Dana weighs in with heavy tandem

Dana Spicer
When you’re an axle maker, a crucial part of product engineering is to take the toughest, most demanding haul you think your customer will dish out and then design to exceed it.

A prime example of this is the Dana Spicer D170, a tandem drive axle in the 46,000- to 50,000-pound range. With the industry’s broadest spectrum and greatest number of gear ratios, from 3.07 through 7.17, it’s ready for almost anything you can serve up on or off the highway.

The D170 has extra-wide face-width gearing for the demands of heavier loads and larger wheel differential gearing for maximum strength and reliability. For optimal spinout protection, improved fuel efficiency, and cooler operating temperatures, an on-demand lube pump with internal no-maintenance filter is offered as an option.

Other D170 features include forged, heat-treated steel differential cases; an integrated ring gear and wheel differential mounting system; integral pinion cage and carrier; a high-precision bearing adjustment system; and best-in-class inter-axle driveline angles that reduce harmful vibrations. Incredibly, Dana engineers accomplished this while cutting the overall part count by more than 50 per cent when compared to other heavy-duty axles.

You can soup up the D170 with options, including a wide-track stance for stability, integral welded suspension brackets to cut weight, a high-efficiency lube pump with internal lifetime filter for spinout protection and cooler operating temperatures, and driver-controlled differential-lock for traction.

For more on Dana Spicer D170 series tandem axles, contact Roadranger Marketing at www.roadranger.com or phone 1-800/826-HELP (4357).