Mercedes-Benz claims to be opening up a new chapter in the heavy-duty truck segment with their two all-new model series, the Actros and the Arcos.
The Actros and the Arocs are available as tractor units, drop-side-body chassis, tipper chassis or concrete mixer chassis. For the Actros, the axle configurations include virtually every imaginable variant from 4×2 to 6×4 with permissible gross vehicle weights (GVW) from 18 t to 40 t. The Arocs is available as a 4×2 variant through to 8×8 with a permissible GVW between 18 t and 48 t.
There is an easy distinction between the two trucks: the heavy-duty Actros covers all applications on motorways, on tarmac roads and in mixed operation involving a high proportion of use on unsurfaced roads, too; this is where the Arocs comes in, covering usages from unsurfaced roads to tough off-road terrain. Then there is the spectacular SLT heavy-haulage vehicle. Anyone wanting to take advantage of the many variations of cab, drive system, frame and chassis will find their individual truck.
Available specifically in countries with high temperatures, the cab variant with a 170mm high engine tunnel or flat floor offers another advantage in the cockpit besides being comfortable: there is plenty of space for cooling air to flow through the engine compartment.
The Actros and Arocs are designed for tough conditions like extreme climates, heavy loads and difficult terrains. Additional cyclone air filters for regions with high levels of dust keep up to 80 percent of the dust away from the main air filter. Transmission oil coolers reduce oil temperatures in extreme heat and when transporting high loads. In conjunction with an efficient cooling system this is a guarantee of durability.
The new Mercedes-Benz Arocs is the first ever truck model series to be developed specifically for both off-road and construction use. It is only slightly offset or straight non-offset front axle, depending on model, increases the ground clearance compared with the model it replaces to a maximum of 350 mm with standard tyres.
Heavy-duty haulage covers some of the most challenging tasks in the transport industry, moving items such as giant turbines and transformers, marine diesel engines, machinery, boilers and wind power plants. Heavy-haulage vehicles transport loads of several hundred tonnes, with up to 250 t GCW when working solo and up to 750 t GCW when working in a train of up to three tractor units. This can result in tractor/trailer combinations of 50 or even 100 m in length, which thanks to sophisticated technology in the new SLT models, nevertheless remain manoeuvrable to the nearest centimetre.
The new SLT heavy-haulage vehicle is a high-calibre specialist developed by Mercedes-Benz to meet the requirements of this highly demanding segment. Customers opting for the new heavy-haulage vehicle benefit from highly specialised vehicles produced by a single manufacturer with perfectly coordinated components: engine, transmission and axles all bearing the Mercedes star.
The new Actros and Arocs are also available with three different engines complying with Euro IV and Euro V emission norms. All engines are designed as in-line 6-cylinder engines with exhaust-gas turbocharging and charge air cooling for high torque at little more than idle speed. Maximum tractive power levels of from 1000 to 3000 Nm are achieved by three displacements of 10,7, 12.8 and 15.6 litres, with a power range from 240 kW/326 hp up to 460 kW/625 hp.
An important feature of all of the 6-cylinder in-line engines of the OM 470/471/473 model series from Mercedes-Benz is the unique flexible common-rail X-Pulse injection system with fully electronic control and pressure booster. Whilst the pressure is increased to a maximum of 1,160 bar in the common rail, it is increased to an injection pressure of up to 2,700 bar in the individual injectors. This feature is unique to the latest generation of Mercedes-Benz engines and ensures highest fuel efficiency.
Whether the OM 470, OM 471 or the OM 473 all engines comply with the Euro IV or Euro V emissions standard. They feature the latest common-rail injection system and come with exhaust gas recirculation. Exhaust gases are treated with SCR technology with AdBlue injection, as well as a downstream oxidation catalytic converter.