[julupani]

U-truc New gen cabs are non-tiltable cabins??!!! The access is still from inside the cabin??

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

U - Trucks are fully floating / suspended and non tiltable, where are in MN its not fully suspended but its tiltable.

U-Truck without tiltable cab - that's bad, if it's true.

[metal2corp]

The fully suspended cabins are basically a 4 point suspension (2 front & 2 rear ) where the whole cabin has an altogether independent suspension of it own apart from the regular vehicle suspension. The aim has been to to provide higher comfort to drivers as rigid suspensions are quite harsh. Eicher features a 2 two point suspension at the rear of the cabin which hasnt proved to be comfortable.
The cabin in Mahindra navistar is also fully tiltable like an Eicher or AL though they dont have a hydraulic mechanism for tilting the cabin which is makes it quite easy.
I happen to speak to a MN25 driver who had this glow and happiness in his face when i asked him about the vehicle and comfort after driving those wooden cabin TATAs & ALs.
I wouldnt compare a Prima with MN as there is a price difference of 3-4 lakhs making MN vehicles quite affordable for equivalent features. The entire body of MN is also Steel though it looks plastic in the pics. unlike other Eicher models.
I visited the dealership in Nelmangala where Trident is the dealership for MN and they gave me an entire demo of the vehicle. Interesting to note is the unique engine which i think is a one of a kind in the industry with individual cylinder heads, inbuilt water gear pump independent of the fan belt which no other vehicles in india have.

[julupani]

You sure about the Prima being just 3-4lakhs costlier?? I think it is a bit more than that.

And I dont think the MN matches up to even the basic Prima's that are on sale today in terms of features, let alone the future Primas. And this is not just in terms of absolute feature list, but more importantly in terms of overall quality of the truck the Prima is a good deal ahead of the MNs.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by silversteed

U-Truck without tiltable cab - that's bad, if it's true.

Yes and a big to it.

[hell_rider]

Do the Mahindra Navistar trucks have Retarder Brake feature ? It is not mentioned in the website.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by hell_rider

Do the Mahindra Navistar trucks have Retarder Brake feature ? It is not mentioned in the website.

Retarder I have not heard in trucks but only in buses !

[DWind]

why not? they are as important in trucks during load an on steep descent

[hell_rider]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Retarder I have not heard in trucks but only in buses !

Retarders are used in trucks all over. The same (rather similar) ones used on our Volvo buses here. Voith retarders,I understand.

In India, as far as I know, Eicher does offer exhaust braking or something of that sort on some of its models.

[hell_rider]

Originally Posted by DWind

why not? they are as important in trucks during load an on steep descent

Not as much on descents as much as preventing unwanted downshifts and saving brake wear. These two are far more important factors w.r.t. trucking.

[julupani]

Retarders are not exactly very common in trucks in India, unlike in Europe.

Volvos in India do come with retarders in India, but I think only as optional equipment and not as standard. The Primas will also be offered with hydraulic retarders in the future.

Retarders are useful only when you encounter inclines on the way, where brake usage is far higher to keep speeds in check. Here the retarder has a serious effect on brake wear. But in India, we rarely have such requirement, so dont expect to see retarders on trucks in India in any heavy numbers. In Europe, trucks are still used to pass through a large number of mountain passes, where retarders are a great help.

Buses use retarders to augment braking especially at the higher speeds. But as truks are not expected to be doing such high speeds as it is, you dont see retarders that commonly.

Exhaust braking, has pretty much disappeared from the market today, as it is not exactly very helpful to engine life. Almost all manufacturers used this earlier, but it started disappearing after brake shoes started getting better.

[vharihar]

In the US, I have heard the term "engine brake" or "jake brake". Perhaps it is the same as the "retarder" that is being discussed here. An engine brake supposedly works by pushing back on the opening/closing of valves or some such thing, I believe. Some mths ago I had read a nice wikipedia article on it.

When activated, it produces a loud, winding-down sound from the truck. I have often heard this from trucks trying to slow down, and had always wondered what this sound was, until I learned about these "jake brakes". Very common in US tractor-trailers (big-rigs) when descending steep gradients.

I have also seen signboards along some parts of US hwys (esp near affluent neighborhoods) that ban the use of jake brakes. Probably bcoz of the noise pollution.

/Venkat

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by hell_rider

Retarders are used in trucks all over. The same (rather similar) ones used on our Volvo buses here. Voith retarders,I understand.

I think we were speaking about retarders in trucks, but you are mentioning about retarders in buses. AFAIK, retarders in trucks are very rare in India. Even in FH series its only a option.
Voith hydrodynamic retarders is used by Volvo and TML, AL uses wabco? make Electromagnetic retarders.

Originally Posted by vharihar

In the US, I have heard the term "engine brake" or "jake brake". Perhaps it is the same as the "retarder" that is being discussed here.

This is same as the Exhaust brake. Functionally retarders and exhaust brakes are different though both of them help in reducing the speed!

[hell_rider]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

I think we were speaking about retarders in trucks, but you are mentioning about retarders in buses. AFAIK, retarders in trucks are very rare in India. Even in FH series its only a option.
Voith hydrodynamic retarders is used by Volvo and TML, AL uses wabco? make Electromagnetic retarders.


This is same as the Exhaust brake. Functionally retarders and exhaust brakes are different though both of them help in reducing the speed!

What I meant to say that internationally the same Voith type retarders are used in trucks as well. I was clarifying that retarders are not restricted to buses alone, in response to the earlier comment.

I know they are rare in India. But with manufacturers claiming "new-generation" trucks, I was wondering if this is a feature they are starting to incorporate.

[Finject]

Originally Posted by hell_rider

Whats the front suspension spec for the Navistar ?? Is it the same across all the entire range ?? The AL U-Truck cabin is "fully suspended" per specs.

Also whats the price differential between the BS-II, BS-III and BS-IV options on the Navistar models ??

Vehicular Suspension of MN Range is Linkage type with wider leaves( 90MM as compared to generally offered 70 MM ) and thicker U bolts ( 20MM against normally offered 18MM) thus the suspension is more reliable and durable, less prone to break down leading to minimum maintenance.

Cabin suspension of MN is truly unique, wherein the offering is 4-point cabin suspension against generally offered 2-point suspension, significantly improving the ride comfort.