Shamrock Foods Co. has committed to installing the Meritor 14X drive axle on 105 of its new Class 8 tractors in the Shamrock Foods private fleet.
Shamrock Foods is the umbrella company under which Shamrock Farms, the largest dairy in the Southwest, operates. The private fleet runs 1,250 pieces of equipment, including 650 power units.
“We were really impressed with the new 14X axle’s lighter weight, improved driveline angles, and a more robust inter-axle differential,” said Brad Peppers, fleet manager at Shamrock. “Our standard drive axle has been the Meritor RT145 model for over ten years, but this new one offers our operation even greater operating efficiencies and the long life we expect.”
The Meritor 14X, from ArvinMeritor, debuted in March and entered full production in late June. The axle system is built on the legacy of the RT 145, but includes a faster and wider range of axle ratios. The premium Amboid gear above-centerline design of the inter-axle driveline provides significant improvements, including reduced operating pressures for increased driveline life, less driveline angularity, vibration and energy loss, improved ride quality and overall longer component life, ArvinMeritor said.
To see a video of the Meritor 14X, click here.