MAN Truck & Bus has presented a new heavy-duty tractor unit for particularly heavy transports. The four-axle TGX 41.640 8×4/4 is designed for gross combination weights of up to 250 tonnes. With this model, the manufacturer says it is returning more strongly to the segment of extreme heavy haulage.
“With our new 250-ton tractor unit, we are returning to the premier discipline—heavy haulage,” said Friedrich Baumann, Board Member for Sales & Customer Solutions at MAN Truck & Bus, at the presentation.
While MAN has also had vehicles for heavy transport in its portfolio in the past—such as the F2000 series or later the TGA—specialised heavy-duty tractor units in recent years were often realised through external conversions. With the new TGX version, the manufacturer is once again offering a fully integrated factory solution for extreme loads.
The vehicle is aimed primarily at companies transporting particularly heavy industrial goods, such as wind power components, transformers or large plant modules.
640 hp and 3,000 Nm of torque
The heavy hauler is powered by the MAN D3876 six-cylinder with 640 hp. Maximum torque is 3,000 newton metres and, according to the manufacturer, is available as early as 900 to 1,380 rpm.
The engine works with the automated MAN TipMatic 12.30 transmission, combined with a torque-converter shift clutch. This increases torque when pulling away by up to 59 percent and is intended to enable low-wear starting, especially with very heavy loads. In addition, the vehicle features a Retarder 40 for high continuous braking performance.
Source: MAN Truck & Bus
Hydraulics and heavy-duty technology on board
Key components of the heavy-duty technology are bundled in a so-called heavy-duty tower behind the cab.
These include, among other things:
- 960-litre diesel tank
- 290-litre hydraulic tank
- 160 litres of additional compressed-air reserve
- Heavy-haul cooler for stable engine operation
The two-stage heavy-duty hydraulics operate at pressures of up to 300 bar and supply, as required, 20 or 40 litres of oil per minute, for example for the steering systems of heavy-duty trailers.
Production at two plants
The new TGX is built as a complete vehicle from two MAN sites. The four-axle base vehicle is produced at the Munich plant. It is then completed at the MAN Truck Modification Center in Wittlich, where additional cooling systems, hydraulics and couplings, among other things, are integrated.
Heavy-duty segment with few manufacturers
The market for heavy-duty tractor units is relatively small in Europe and is served by only a few manufacturers. In addition to MAN, the following manufacturers, among others, offer vehicles for extreme transports:
- Mercedes-Benz with the Arocs SLT, which is also designed for gross combination weights of up to around 250 tonnes
Source: Daimler AG
- Volvo Trucks with the FH16 Heavy Haulage, offering engine outputs of up to 780 hp
- Scania, whose heavy-duty versions of the R and S series are used in heavy haulage with engine outputs of up to 770 hp
Such vehicles are used primarily in large-scale industrial transports, energy projects or infrastructure schemes and are often combined with modular heavy-duty trailers. In parallel, regulatory and cost frameworks for electric trucks are also evolving across Europe.
First vehicle goes to rental partner
The first vehicle went to rental partner BFS. The tractor unit will in future be made available there for heavy-haulage companies that need short-notice capacity for particularly heavy transports.
MAN rental partner BFS, a company of the Stegmaier Group: (from left: Johannes Kramer, Johannes Thalmann, Stefan Schall, MAN Truck & Bus; Jan Plieninger, Managing Director of BFS, Herrmann Stegmaier, owner and Managing Director of Stegmaier Nutzfahrzeuge, Marc Stegmaier, Managing Director of Stegmaier Nutzfahrzeuge; Friedrich Baumann, Board Member for Sales & Customer Solutions, MAN Truck & Bus, Karl-Heinz Funk, Sales Consultant, MAN Truck & Bus) / Source: MAN Truck & Bus
