LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dana has introduced a new family of heavy-duty tandem drive axles, a lightweight aluminum driveshaft and an improved Spicer LMS Hub System.

The new 40,000-lb tandem drive axles, dubbed the Spicer Pro-40, is aimed at linehaul, bulk, regional and city delivery fleets.

“Rising fuel prices and incremental weight due to governmental regulations continue to spur the need for lightweight alternatives,” said Steve Slesinski, director of product planning at Dana. “When every pound counts the new Pro-40 addresses the needs of weight sensitive customers with the most optimized 40,000-lb tandem available.”

The axle weighs 120 lbs less than competitive models and 100 lbs less than the current Dana Spicer DS404, company officials noted.

“Traditional 40,000-lb axles are designed to meet a huge variety of application requirements, which has left the majority of the primary line-haul segment over-spec’d and overweight,” said Slesinski. “For fleets with predictable duty-cycles, the Pro-40 delivers all the features that are required without the added weight.”

The new offering will be available for initial shipments later this year.

Also new from Dana is a series of lightweight, one-piece aluminum driveshafts that weigh 40% less than traditional two-piece steel driveshafts.

Dana claims to be the first manufacturer to combine steel end fittings with a single-piece, high-strength aluminum tube, saving up to 100 lbs. The new Spicer Diamond Series driveshafts will be available late in the fourth quarter of 2011.

And Dana also introduced a hub system the company claims to be more user friendly. The Spicer LMSi incorporates Dana’s ‘Low Maintenance System’ (LMS) technology. Benefits include improved retention clamp load for more reliable performance.

New seal technology provides reduced friction to minimize rolling resistance, providing fuel savings and a reduction in heat, Dana officials said. Customers can also achieve a 20 lb per hub weight advantage resulting from the use of aluminum.

“The new Spicer LMSi hubs are an ideal specification for any fleet or vehicle operator looking to improve their bottom line and overall profitability,” said Dan Souhan, product manager at Dana. “With increasing fuel prices and the migration toward larger brakes to meet industry regulated stopping distance requirements, we built on our proven LMS technology to surpass the current systems utilized in the trucking industry for world-class performance and minimal downtime.”