Mack Command Steer, Mack’s active steering system that reduces driver fatigue, is now in production in Mack Granite axle back models.
Produced at Mack’s Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Mack Class 8 models for North America and export are assembled, the company says Mack Granite models with Command Steer help reduce the physical demands of working on a jobsite.
Mack Command Steer combines an electric motor with the Mack Granite model’s existing hydraulic steering. Multiple sensors throughout the truck monitor the terrain, driver inputs and environmental elements more than 2,000 times per second. Based on the collected data, the system provides variable steering effort through its electric motor, applying additional torque as needed to make it easier to keep the truck on the desired route.
Along with a reduction in driver steering efforts at slow speeds, Command Steer suppresses uneven terrain, such as potholes, dips and ruts, Mack says. The system reacts to those irregularities by countering the steer force, smoothing the steering feedback and reducing steering wheel “kicks.”
“Drivers no longer need to fight the wheel when driving on severe terrain or during difficult weather conditions requiring a lot of steer effort,” said Tim Wrinkle, Mack construction product manager. “Mack Command Steer helps the driver maintain greater control of both on-highway and off-road applications at low speeds and high speeds.”
Mack says an additional benefit of Mack Command Steer is that the system features a unique return-to-zero capability that automatically returns the steering wheel to the center position in forward and reverse.
