Jacobs Vehicle Systems has begun production of Fulcrum Bridge, a technology that the company says makes it possible to combine conventional engine braking with automatic hydraulic lash adjustment. Jacobs’ first Fulcrum Bridge product includes a compression release engine brake and is part of an overall valvetrain system that will be supplied to an original equipment manufacturer in the U.S. The technology’s first production application will be on an off-road application. Jacobs expects other heavy-duty off-highway applications, such as articulated dump trucks used in construction and mining, farm vehicles and vocational applications to follow. 

“Fulcrum Bridge is a breakthrough technology because engine makers no longer have to choose between Hydraulic Lash Adjusters (HLAs), which set and maintain the clearance in the valve train between valve and camshaft, and a Jake Brake,” Steve Ernest, vice president of engineering and business development at Jacobs Vehicle Systems, commented.