New Meritor 14X drive axles are outfitted on 105 new heavy-duty tractors being put into service by Shamrock Foods, a Phoenix-based private motor carrier. Shamrock Foods Co. is the umbrella for Shamrock Farms, the largest dairy in the Southwest, and Shamrock Foods, a nationally-ranked food service distributor. The fleet operates 1,250 pieces of equipment, including 650 power units.
“We were really impressed with the new 14X axle’s lighter weight, improved driveline angles and a more robust inter-axle differential,” says Brad Peppers, fleet manager at Shamrock. “Our standard drive axle has been the Meritor RT145 model for over 10 years, but this new one offers our operation even greater operating efficiencies and the long life we expect.”
Meritor says the new drivetrain component is an advanced evolutionary axle system built on the legacy of the RT145. According to the company, its fast, wide range of axle ratios – along with its Amboid gear design, an above-centerline design of the inter-axle driveline – provides improvements such as reduced operating pressures for increased driveline life; less driveline angularity, vibration and energy loss; improved ride quality; and overall longer component life.
The new Meritor axle, introduced in March, entered full manufacturing production at Asheville, N.C., in late June with planned deliveries to all major North American OEMs.
