Mack’s New Chassis Driven by ’07

LAS VEGAS – One of the major reasons Mack Trucks has redesigned the chassis for its Class 8 tractor lineup is to accommodate the upcoming 2007 engines.

“We needed to make room for a bigger cooling system that the next generation of low-emission engines will need,” Tom Davis, Mack’s marketing manager for on-highway products, told Fleet Owner here during a press conference at The Truck Show.

The new bowed front rail design of the Advantage chassis allows for a 10% larger cooling system to be installed, Davis said, as well as allowing for a much larger wheel cut of 50 degrees that improves maneuverability and cuts turning radius. For example, a Mack Vision Class 8 tractor built on the Advantage chassis will have an almost 15 foot tighter turning radius than a Vision cab built on its old chassis, he noted.

Steve Homcha, executive vp-Class 8 programs at Mack, said that the Advantage chassis is the result of 2 ½ years of development work and will replace all of Mack’s highway tractor chassis in mid-July. He added that there would be no up-charge to customers for this new chassis design: “This change is cost neutral to them.”