New Spicer portal axles for compact utility tractors - introduced by Off-Highway Systems Group of Dana Corp - Brief Article

Diesel Progress North American Edition, July, 1999

Developed in partnership with John Deere for its Augusta, Ga.-built compact utility tractors (CUT), the Off-Highway Systems Group of Dana Corp. has introduced two Spicer portal axles. A new product area for the Dana's off-highway group, the portal axles are targeted at mechanical front-wheel drive applications in the worldwide compact tractor markets.

The two new axle models are the models 025S and 035S, which were developed for Deere's 4200-4400 tractors and 4500-4600 tractors respectively, before release for open market sales.

According to Bob Brazeau, chief engineer, Spicer Off-Highway Products Division, a Spicer implementation team worked with Deere's product development team to deliver the axles for the launch of the Deere tractors in May 1998.

Looking at the design of the new axles, Brazeau said, "The center of the axle is offset above the center of the wheel, which provides additional ground clearance. Also, the torque multiplication in the wheel ends result in reduced loading on axle components in the center section of the axle."

The axles were developed to provide tractors with extra traction and pulling power and are triple reduction units with spiral bevel gears for low noise and portal wheeled ends that include higher strength as-forged gears.

The design also features an integral hydraulic power steering cylinder and a high steer angle (62[degrees] at the outboard wheel) to provide smooth effortless turning and be able to handle tight turns, Brazeau said.