How MAN HydroDrive® works
MAN HydroDrive® has a hydraulic pump that sits at the gearbox output shaft and supplies the wheel hub motors on the front axle. In terms of fuel consumption and wear, this ingeniously simple, robust and maintenance-friendly technology is comparable to conventional rear-wheel drive, but it has a number of advantages over classic all-wheel drive.
The hydrostatic wheel motors mean that the usual transfer case in all-wheel drive is no longer needed. Apart from that, with MAN HydroDrive® only the rear wheels are driven when the vehicle is on the road, and the hydraulic pump and the wheel motors generate no friction. In all-wheel drive, by contrast, the transmission elements continue to rotate even if the front-wheel drive is switched off.
The advantages of MAN HydroDrive®
- lower fuel consumption
- weight/payload advantage of about 400 kg on classic all-wheel drive
- no high build necessary; no change in the silhouette or the centre of gravity of the on-road vehicle
- improved driving safety thanks to increased traction and better directional accuracy on unconsolidated ground or on wintry roads
- engine brake effect is transmitted to the front axle, and better brake force distribution is achieved
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Function of MAN HydroDrive® (3 MB Flash animation) |