Freightliner's M2V
Whether rigged for snow plowing or hauling stuff to job sites, Biz Class vocational models demonstrate toughness, agility and comfort.
Tom Berg
Equipment Editor
At its debut three years ago, the second-generation Business Class M2 by Freightliner was primarily a medium-duty series, but product planners had heavy duty versions in mind. Some appeared soon thereafter, replacing older FL-type models in the company's lineup. Now there's the M2V, which further leverages the attributes already evident in the midrange M2s.
The V-for-vocational series went into production last summer. It's composed of the heavy duty M2V-112, with a 112-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab dimension and 9- through 13-liter diesels, and the medium/heavy M2V-106, with a 106-inch BBC and 6- through 9-liter diesels. Special chassis equipment makes the M2Vs suited for on/off-road work typically seen by dump and flatbed trucks and other applications.
The vocational variants can be ordered with stouter frames, and with front frame extensions in 6-, 12- and 24-inch increments. These are for mounting of front-engine power take-offs, which many users prefer over other PTO types to run specialty apparatus. Usually an L-channel extension is sufficient to carry the PTO and pump. On snowplow trucks, like the one in this article, the extension is a stronger C-channel to support the heavy mount and plow.
A stationary grille allows tilting the hood without interference from anything on the nose. If that something is really bulky, access hatches allow fluid checks without tilting the hood. A 1,200-square-inch radiator cools the engine even when it's working hard at low speeds or while standing still. Freightliner engineers consider the M2's aluminum cab to be strong enough as-is for vocational service, so it's not specially reinforced. Its rear supports are cushioned by steel springs or optional air bags.
Driving two demonstration vehicles was a kick, even if there was no snow for the plow-equipped 112V to push aside (we were in Dallas, Tex., and it was too early for what little snow does fall here), and no destination for a load of plywood and other building supplies lashed to the deck of a 106V.
The 106V's steel flatbed body was on there temporarily, because it had a front frame extension ready to mount a PTO, said Steve Morelli, Freightliner's medium-duty marketing manager. He rode along to answer questions and keep me from getting lost.
The two trucks' driving characteristics were similar - fast acceleration, easy turning and great outward visibility. Both had Mercedes-Benz diesels and Allison transmissions: a 350-horsepower, 12.8-liter MBE 4000 running through a six-speed RDS4000 in the 112V, and a 260-hp, 6.4-liter MBE 906 with a five-speed RDS3000 in the 106V. The Mercedes engines were gutsy and made throaty mechanical and exhaust sounds that should please anyone who enjoys truck driving. Caterpillar fans can get the C7 and C9 in the M2-106V, and the C9, C11 and C13 in the M2-112V. The 112V's GVW rating was 58,000 pounds, which was 4,000 more than the 106V's.
The Allisons let me concentrate on steering the trucks through traffic. I can imagine how much easier the 112V and its equipment are to operate because its driver doesn't have to deal with a clutch and gearshift lever. Also, new drivers don't need to learn how to operate a manual tranny, and automatics cushion drivelines against shock. Those are the reasons municipalities began buying Allisons way before the General Motors division began cutting prices to compete with automated mechanical transmissions (which are also available on these trucks).
Getting into and out of the cab on either truck was easy, with well-placed steps and interior grab handles. The 112V had optional exterior handles for added safety. Inside, the 106V's dashboard had a slanted side panel that places many switches and controls closer to the driver. The 112V had the flat dash where the side panel is a bit further away but still very reachable. Morelli said the flat design is better for the 112V's job because it allows more room for the aftermarket floor-mounted console with controls for the dump body, sander and plows.
The truck was in transit, borrowed by Freightliner for this demo, so its plows were not mounted. Its front blade was tied down in the dump body, and it provided some modest ballast weight for our drive around the south side of Dallas. We trundled over city streets and expressways, and then over gravel roads and along a dirt levee that in wet weather keeps the Trinity River from washing through the city.
A plow truck needs a strong front end, so the 112V had an 18,000-pound Meritor steer axle mounted on hefty leaf springs. Yet the ride was rather smooth and only occasionally a bit bouncy as we bounded over bumpy and broken pavement. The 112V had a compliant TufTrac mechanical suspension on its 40,000-pound tandem rear axles. The 106V's 40K tandem had a Hendrickson walking-beam suspension and its 14,600-pound front axle was on taperleafs, and it rode well, too.
Probably the trucks' most impressive attribute was their maneuverability. Each turned sharply as their front wheels cut beyond 50 degrees, allowing me to properly make tight right turns from curb lane to curb lane on city streets. Of course I'd have needed more swing room with the 112V's plows mounted, and a lot more if the wing plow were down. The shorter 106V was even more nimble.
Like all Biz Class trucks, the M2Vs have low-profile dashboards and their hoods slope downward to provide a good view of the road ahead and to the sides. The 112's longer hood was more visible and was accented by the plow mount and lights, but the slope angle still gave a clear forward and front-quarter view. A large peep window in the passenger door let me check for two- and four-wheel traffic directly alongside.
Because we're now in the grip of a cold, snowy winter (at least in some areas of the country), it's appropriate to note that the 112V's equipment represents "the hottest thing in plowing," according to Tom Gertgen, a sales representative for J-Craft, the Crysteel Manufacturing division that built the body and mounted the Falls plows and installed the Force America hydraulics. All components were made in Minnesota, where the truck is now working. It was one of three ordered by Washington County, located between St. Paul and the Wisconsin border, for snow removal and road work.
When on the ground, the belly scraper pushes its snow into the path of the wing plow, which keeps the snow moving sideways while clearing additional white stuff from the pavement, Gertgen explained. With eight inches of overlap, the 11-foot scraper and 10-foot wing plow can clear about 20 feet laterally as the truck moves down a street or road. The front plow isn't used until snow is at least six inches deep.
Like any municipal dump-and-plow truck, this one can perform a variety of hauling and maintenance work in dry weather. That belly scraper, for instance, can grade gravel, stone and dirt on roadways and shoulders. This scraper is different from others because it's mounted further forward so it can work in concert with the wing plow. If you live in Washington County, Minn., you should find that efficiency reassuring as you watch the truck ram snow out of your way.
