion."
"Maintenance and production professionals continue to seek ways to increase productivity and reduce costs by maximizing the reliability of their equipment. Mobilgear 600 XP offers them a huge advance in this quest," said Dr. Tim Nadasdi, ExxonMobil's product technical advisor.
New Breakthrough Mobil Industrial Gear Lubricants Designed to Maximize Performance
Mobilgear 600 XP Series Delivers Exceptional Protection to Reduce Wear and Increase Customers' Productivity
FAIRFAX, Va. -- ExxonMobil today announced that the new Mobilgear 600 XP Series of premium industrial gear oils will be introduced worldwide. Formulated to deliver exceptional, long-lasting protection for industrial gearboxes, Mobilgear 600 XP can help industrial companies become more competitive in global markets by raising their productivity.
"Gearbox technology has advanced significantly in recent years. As a result, maintenance professionals are demanding higher-performance gear oils that can enhance the durability and performance of gearboxes," said Jeff Biamonte, ExxonMobil's global industrial advisor. "At the same time, gear industry groups, gearbox and equipment manufacturers continue to introduce new specifications and equipment designs which impose ever higher demands on gear lubricants."
With its advanced and balanced formulation, Mobilgear 600 XP delivers exceptional performance over the long haul, even under the most demanding operating conditions, surpassing the industry's most demanding specifications, such as Flender BA Table 7300 A, DIN 51517 Part 3 and AGMA 9005 E02. Mobilgear 600 XP is formulated to minimize wear and enhance the performance of all critical gearbox components - including gears, bearings and seals.
By providing exceptional wear protection, Mobilgear 600 XP helps control micropitting and other forms of gear wear. Its balanced formulation improves bearing and corrosion protection while remaining compatible with commonly used gearbox sealing materials. Furthermore, Mobilgear 600 XP is designed to significantly reduce the formation of oil degradation by-products that often lead to frequent oil changes.
Robert Errichello, a gear failure analysis expert and head of GEARTECH consulting firm based in the United States, stated, "All gear metallurgies are susceptible to wear, and without the appropriate lubrication, this can lead to machine failure. Gear oils need to have basestocks and additives that are properly balanced to protect against micropitting, macropitting, scuffing and corrosion."
"Maintenance and production professionals continue to seek ways to increase productivity and reduce costs by maximizing the reliability of their equipment. Mobilgear 600 XP offers them a huge advance in this quest," said Dr. Tim Nadasdi, ExxonMobil's product technical advisor.
FAIRFAX, Va. -- ExxonMobil today announced that the new Mobilgear 600 XP Series of premium industrial gear oils will be introduced worldwide. Formulated to deliver exceptional, long-lasting protection for industrial gearboxes, Mobilgear 600 XP can help industrial companies become more competitive in global markets by raising their productivity.
"Gearbox technology has advanced significantly in recent years. As a result, maintenance professionals are demanding higher-performance gear oils that can enhance the durability and performance of gearboxes," said Jeff Biamonte, ExxonMobil's global industrial advisor. "At the same time, gear industry groups, gearbox and equipment manufacturers continue to introduce new specifications and equipment designs which impose ever higher demands on gear lubricants."
With its advanced and balanced formulation, Mobilgear 600 XP delivers exceptional performance over the long haul, even under the most demanding operating conditions, surpassing the industry's most demanding specifications, such as Flender BA Table 7300 A, DIN 51517 Part 3 and AGMA 9005 E02. Mobilgear 600 XP is formulated to minimize wear and enhance the performance of all critical gearbox components - including gears, bearings and seals.
By providing exceptional wear protection, Mobilgear 600 XP helps control micropitting and other forms of gear wear. Its balanced formulation improves bearing and corrosion protection while remaining compatible with commonly used gearbox sealing materials. Furthermore, Mobilgear 600 XP is designed to significantly reduce the formation of oil degradation by-products that often lead to frequent oil changes.
Robert Errichello, a gear failure analysis expert and head of GEARTECH consulting firm based in the United States, stated, "All gear metallurgies are susceptible to wear, and without the appropriate lubrication, this can lead to machine failure. Gear oils need to have basestocks and additives that are properly balanced to protect against micropitting, macropitting, scuffing and corrosion."
"Maintenance and production professionals continue to seek ways to increase productivity and reduce costs by maximizing the reliability of their equipment. Mobilgear 600 XP offers them a huge advance in this quest," said Dr. Tim Nadasdi, ExxonMobil's product technical advisor.
New utility vehicle from Kubota - utility equipment
Kubota Tractor Corp., Torrance, Calif., has announced the development of its first utility vehicle, the RTV900. Designed for general purpose, worksite, turf and recreational applications, the new unity vehicle is available in four configurations and incorporates the same technology used on the company's tractors, which have been sold in the U.S. for more than 30 years.
Kubota entered the utility vehicle market based on the growing trends of utility vehicles and the resources it already had to produce the vehicles, said James Burnside, product manager at Kubota. "We are going to grow this business. This is going to be big growth for Kubota this year."
