offerings and their potential weight savings are the following:
Meritor SteelLite X30 lightweight brake drums, according to the manufacturer, can save over 200 lbs. on a typical tandem axle tractor-trailer combination. The comparison is based on an average savings versus cast drums with 16.5×5-in. steer and 16.5×8-5/8-in. drive axle and trailer brakes. SteelLite X30 drums are available in most popular wheel-end configurations and axle ratings for retrofit as well as new vehicle specifications.

SteelLite X30 drums are designed with an exclusive one-piece roll-formed shell design for strength and to reduce the risk of breakage. ArvinMeritor’s patented Machine-to-Balance process helps the drums deliver better balance without the need for balance weights, which increase drum weight and, if lost, can lead to vibration and component wear.
Meritor also offers its Meritor Lite hubs for trailer applications. Engineered using ductile iron instead of aluminum, according to the manufacturer, the hubs provide more than 50% improvement in both tensile and yield strength. Other features, the company notes, include no heating requirements for bearing cup replacement, which reduces maintenance time, and higher strength threads to reduce the likelihood of stripping that can result in oil leaks.

The Dana Spicer UHS (Unitized Hub System) employs iron and aluminum on spindle ends to reduce weight in a variety of steer, drive and trailer axle applications. Steer axles rated from 10,000 to 13,200 lbs. that are assembled with the UHS aluminum hub option, the manufacturer points out, are 41 lbs. lighter than competitive offerings. The system is also available for single drive axles rated from 21,000 to 23,000 lbs. and for 40,000-lb. capacity tandem drives. Trailer axles with capacities from 20,000 to 23,000 lbs. can also be spec’ed with UHS.

ConMet aluminum hubs are available for virtually all axle and wheel configurations on heavy-duty vehicles with S-Cam foundation brakes. The company’s PreSet Hub Assemblies offer a lightweight option by using a precision-machined, aluminum alloy hub to reduce weight. The hubs are available for steer, drive and trailer axles as an OEM option or for retrofit.

ConMet also offers its PreSet hub and rotor assembly for use on trailers with Haldex air disc brakes. This assembly uses the same aluminum hub and a “hat shape" rotor design to offer a weight advantage over traditional iron hub/u-shape rotors, the company states.

ConMet’s CastLite Brake Drums, according to the manufacturer, deliver up to a 15% weight savings over a standard full-cast drum. Comparisons offered by the company include an 11-lb. or 15% savings with a 69-lb. ConMet CastLite 15×4-in. drum compared to an 80-lb standard cast drum, and a 13% savings, or 13 lbs., when a 16.5×7-in. CastLite drum weighing 100 lbs. is compared to a 113-lb. standard cast drum.

Webb Wheel Products has added two aluminum trailer disc wheel hubs to its OEM product offerings. The new Webb aluminum hubs, rated for 25,000-lb. axles, weigh 1 to 3 lbs. less than competitive aluminum hubs, the company states.
Also offered by Webb are lightweight Vortex drums available in a 16.5×7-in. size. Specifying Webb aluminum hubs and Vortex drums on trailers, the manufacturer states, can save 28 lbs. per axle end, or 112 lbs. per trailer, compared to standard hub and drum configurations.

Fifth wheels
Fontaine Fifth Wheel has introduced the Ultra LT fifth wheel as part of its new Ultra family of fifth wheel products. The Fontaine Ultra LT, the company says, offers weight savings of up to 100 lbs. or more over other fifth wheel systems. Designed for use in on-highway applications, including on tankers, the Ultra LT, the manufacturer states, is as light as an aluminum fifth wheel while providing the strength and durability of steel construction.

The Ultra LT is offered as a complete system that includes the top plate and one of a variety of mounting configurations, including inboard and outboard slide assemblies and a stationary mount. Both the inboard and outboard slide assemblies are lighter weight and more compact than standard slide assemblies, the manufacturer also notes.

SAF-Holland and Alcoa have partnered to produce the FWAL aluminum fifth wheel that is over 100 lbs lighter than competitive designs, the company states. The forged aluminum model has a 55,000-lb. maximum vertical load capacity, and according to the manufacturer, saves over 100 lbs. when paired with Holland’s Integrated Slider System (ILS), as compared to competitive fifth wheels.

The FWAL fifth wheel top plate is forged by Alcoa using the same lightweight aluminum alloy used by the manufacturer in its wheels. All FWAL fifth wheels are standard with SAF-Holland NoLube Technology that does not require lubrication on the top plate or lock mechanism, as well as replaceable lube plate inserts made from ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene molded to a perforated steel reinforcement plate.

Enhancing profitability
Obviously, the benefit to fleets of choosing lightweight hubs, drums and fifth wheels is going to vary based on the type of operation. In most cases, estimates range from an advantage of $2 per pound for dry and refrigerated freight truckload carriers to as much as $12 per pound for bulk haulers.
In any case, the savings from spec’ing lightweight components in carefully selected applications can have a positive impact on productivity and profitability.  FE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Meritor SteelLite X30 drums and Meritor Lite Hubs—www.meritorhvs.com
Dana Spicer UHS (Unitized Hub System)—www.roadranger.com
ConMet PreSet hubs and CastLite drums—www.conmet.com
Webb hubs and Vortex drums—www.webbwheel.com
Fontaine Ultra LT fifth wheel—www.fifthwheel.com
SAF-Holland FWAL fifth wheel—www.safholland.us