Eaton Corp.
Eaton Corp. unveiled its first fully automatic medium-duty transmission, the Eaton Fuller Automatic 6-speed with dash-mounted push-button shift console. The company plans to target vocations that use conventional medium-duty automatics: beverage haulers, P&D operations, LTL fleets, and municipalities.
The design is based on a proven mechanical gearbox (the usually synchronized FSO Series with electronic controls overlaid) and does away with the clutch pedal altogether, though it doesn’t have a torque converter. The synchronizers are removed from the base FSO and an electronic control unit (ECU) is added to communicate with the engine over an SAE J1939 datalink.

Unlike Eaton’s various AutoShift models, this new transmission uses an oil-cooled, electro-hydraulically actuated clutch in place of a dry, pedal-actuated clutch. The automatic clutch is linked electronically to the ECU and shift controls. This technology, developed jointly by Eaton’s Automated Products division and Eaton’s Clutch division (formerly Dana Spicer Clutch), “makes the Eaton Fuller Automatic 6-speed a true, 2-pedal automatic without the inherent complexities or cooling requirements of a planetary automatic and torque converter,” the company says.

Eaton says progressive ratios mean less shifting in lower gears, while close steps at highway speeds improve fuel economy. The “urge-to-move” feature improves low-speed manoeuvring and assists in providing a responsive launch, while electronic shift protection and totally automatic operation limits drivetrain abuse by inexperienced drivers.

The manual shift mode holds the current gear or allows driver-selected shifts. Continuous electronic self-diagnostics alert drivers and technicians to problems via simple fault codes.

Eaton will offer the ransmission in two torque capacities: the FO-6406A-ASW rated to 660 pound feet, and the FO-8406A-ASW to 860. Both get limited release in July, with volume production starting in September.