After three years in development, Kubota began production on the vehicles in Gainesville, Ga. Full production was slated to begin in January.
While the company may have aimed for commonality between its new utility vehicle and its tractors in many areas, Burnside said the Kubota D902 diesel engine was designed specifically for the RTV900 utility vehicle. The three-cylinder, OHV, liquid-cooled engine has an 898 cc displacement on a bore and stroke of 2.83 in. x 2.90 in. and is rated 21.6 hp. The engine features a half float valve cover with a rubber ring gasket to seal and isolate vibration and reduce noise throughout the crankcase, the company said. Engine cooling is provided by a Denso radiator.
The vehicle's ground drive is a hydrostatic transmission (HST) system that incorporates a shaft-driven pump, mounted to the engine block, that de livers power to a single motor. Kubota built the RTV900 vehicle's HST from the design used in its tractors. "We used the knowledge that we know on hydrostatic and tractors and built a hydrostatic transmission to function in a utility vehicle," said Burnside.
In order for the HST to provide the same low-end torque as Kubota's tractors, a second variable displacement motor is driven off the main pump. Hydraulic flow is provided to this motor through a swashplate that automatically opens when the system senses the HST is beyond its limit, the company said. Hydraulic flow can also be manually directed to the second motor by selecting the low gear range. A foot-operated pedal controls gear selection by changing the gear ratio in the trans mission through a clutchless gear shift. Vehicle operation is also available in mid- and high-speed modes.
Both two- and four-wheel drive is standard on the vehicle, "because we already make our own transmission, gears and gearboxes for all our four-wheel drive tractors," said Burnside. "To take it out of the vehicle was insignificant." Four-wheel drive is activated by a single lever inside the cab.
An independent suspension is mounted to the front axle and rear semi-independent suspension is mounted to the rear axle. The rear axle has a flexible bend to achieve semi-independent movement in the Titan International Inc. tires. Tire options include four-ply turf, six-ply knobby, heavy-duty or ATV
Also taken from its tractor line, is Kubota's power steering and wet disc brakes. The power steering is driven off the engine by a hydraulic cylinder. The brakes prevent free-wheeling during downhill travel, the company said. Additional braking is achieved by a rear wheel, hand lever parking brake.
The four configurations of the RTV900 vehicle include a general purpose model used for light labor with the option of knobby, turf or heavy-duty tires. The work site model features a hydraulic bed lift, grill guard and heavy-duty tires for application in general construction projects. The turf model, with the same features as the work site model, has a rear remote valve to run hydraulic implements for golf and landscape projects and turf style tires. The camo model is designed for the sportsman with protective grill guard, ATV tires and real tree camouflage coloring. All other models are available in Kubota's signature orange color.
Kubota entered the utility vehicle market based on the growing trends of utility vehicles and the resources it already had to produce the vehicles, said James Burnside, product manager at Kubota. "We are going to grow this business. This is going to be big growth for Kubota this year."
After three years in development, Kubota began production on the vehicles in Gainesville, Ga. Full production was slated to begin in January.
While the company may have aimed for commonality between its new utility vehicle and its tractors in many areas, Burnside said the Kubota D902 diesel engine was designed specifically for the RTV900 utility vehicle. The three-cylinder, OHV, liquid-cooled engine has an 898 cc displacement on a bore and stroke of 2.83 in. x 2.90 in. and is rated 21.6 hp. The engine features a half float valve cover with a rubber ring gasket to seal and isolate vibration and reduce noise throughout the crankcase, the company said. Engine cooling is provided by a Denso radiator.
The vehicle's ground drive is a hydrostatic transmission (HST) system that incorporates a shaft-driven pump, mounted to the engine block, that de livers power to a single motor. Kubota built the RTV900 vehicle's HST from the design used in its tractors. "We used the knowledge that we know on hydrostatic and tractors and built a hydrostatic transmission to function in a utility vehicle," said Burnside.
In order for the HST to provide the same low-end torque as Kubota's tractors, a second variable displacement motor is driven off the main pump. Hydraulic flow is provided to this motor through a swashplate that automatically opens when the system senses the HST is beyond its limit, the company said. Hydraulic flow can also be manually directed to the second motor by selecting the low gear range. A foot-operated pedal controls gear selection by changing the gear ratio in the trans mission through a clutchless gear shift. Vehicle operation is also available in mid- and high-speed modes.
Both two- and four-wheel drive is standard on the vehicle, "because we already make our own transmission, gears and gearboxes for all our four-wheel drive tractors," said Burnside. "To take it out of the vehicle was insignificant." Four-wheel drive is activated by a single lever inside the cab.
An independent suspension is mounted to the front axle and rear semi-independent suspension is mounted to the rear axle. The rear axle has a flexible bend to achieve semi-independent movement in the Titan International Inc. tires. Tire options include four-ply turf, six-ply knobby, heavy-duty or ATV
Also taken from its tractor line, is Kubota's power steering and wet disc brakes. The power steering is driven off the engine by a hydraulic cylinder. The brakes prevent free-wheeling during downhill travel, the company said. Additional braking is achieved by a rear wheel, hand lever parking brake.
