Volvo reviews or opinions

I worked on John Deere construction equipment and the are just as many computers on those. Engine computer, transmission computer, attachment computer, accessory computer and then a computer to tie all those computers together. Much of the complexity is due to the emission and fuel milage requirements your govmt imposes to make it better for you. The other half of the computers are the convience groups.

The one thing I have come to realize is that one bad sensor can bring down a $100,000+ machine. There is very little "faking it" that Macgyver can do to get a dead machine going again without fixing it right.

 

Thanks HwyPilot! Very helpful!!!

You know, i thought if i got a 13speed vs 10sp my rpms would be lower when running at 65mph, thus saving me more fuel. But i see it doesnt work that way huh? Correct me if i'm wrong, but the 10sp and the 13sp coupled with a 3.58 will give me similar RPMs at say 65mph. The only difference is, the 13sp has a shorter range in gears so I would end up shifting more or having to skipping gears!

Is this correct???

 

The C is just an indignation to the gear set (gear ratio) of the trans. There are B, and C versions on this trans. The "c" build has a .74 final OD ratio. The "b" model has a .75

FRO means its an Eaton Fuller Designation. It also means X style shift pattern. No U pattern available like on the RTO trans.

16 means the torque x 100. But, its rated at 1650, so go figure lol.

The 2, I am not sure of. It "may" mean 2 reverse speeds, but Im not sure at all on that.

10 means, ten speed.

 

Thank you very much for the information Kansas. I appreciate you explaining it too me.

KH

 

I think I may be totally wrong on the "2" after some more searching the 2 may just be a design (revision) level. The 0 means it has overdrive. I swear it totally depends on which page/link you are reading from on their site.

I was looking some stuff up on Roadrangers web site the other day for my trans, and "thought" I had their Tag info nomenclature stuff all figured out. Apparently not lol.

If ya get froggy you can go here

http://www.roadranger.com/Roadrange...tionGuide/TransmissionGeneralInfoHD/index.htm

and dig around a little bit yourself.

Or here http://www.roadranger.com/Roadranger/productssolutions/transmissions/frseriesfleet/index.htm

On the right hand side it will say Sales Literature and you should see an FRO link to click on. I swear they give different designations between the two links.

 

x style shift pattern ?

 

Actually, I made a typo earlier, my setup runs 1,550rpm at 70 - not 65. I run it at 63mph - which seems to be the sweet spot at about 1,400rpm+/-.

A 13 speed gives you more low gears, most trans end up with the same final gear. I'm glad Kansas brought up the C trans, I haven't driven one yet. Honestly, I can't imagine using a .74:1 overdrive, that seems astronomical to me - hard enough pulling anything but flat ground at low rpm with a B trans. Now I'm curious as to whether a C 10 speed only drops 400rpm per gear, because that seems like a huge spread in only 10 gears.

The 13's are great running heavier freight, and in odd areas - the low gears can really save the clutch. The bottom 5 are on the standard "low-side" pattern, and I normally use 4 of those when I'm loaded (skip low, 1-2-3-4). Then switch to the high side and shift the 4 speeds, splitting each one. When I'm deadheading I shift 7 gears - 3-4-5-6-7-8L-8H without splitting anything but the top gear. Then there are 2 reverse speeds, although RevH goes about 20mph (try that one with a loaded trailer!). I've used that to try and shift weight in the trailer (hopper), but at this point I've given up on that approach - it's just too hard on the truck.

 

rpm's can be tricky when calculating m.p.g. I have a ser 60 det. 11.1 in a intl coe. at 1800 rpm's I'm at 70 m.p.h. I usually stay at 65-70 so 1700-1800 rpm's & have been getting 6.0-6.5 m.p.g. over 10 years now. 6.8 & 7.00 m.p.g. if I maintain aproxx 1600 r.p.m's. I would never thought I would get that good m.p.g at that high r.p.m's/

 

If you really want to fry your noodle, I've been trying to figure out what mine ended up with for the better part of a year. The truck shows the trans ID number RTOC-16909A on the doorframe, and is a 13 speed.

RT is Roadranger Twin Countershaft

O is Overdrive (ummmm, isn't a 9 speed 1:1 final - normally?)

C is Convertible to a 13 speed with the auxiliary (splitter) box

16 is 1,650ft/lbs (###### my ISX can run 1,850!)

9 is basically an application fit designator

09 is a 9 speed as standard

A is supposed to be a 1:1 final drive - I think.....

What really ticks me off, is that I wanted an RTLO-18913B and was told the setup I have is the same thing. I keep wondering if I should just set the engine at 1,850ft/lbs and hope for the best After all, the trans is under warranty still - what's the worst that could happen?!

 

Your Detroit is an 11.1 Liter? That would make sense on decent mileage at higher rpm - it's breathing less fuel than a 15 Liter ISX. Also, you're not running an EGR system on an engine that old - which adds some mpg.

If I've read the specs right, the Volvo trucks ran a 12.7 Liter Detroit sometimes, so those gears could (and probably should be) lower for harder pulling at higher rpms than an ISX. I wouldn't mind running a Detroit or a Cummins N14, when I spec'd my truck I figured being '05 would give me some lease-on options (that I'm not using now). My big choice was between a Volvo or Cummins - and that was a no-brainer!

So what are your drive gears and transmission model? Your input would help this discussion alot, and thanks!