Anatomy of a Truck

November 13th, 2007 by Shenron

Trucks are vehicles that are built for specific purposes such as hauling heavy cargo, mixing cement or cleaning streets. While they are built for specific jobs and duties, they generally share a common construction. Common parts of a truck that are almost universal include the cab, the chassis, cargo area, drivetrain and engine. Following is some more information regarding each common part of a truck.

The Cab

The cab is where the driver or operator sits. Usually the cab is an enclosed space that sits on top or near the front axle. The cab includes an interior that has seating, a steering wheel, a stick shift and a small area to store personal belongings for the driver. There are two main types of cabs including the Cab Over Engine (COE) design and the Conventional Cab design.

Cab Over Engine (COE)

A cab over engine design is mostly used in Europe where most trucks must navigate in tight spaces and narrow streets. In this type of cab, the actual cab sits on top of the front axle and the engine. A common feature of the cab over engine design is that in order to access the engine, you must first tilt the entire cab forward.

Conventional Cabs

Conventional cabs are mostly used in the United States and North America. The cab has a hood which usually houses the engine. Some conventional cabs only include room for two seats and some storage space, while other types of conventional cabs are extended or include a sleeper. Extended cabs or sleeper cabs are much larger than a typical cab and can include a compartment that is big enough to include a bed and small microwave, closet or TV set. A cab’s size usually is determined by the type of truck the driver operates. For instance trucks that are driven locally almost never include a sleeper or extended cab compartment. However a truck that hauls goods cross country usually includes this feature making it easier for truck drivers to drive cross country without stopping at a motel or hotel for lodging overnight.

The Engine

The engine is the truck’s power plant. Engines are usually tailored to each specific truck depending on the type of duties the truck performs. For small trucks such as pick ups, SUV’s and jeeps, you will mostly find moderate to large size gasoline engines. However, for heavy duty trucks that are built to haul heavy loads on highways, the most popular type of engine is a four stroke turbo intercooler diesel engine. For construction vehicles such as dump trucks and bulldozers heavy, larger diesel engines are used.

It should be noted that for most big rigs that haul goods on America’s highways the engine is usually created by a third party. Where as the truck manufacturer might be Peterbilt, the engine might be manufactured by Cat, Detroit Diesel or Cummins.

The Drivetrain

The drivetrain of a truck includes the transmission of the vehicle which is incredibly important to haul heavy loads, where as a car usually carries a light load of only a few people at most, heavy duty trucks need transmissions that can haul tens of thousands of pounds. Most small trucks such as pick ups and SUV’s tend to have similar or even the same type of transmissions as comparable size cars. However, trucks that haul heavy loads have large engines and heavy duty transmissions. Most transmissions that come with these trucks are either manual, automatic or manual transmissions that include a synchronizer. Most heavy duty trucks include many gears. For instance, in North America gear set ups including 10, 13 and 18 speeds are quite common. Trucks have extra gears to help with pulling heavy loads from slow speeds or when a truck must carry a load up a high incline.

The Chassis

The Chassis is the frame of the truck. Chassis’s are extremely important to trucks due to the large amounts of weight they carry and haul. Usually, a truck chassis has two main beams and some cross beams- commonly called cross members. Cross beams can come as C- beams, stepped beams or tapered beams. Chassis are made of heavy duty steel for larger trucks and sometimes made with aluminum for light duty trucks. The type of steel used in truck chassis must be high quality to ensure integrity. Usually every other component is affixed to the chassis including the cab, engine, axles, etc.

The Cargo Area

Many trucks are built with attached cargo areas and these vehicles are generally called box trucks. Cargo areas are usually cube or rectangular shaped and enclosed. They are usually made from light weight materials such as aluminum. Most cargo areas open from the rear utilizing swing doors. Many cargo areas also have motorized lifts or manual ramps to easily load the cargo into the truck.

The cargo box is usually always affixed to the chassis. Each truck usually has a specific limit of weight of cargo that it can carry- usually dependent on its engine, drive train and axle. Cargo areas can range from 9 feet to 24 feet in length. It should be noted that most heavy duty trucks such as big rigs (sometimes called tractors) do not have attached cargo areas; instead they are able to connect to trailers which are cargo areas complete with their own brakes, wheels, axles, suspension and chassis.

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GasPedalAddicts » Trucks and Trailers said,

on November 28th, 2007 at 4:50 am

[...] trucks, do not fret! 4X4 Trucks & Trailers even has an article for you that explains about the anatomy of a truck. Every part is explained simply, but thoroughly, so even if an experienced trucker were to forget [...]

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