New Freightliner Coronado SD

[mwilson]

These SD's are growing on me, they are a great looking truck when properly specced out.

The work camera did not do the color justice, it is a beautiful green.



This is a sold unit, we were adding the Herd bumper and a few other incidentals. We spec the lower under ride guard on the bumpers, keeps the deer and moose from going under the bumper and possibly locking up a steer tire.



Notice the cab protector / headboard unit is manufactured by the Pelletiers in Millinocket, Maine



DD15 Detroit, 18 speed Fuller trans, 46,000 Meritor rears on Freightliner 46,000lb air ride.

 

[mwilson]

Interior

Tried to get a few decent interior shots, but very hard in a shop I discovered... .



A nice place to spend the day, quite a change from the trucks that many of us on here started our careers with... ... :-laf



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

DEF Tank

Some of you have asked where the truck builders are placing the DEF tank, I am starting to get shots of the various locations.



On this unit it is right beside the battery box / entrance step on the driver's side.

 

[HBarlow]

Thanks for the photos, Mike. I still have a little boy's fascination with those big ugly dollar guzzlers. If I had a good friend who owned one and would allow it I'd like to ride cross country in one just one time and just for the fun of the ride.

The owner of a small transport company I worked for was an old retired trucker and owned a retired single axle Freightliner tractor he pulled the largest Travel Supremes with out of their Wakarusa factory. He let me drive the FL a few miles from Fontana, CA to another small town in LA traffic. It had a ten speed and I had never driven one.

Other than tell me about the high/low range switch on the side of the shifter he didn't explain the required shifting technique and I struggled getting it from gear to gear. I understood the principles and double clutching but I couldn't find the right engine rpm to get the next gear. I embarrassed myself.

I read about it later and learned that the way it's done is to ease the shifter out of the gear you're in when you unload it and up against the next one gently, then as you lift the throttle it will slip into the next gear.

I love hearing a good driver who can speed shift them heavily loaded, up a steep grade, without ever missing a shift.

 

[mwilson]

Video showing the 18 speed shift pattern.



fuller 18 speed shift pattern - Bing Videos



You don't use that many as a rule, but you do have a gear for everthing if needed. .



This link below shows what you are doing with the range and splitter buttons as you go up the gears, plus this is sans clutch which is the way that I was taught.



Use the clutch to start, stop and break the strain in a hard place. Other than that your left leg taps in time to the music on the radio.....



Duplicated the above link, let me try again... . Sorry...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aNhAsN3qlk



Ok, thats better...



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

That takes lots of practice!

I see the splitter on the inside left of the shifter and in the first video I could hear and see it shifting but some of those shifts occured later. Was the splitter shifting when the driver lifted the throttle or was he clutching?

How does a splitter actally work? I know that the range on a 10 speed is actually a five speed manual with a low and high range working in conjunction inside the transmission but have no idea how a splitter works.

 

[goodguys75]

my friend has a renagade motor home and it is a coronado... . Its a bad piece of machinery ... ... .

 

[mwilson]

my friend has a renagade motor home and it is a coronado... . Its a bad piece of machinery ... ... .

There are some powertrain combos that are not as good as others, I can't argue that.



Is it a Coronado or possibly a Cascadia???

I just checked the Renegade website and the Cascadia looks like the horse of choice right now, not saying that they don't use a Coronado at times.



It would be a handful integating the chassis electrical (SAM system) to a camper just from what I know.

These trucks are getting complicated.



Mike.

 

[goodguys75]

no it is a coronado... 100% sure the unit is about 6yrs old..... with a cat motor i think it was a c15..... twin screws

 

[goodguys75]

There are some powertrain combos that are not as good as others, I can't argue that.



Is it a Coronado or possibly a Cascadia???

I just checked the Renegade website and the Cascadia looks like the horse of choice right now, not saying that they don't use a Coronado at times.



It would be a handful integating the chassis electrical (SAM system) to a camper just from what I know.

These trucks are getting complicated.



Mike.

the people of renegade have it down to a science, and from what my friend told me... going to the plant is awsome and they are very nice omish people

 

[mwilson]

That takes lots of practice!



I see the splitter on the inside left of the shifter and in the first video I could hear and see it shifting but some of those shifts occured later. Was the splitter shifting when the driver lifted the throttle or was he clutching?

I believe that the first driver was clutching every shift, the splitter (gray knob) can be pre-selected but will not change gears until the strain is relieved either by clutching or removing fuel quickly. The second driver removes the strain by briefly popping the main lever into neutral to allow the splitter to act, then simply pulls it back into gear.



The range control (foward black paddle) is only active when the main box is in neutral, that is the clunk that you hear when he shifts from 4th od to 5th direct. He can pre-select that shift but will only get the air needed when the stick is in neutral.

It protects the big syncro in the rear section from damage if the driver were to pre-select a range change, then did not have to perform it for whatever reason and kept driving for miles and miles with the shift selected.



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

How does a splitter actally work? I know that the range on a 10 speed is actually a five speed manual with a low and high range working in conjunction inside the transmission but have no idea how a splitter works.

I'm trying to find a decent explanation of the rear section of an 18 speed but have not suceeded yet, I will find something for you.



I know how it works but will have trouble trying to 'splain it without some pictures.



Parts manuals are too broken down to make any sense as far as operation.



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

my friend has a renagade motor home and it is a coronado... . Its a bad piece of machinery ... ... .

Do you mean "bad" as in a piece of junk??



Or do you mean "bad" as in bad a**???



Mike.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Do you mean "bad" as in a piece of junk??



Or do you mean "bad" as in bad a**???



Mike.

Probably the latter... :-laf



2011 Renegade Coronado Motorhome: Star Transporters



Bill

 

[goodguys75]

Do you mean "bad" as in a piece of junk??



Or do you mean "bad" as in bad a**???



Mike.

no mistake it is awsome... ... ... :-laf

 

[mwilson]

Just showed a few of those Renegades to the wife, that was a mistake... ... ... :-laf



She was impressed. I was not surprised... .



Beautiful units, I would prefer that over one built on a pusher chassis anyday.



Mike.

 

[S.Morris]

There is a slave bolted on the side of transmission that is air activated. There is a pin going from the case side of this actuator to the shift fork rail.

When main box hits neutral it allow the pin to move in position in slave allowing air to be routed to range piston. (Been a lot of years and memory is foggy)



The splitter also also allow air to a range piston in back section allowing mesh of direct or OD.



13 speeds only split in high range, 18 speeds split in low and high range.



When the 18's first came out they would twist the gears on the back section countershafts so that direct and over gears on the same shaft would move enough to be out of time and it would cause jumping out of gear under load in back section. The twist was barely evident to the eye but tell tale sign was cracked welds where gears were welded onto counter shafts.



The design was updated and made stronger, but a cowboy on the go pedal could still break them.

 

[HBarlow]

Thanks. It sounds pretty complex.

 

[NIsaacs]

no it is a coronado... 100% sure the unit is about 6yrs old..... with a cat motor i think it was a c15..... twin screws

"Twin screw" thats an old timers term... . way, way back in the day... . the rear axles actually used a big screw (the pinion), simular to a steering box that meshed with a large brass ring gear. The screw was a through shaft mounted above the ring gear and had a true "drop in" from the top. They did not like any modified power increases



Nick