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Balancing the backbone

Published Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Curt Tamandl will tell you that chassis engineering for Class 8 tractors has become a very complex balancing act, largely because of the demands being placed on what he calls the critical “bones” of the modern truck are often contradictory. “We look at the chassis as the backbone of the truck,” says Tamandl, manager of product development for the chassis department at Mack Trucks Inc.: “It's [where] we hang everything else — the cab, engine, transmission, axles, tires, etc. — so any changes you make to the chassis have a significant impact on the overall vehicle. “Take what ...

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