The four configurations of the RTV900 vehicle include a general purpose model used for light labor with the option of knobby, turf or heavy-duty tires. The work site model features a hydraulic bed lift, grill guard and heavy-duty tires for application in general construction projects. The turf model, with the same features as the work site model, has a rear remote valve to run hydraulic implements for golf and landscape projects and turf style tires. The camo model is designed for the sportsman with protective grill guard, ATV tires and real tree camouflage coloring. All other models are available in Kubota's signature orange color.
Gear Grinder rough and finish grinds gears in one setup
Built on mineral-filled cast polymer base, 6-axis GS:G2 produces gears from 1-12 in. dia, employs near net-shaped or hobbed gears, and requires 15 min of setup. Machine requires users to install proper tooling and enter part form, dress, and grind parameters into control in order to start-up new jobs, while menu-driven screens and Gear Smart(TM) Programming facilitate operation. Product features dual wheel machining and infinitely variable wheel speeds and feeds.
********************
Sometimes a new machine is just destined to happen. Markets evolve, new technologies emerge, and an experienced machine tool builder seizes the opportunity. The result: the right machine, at the right time, at the right price.
Drake Manufacturing in Warren, OH is putting the finishing touches on a highly productive 6-axis gear grinder that will be grinding quality parts after just 15-minutes of setup. Best part is - like Drake's other gear and thread manufacturing machines - it's priced to provide high return on investment for the job shop owner as well as the large, automotive supplier.
Drake is best known for its line of CNC gear hobbers, thread and worm grinders, rack mills and bore grinders. The GS:G2 is a machine that blends the best of Drake's specialty grinding and gear making expertise.
As the basis of competition in the power transmission and speed reducer markets increasingly shifts toward quiet operation and efficiency, more and more manufacturers are calling for precision ground gears. The Drake GS:G2 enables manufacturers to source near net-shaped or hobbed gears from low-cost suppliers and still control the final product quality. "This is a high value-added grinder, that with minimal capital outlay, can help our customers remain globally competitive for years to come," said Stig Mowatt-Larssen, Drake's Manager of Research and Development.
A flexible grinder
The GS:G2 has the flexibility and capability to handle a variety of grinding roles: job shop work, manufacturing cell environments, high volume grinding - even prototype work. Fast changeovers with menu-driven setup screens-no more change gears or dressing thread wheels-make it easy to switch from job to job.
Ideal customers for the Drake GS:G2 are manufacturers and suppliers of industrial, off-highway and heavy equipment power transmissions, speed reducers, and gearboxes. Actually, anyone who is producing gears and has wanted ground gears but thought an affordable gear grinder was unobtainable is a potential customer. Drake Manufacturing Services made CNC thread grinders affordable 20 years ago and is now working to do the same in gear grinding. "We want to take the mystery out of gear grinding and make that technology widely available and less intimidating," said Michael Hughes, Systems Engineer at Drake.
********************
Sometimes a new machine is just destined to happen. Markets evolve, new technologies emerge, and an experienced machine tool builder seizes the opportunity. The result: the right machine, at the right time, at the right price.
Drake Manufacturing in Warren, OH is putting the finishing touches on a highly productive 6-axis gear grinder that will be grinding quality parts after just 15-minutes of setup. Best part is - like Drake's other gear and thread manufacturing machines - it's priced to provide high return on investment for the job shop owner as well as the large, automotive supplier.
Drake is best known for its line of CNC gear hobbers, thread and worm grinders, rack mills and bore grinders. The GS:G2 is a machine that blends the best of Drake's specialty grinding and gear making expertise.
As the basis of competition in the power transmission and speed reducer markets increasingly shifts toward quiet operation and efficiency, more and more manufacturers are calling for precision ground gears. The Drake GS:G2 enables manufacturers to source near net-shaped or hobbed gears from low-cost suppliers and still control the final product quality. "This is a high value-added grinder, that with minimal capital outlay, can help our customers remain globally competitive for years to come," said Stig Mowatt-Larssen, Drake's Manager of Research and Development.
A flexible grinder
The GS:G2 has the flexibility and capability to handle a variety of grinding roles: job shop work, manufacturing cell environments, high volume grinding - even prototype work. Fast changeovers with menu-driven setup screens-no more change gears or dressing thread wheels-make it easy to switch from job to job.
Ideal customers for the Drake GS:G2 are manufacturers and suppliers of industrial, off-highway and heavy equipment power transmissions, speed reducers, and gearboxes. Actually, anyone who is producing gears and has wanted ground gears but thought an affordable gear grinder was unobtainable is a potential customer. Drake Manufacturing Services made CNC thread grinders affordable 20 years ago and is now working to do the same in gear grinding. "We want to take the mystery out of gear grinding and make that technology widely available and less intimidating," said Michael Hughes, Systems Engineer at Drake.
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