LOUISVILLE, Ken. (March 26, 2004) — Freightliner Trucks has announced the addition of the new M2 112V to the class 5-8 Business Class M2 truck line.

The new Business Class M2 112V — unveiled at the Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ken. — is a class 8 vehicle engineered specifically for vocational applications such as refuse, mixers, snowplow, and utility services, geared mainly towards agriculture, construction and municipal sectors.

Key standard features of the M2 112V include a front engine power take-off (PTO), a stationary grille and L-section front frame rail extensions. The front engine PTO can be used to power a wide variety of equipment from snowplows to refuse packer bodies to mixer drums and more. The integral front frame extensions provide a solid mounting point for hydraulic pumps, winches, front stabilizers and snowplows.

Standard on the Business Class M2 112V is the 12.8-litre Mercedes-Benz MBE4000 engine, providing 350 horsepower and 1350 foot-pounds of torque. A broad range of engine and transmission options include Caterpillar C11 and C13 engines as well as a variety of Allison automatic transmissions and Eaton-Fuller manual transmissions.

As part of the Business Class M2 line, the new truck is designed with a wide range of component options, including factory installed Crew Cab and Extended Cab. It also features a clean back-of-cab to allow for easy body installation.

The M2 112V offers front axles rated from 12,000 pounds to 23,000 pounds, with rear axles ranging from 23,000 pounds to 58,000 pounds. Freightliner’s heavy-duty TufTrac rear suspensions with ratings of 40,000 pounds, 46,000 pounds and 52,000 pounds and Freightliner’s AirLiner suspensions with ratings of 40,000 pounds and 46,000 pounds are offered as options. Additionally, a variety of Hendrickson air and walking beam suspensions are available.