Speaking of long-head trucks, the generation after 80 and 90 may only associate with Optimus Prime in Transformers. Looking back at the glorious years of Chinese long-head trucks, I am afraid to trace back to the "old liberation" CA10 of the 1950s. , liberation 141 and so on. Since the mid-1980s, with the input of European and Japanese truck technology, long-head trucks have gradually become heroes, and flat-head trucks have become the mainstream of China's truck market. However, the recently drafted GB1589-2012 "Road Vehicle Exterior Size, Axle Load and Quality Limits" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (hereinafter referred to as "opinion draft") seems to make people see the hope of the long-head truck to reinvigorate the prestige. Hydraulic Pumps,Hydraulic Pump Lever,Efficient Hydraulic Pump Lever,Hydraulic Pump In Car Jiangsu Minnuo Group Co.,Ltd , https://www.js-minnuomachinery.com
A lot of advantages and policies to relax the good geometry?
There are many revisions and additions in the draft release, and the relaxation of restrictions on the length of the long-head truck has caused widespread concern in the industry. According to the new regulations, the maximum length of the long-head articulated train is 18100mm, which is 16500mm longer than the standard length of the articulated train specified in GB1589-2004, an increase of 1600mm.
Compared with the flat-panel medium and heavy-duty truck market, which currently sells nearly one million vehicles a year, the sales of 20,000 trucks of long-head trucks have undoubtedly indicated its marginalization. Due to the narrow demand in the Chinese market, it is concentrated only in some regional special market segments, such as some large logistics groups and individual special industries, such as container shortening and economical dump trucks in ports.
In fact, although flat-headed trucks are now unified, long-end trucks are more advantageous in terms of vehicle safety, comfort, fuel economy and ease of maintenance.
First, long-head trucks are safer. The long-head truck driver and passenger are located on the rear side of the engine and the front axle. The front engine compartment provides a longer buffer distance for accidental collisions and better performance in terms of safety. The University of Michigan Highway Safety Institute report shows that in the event of an accident, the death rate of a driver in a long-headed car is 28% lower than that of a flat-headed car; the energy-crushing zone in which the long-headed car grows nearly 2 meters determines Long head cars are safer than flat head cars. At the same time, compared to flat-head trucks, long-head trucks have lower cab heights and lower center of gravity, which greatly reduces the chance of rollover during a collision.
Secondly, in terms of comfort, the long-head truck also won. Since the front engine does not occupy the cab space and the floor is low, the cab can accommodate more living facilities, such as larger sleepers and refrigerators. Moreover, long-head trucks have lower internal noise because the engine is no longer under the cab. In addition, the seat of the long-head truck is placed between the front and rear axles, and the relative damping effect is better, which is beneficial to reduce driving fatigue. In the flat-head truck, the driver is basically placed on the front axle, although there are shock absorption measures, it can not be avoided. The impact from the chassis, and the high temperature of the summer, the heat emitted by the engine also makes the driver feel awkward.
Second, the better aerodynamic design of long-head trucks brings fuel economy improvements. Extensive testing and experiments have shown that long-head trucks have better streamlined shape and lower drag coefficient, which can reduce fuel consumption by 10% to 15%. The head-faced cross-sectional area of ​​the flat-head truck is larger than that of the long-headed car, so the wind resistance is relatively large, so the high-speed fuel economy cannot be compared with the long head. From this perspective, the promotion of long-head trucks is of great benefit to energy conservation and economic transportation.
Finally, it is the convenience of maintenance. Thanks to the front of the engine, the long-head truck is more convenient to use and maintain than a flat-head truck. It is only necessary to open the engine compartment cover during maintenance, instead of turning the cab over, the driver can easily access the engine. In addition, the long-head truck is more user-friendly in terms of cab height and door and step design. The pedal position is lower and the area is larger, which is convenient for the driver to climb up and down and enter and exit the cab.
US market: The counter-attack of long-headed trucks first opened up the special situation of China's truck transportation market and the advantages of competitors' flat-head trucks. The limited length of the whole vehicle has always been regarded as the main policy factor for the long-head trucks from glory to desolate. The industry's speculation that policy relaxation will spur the revival of long-head trucks is largely based on the history of truck development in the United States.
The history of flat-head trucks in the United States can be traced back to the 1930s. Contrary to China, before 1986, the US market was dominated by flat-head trucks. Before the 1980s, American truck manufacturers and European manufacturers, such as Navistar, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, etc., mainly produced flat-head trucks.
