ZF AS-Tronic transmission

Cranes Today readers will be particularly interested in the island showing ZF technology applied to construction site vehicles, and the ZF-AS Tronic. For applications needing particularly high torques, like auto cranes, TC Tronic with torque converter provides forward motion accurate to the millimetre. ZF is also supplying converters: ZF Sachs, the powertrain and suspension components division, offers efficient torque converters with engine torques of 1,000Nm–2,700Nm, which are individually adapted to each application type.

Construction site vehicles must be capable of moving several tons of loads. The strength of these powerful engines used is usually transferred by powershift transmissions or manual transmissions with a fine-tuned spread. Nevertheless, a transmission type that has already successfully conquered the long-distance traffic market, is also gaining ground in the construction site business: Automatic transmission systems such as the ZF-AS Tronic. Advantages of this range include higher level of economic viability at reduced weight and less fuel consumption. The TC Tronic is particularly suitable for special applications since it uses a torque converter for setting off and manoeuvring.

The AS Tronic transmission range made available so far covers a torque range of 500Nm–3,100Nm. While the AS Tronic lite (500Nm–1,100Nm) and the AS Tronic mid (800Nm–1,600Nm) are destined for operation in light delivery trucks and mid-sized commercial vehicles, the “heavy” transmission family members are particularly suitable for construction site vehicles. With its 12 speeds, the AS Tronic covers the torque range from 1,600Nm–3,100Nm while the 16-speed version offers a particularly fine spreading for engines up to 2,600Nm.

ZF offers the TC Tronic for heavy vehicles up to 250 tons gross combination weight; this unit constitutes a variant of the automatic transmission system, equipped with a torque converter module. Thanks to the hydrodynamic converter, delicate setting off or manoeuvring processes are mastered successfully for heavy vehicles; this performance cannot be provided by a standard clutch.

AS Tronic and TC Tronic Liebherr, Faun, Grove, and Terex-Demag use transmissions by ZF with crane vehicles.