Out in the Bradshaw Mountains of central Arizona, at an altitude of about 5,400 ft, journalists from all over the country towed 10,000-lb trailers up narrow single lane highways, testing out the real capabilities of Ford’s upcoming 2011 Super Duty trucks at the company’s big media launch. After hauling all morning, lunch at the bottom of the mountain was in proper order, and a discussion popped up -- what was the more important piece of the puzzle for Ford’s new power train -- its new diesel engines or its new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed transmission?
The majority of my lunch table, which at this point was slathered with barbeque and coleslaw, went with the latter. While the all-new diesel and gasoline engines are key reasons why the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty maintains best-in-class towing and payload, managing that best-in-class horsepower and torque is the six-speed transmission, which delivers power quickly and seamlessly while maximizing fuel economy.
Creating a transmission to serve both diesel and gasoline
engines in a Super Duty application is a challenging proposition because 
the
gearbox needs to deliver the substantial low-rpm torque produced by the diesel
engine and efficiently use the higher rotational speeds of the gasoline engine.
In the end, the solution was to use a proven architecture, but adapt it for
heavy-duty use. Ford’s 6R140 TorqShift transmission uses a Lepelletier-style
power-flow, which is a proven technology in rear-wheel-drive vehicles but not
typically used with larger diesel engines (smart move folks). A key benefit of
the Lepelletier architecture is that it reduces the complexity in connecting
the gear sets and clutches. The six speeds require only five clutches, and the
speeds of the clutches relative to one another are low, increasing the
efficiency of the system.
The new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic
transmission is specifically designed to handle the increased torque produced
by the all-new Ford-designed, Ford-engineered and Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel
and also will be mated to the all-new 6.2-liter V-8 gasoline engine. The six-speed
balances convenience and control by automatically shifting during routine operation and also allowing complete manual control. It features SelectShift
Automatic transmission functionality, which includes both Progressive Range
Select and manual functions. For full manual function, customers can just pull
the shift lever into “M” and use a toggle switch to select the gear desired.
The display will show the selected gear, and the control system will lock the
torque converter and hold that gear for a full manual transmission feel (good
for hauling up mountains).
But perhaps the coolest new feature on the 6R140 transmission is the segment-exclusive Live Drive Power Take Off (PTO) with the new diesel engine, which is great for Compact Equipment customers who use PTOs for snow plowing, water tanks, lights or another other onboard application. On 2011 Ford Super Duty diesels with the PTO prep option, the PTO output gear is linked through the torque converter to the engine crankshaft. This allows the transmission to power auxiliary equipment such as snowplows, aerial lifts, cement mixers, tow truck lifts or dump trucks. The power is available any time the engine is running. The Live Drive feature is particularly useful when mobile PTO function is required during start-stop operations, such as salt spreading or snow plowing, allowing the PTO power to function outside of the engine’s ups and downs. It’s one of the clever new widgets available on the 2011 Super Duty Series. Return tomorrow and we’ll discuss Ford’s mobile office technologies envisioned in Ford Work Solutions. It’s equally as impressive. – Keith Gribbins, Compact Equipment Managing Editor