This situation was mainly caused by the US road conditions and federal regulations at the time. Since the 1950s, with the construction of the highway, the federal government has relaxed the total length limit of the tractor from 12.8 meters to 19.8 meters, and then to 22.9 meters. Although the length limit of the whole vehicle is more and more relaxed, the regulations have always been to limit the length of the whole vehicle (including the trailer). In this case, the "short-head" flat-head truck has a natural advantage over the long-head truck, the cab " Save space out of the space to meet the needs of users to transport more and longer cargo.
By 1980, the basic construction of the US interstate highway was completed. The new decree introduced the restriction on the total length of the truck. Instead, it only imposed restrictions on the length of the trailer, and it was no longer the limit maximum, but the minimum limit. . On the basis of the minimum given by the federal government, each state has the freedom to make a length according to its own actual situation, in order to achieve maximum cargo capacity while reducing logistics costs. It was this fundamental policy change that made the policy advantage of the flat-head truck disappear and the long-headed truck stood on the same starting line. After that, the long-head trucks gradually replaced them in the United States and became the new master of the American truck market.
Then, can China’s policy changes bring a big reversal to the truck market like the US?
China's national conditions are different from the Chinese market. Spring is still early. Liu Hanru, chairman of Hualing Xingma Automobile Co., Ltd., has said that he is not optimistic about the prospects of long-head trucks in the Chinese market, and Hualing Xingma will not have any development plans in this regard.
“Overall worlds, only the United States, Canada and Australia are sparsely populated countries. Due to the developed highway system, the market for long-head trucks is relatively wide; in densely populated areas with scarce road resources, such as Europe and Japan, The advantages of trucks are more obvious. Although China has a large land mass, it is densely populated, and there are many mountainous areas. The road conditions are poor. The long-head trucks are not only good for the safety of the drivers themselves. In the process of driving, there is a blind spot of vision due to the prominent front of the front. Moreover, the turning radius is also large, especially in climbing and cornering, which is more harmful than good." Liu Hanru said, "And from the economic point of view, although the domestic restrictions on the captain are released, they are still different from the United States. Or, like the US policy before the 1980s, it limits the total length of the vehicle, not the length of the trailer. Most of the truck drivers in China are working hard to support their families. The priority is to carry the cargo, not the comfort. Sex. They may be willing to lengthen the trailer of the flat-head truck instead of the long-head truck.
Indeed, in the truck market dominated by flat-top cars, only the northwestern and Hebei regions still use long-end truck users. Due to the limitations of long-head trucks in the Chinese market, there are fewer and fewer companies that insist on the production of long-head trucks, such as FAW Liberation CA1091 and CA1092 long-head trucks, FAW Jielu Liute's Anjie, Dongfeng Liuqi's Longka, Heavy truck deterrence, etc., but basically concentrated in the low-end market, this positioning leads to its cab configuration is lower than the mainstream flat products, the comfort is not as good as the flat truck, lost one of the long-head truck itself Great advantage.
The high-end long-head trucks are not without trial, but the market outlook is not optimistic. As early as 2011, Dongfeng Tianlong also launched a long-head truck model, but only stayed in the prototype, and did not put into mass production. During the final of the Dongfeng Tianlong Truck Driver Contest held in Shiyan, Hubei Province, Huang Gang, general manager of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., said that while high-end heavy trucks still have limited sales in China, they said that they are pursuing higher comfort and safety. The number of truck users is increasing, but most drivers are the first pursuit of high efficiency and low cost of transportation. They are more value-conscious than those with higher price sensitivity.
A marketing director of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles also believes that compared with the United States, where the truck market and the transportation industry are very mature and the degree of privatization of trucks is high, the purchasing power of Chinese truck users still has a certain gap, and American truck drivers have even formed. The unique truck culture, including personalized graffiti for your own trucks, is clearly unrealistic in China. Moreover, in the overall sluggish environment of the truck market this year, the sales of high-end trucks have also been greatly affected. At this time, the policy is relaxed, and most companies may adopt a wait-and-see attitude and will not rush to put the production of long-head trucks on the agenda. .
Similarly, the import of long-term heavy-duty trucks with high prices is difficult to develop in the Chinese market. For example, the prices of imported long-end heavy trucks such as Steinia, Duff, and Navistar are all at 800,000 yuan or more, and most users who are willing to accept long-head trucks can afford 300,000 yuan. 500,000 yuan, and even hope that the price of the flat car is slightly lower.
More importantly, because there is no long-term enterprise to develop long-head trucks as the main product, the technical level of long-head trucks has lagged behind, and it is difficult to meet the market demand in terms of safety, performance and fuel economy. There are only a few car companies that have developed long-end trucks. If a company wants to develop a new car, the conversion of the model means that the cost of the investment will be very large, and it will also bring the existing flat-head truck business. huge stress. From this point of view, the introduction of the new regulations is a good for companies that already have long-head truck products, but the car companies that have not prepared for this before will not rush to try because of policy changes.