Fontaine Fifth Wheel has released the new SmartConnect fifth wheel.
“Think of it as a fifth wheel with a brain,” said Juan Hernandez, Fontaine’s vice president of sales and marketing. “It utilizes advanced sensors to monitor the fifth wheel lock position every time you couple or de-couple from a trailer. By collecting and processing this data, it can accurately anticipate maintenance needs before problems surface. Promptly addressing these issues prevents minor problems from escalating into costly repairs and extends the fifth wheel’s lifespan.”
Shane Wolfe, director of engineering, touted the product’s predictive maintenance capabilities, saying, “LED flash codes provide drivers with advance notice that fifth wheel service is required at the next maintenance interval.”
The system is CAN bus capable out of the box, using the SAE J1939 communications protocol. When integrated with the truck OEM’s CAN and telematics, SmartConnect will transmit lock status, hours of use, number of couples and maintenance alerts to fleet managers, the company said.
