At the Solutrans trade fair that is currently taking place in Lyon, France, the main focus is on equipment that can provide additional safety and less maintenance, such as Jost's SKS sensor coupling system and the LubeTronic automatic lubrication system.
According to Jost, increasing safety and reducing both maintenance and operating cost are the company’s key development goals. In that sense, it is no surprise that the German company is the first manufacturer to equip its JSK 37 and JSK 42 fifth wheel series with LubeTronic’s 1Point system as standard.
LubeTronic 1Point is a fully automatic lubrication sys-tem for the lockjaw. The JSK 37CW and JSK 42W couplings have top plate liners which make it possible to operate the coupling platform with no grease and a plastic seal and maintenance-free joints or sliding bear-ings. And with the standard LubeTronic 1Point mini lubrication system, lubrication of the lockjaw is no longer necessary as well. The LubeTronic 1Point is installed directly onto the fifth-wheel coupling. An electronic control mechanism then controls the integrated lubricant reservoir – a separate power-supply is not necessary. Jost announced that the sys-tem lubricates the lockjaw for three years or 300,000 kilometres com-pletely automatically.
As a further innovation, Jost is displaying an integrated lubrication sys-tem that provides grease not only to the lock jaw but also to the fifth wheel coupling plate – the LubeTronic 5point. An electronic control de-vice supplies the grease in precise doses at regular intervals. This en-sures that there is always enough, but not too much, grease on the fifth wheel plate and lockjaw. This saves grease and protects the environment. The supply of grease in the grease cartridge on the fifth wheel coupling lasts for about 12 months, according to the manufacturer. It is refilled via a greasing nipple.
Safety systems for both truck and trailer are another key focus of the Jost presentation at the Solutrans trade fair. These include the sensor-controlled lock checking system Flashtronic and the SKS sensor cou-pling system. Fifth wheel couplings equipped with SKS have sensors to show the driver in his cab that the fifth wheel coupling has locked securely. The driver also has the option of unlocking the coupling pneumat-ically via a remote control, even when the combination is twisted or in unfavourable space conditions.
As a further highlight at the Solutrans trade fair, Jost is presenting the Rockinger towing hitch RO*50 BNA with power-assisted manual remote control. The remote control, which is available as an optional extra, ensures easy and safe operation of the coupling. It is equipped with an integrated throttle cable cylinder which effectively aids in opening the towing hitch. This makes the coupling fast and easy to open even with a twisted articulated train.
Tridex, specialist in trailer axle steering systems and hydraulic suspen-sions, is also presenting new developments at Solutrans, such as the HF-S hydraulic trailer axle steering system for lightweight distribution trailers. It works without electronic control while still offering all the ad-vantages of active trailer axle steering: small installation space, high directional stability and precise steering when driving both forwards and in reverse. Furthermore, the HF-S is characterised by a very low intrinsic weight. Thanks to hydraulic stub axle steering, the HF-S can be used anywhere where positively steered axles cannot be used due to tight installation space. It is even possible to mount it on a triple axle suspen-sion with steered first and third axles with a reversed steering angle. In this, the hydraulic control also ensures optimal axle alignment when driv-ing straight forwards.