Mercedes-Benz drive components at "bauma 2001"

• World premiere of the Mercedes-Benz OM 926 LA engine
• Mercedes-Benz engines for construction plant and vehicles
• Latest technology and great economy
• World premiere: the OM 926 LA compact in-line six-cylinder engine
• The engines of the 900 series: compact and powerful
• The engines of the OM 457 series: vertical and horizontal
• The engines of the 500 series: powerful and economical

Stuttgart/Munich - From April 2 to 8, at the trade fair for the construction industry, bauma 2001, in Munich, Mercedes-Benz is presenting its broad range of drive components for this industry in the field of off-highway equipment in Hall 5 (Stand A5.131/228). The range consists of a variety of engines, transmissions and axles for virtually every conceivable application. The centre of attention is the new OM 926 LA engine. The in-line six-cylinder engine designed for off-highway used is being given its world premiere at bauma 2001.

As well as this, Mercedes-Benz is showing a number of other attractive units for the construction industry. The OM 904 LA four-cylinder engine and the OM 457 LA in-line six-cylinder engine have already proved themselves in Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles. The powerful OM 502 LA V8 engine can be seen as a powerpack in conjunction with the G 240 16-speed transmission, a special variant for mobile cranes. Mercedes-Benz is also the source of the particularly rugged HL 7 rear planetary hub reduction axle with disc brakes. It is marketed under the trade name Discos and is designed for an axle load of 16 t.

The units from Mercedes-Benz are perfectly harmonised with each other. A customised drive train can be assembled from a variety of components. Engines, transmissions and axles have also proved themselves thousands of times over in Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles. All in all, the effect is a breadth and depth of system competence that only Mercedes-Benz is able to offer.

Mercedes-Benz engines for construction plant and vehicles

There is long tradition of using Mercedes-Benz engines in construction vehicles and construction plant. The power units meet the widest imaginable range of demands. Examples of where they are used around the world include trucks with tipper bodies, mobile cranes, large wheel loaders with tipping loads of up to 20 t, articulated dump trucks for opencast mining with a 30 t payload, working machines and construction plant for stationary use.

The breadth of the current engine range from Mercedes-Benz stretches from 90 kW (122 hp) up to 448 kW (609 hp) for special off-highway applications. The range is made up of three families of engines, the 900, 457 and 500 series, with vertically and horizontally mounted in-line engines and V-engines. Especially in the higher performance class, Mercedes-Benz satisfies almost every imaginable requirement with a highly diverse range of in-line and V-engines as well as a horizontally mounted in-line six-cylinder engine.

All of the engines are certified for road use according to the Euro 3 exhaust emission standard at all power levels. For off-highway use they are offered with EuroMot 2 certification. They also already have the potential to meet the requirements of future emissions guidelines. On request, the power level can be customised to requirement. Thanks to fully electronic engine management, every customer obtains the exact amount of power promised to them.

Latest technology and great economy

The great economy of the ultra-modern power units from Mercedes-Benz stems from the use of the very latest technology. Fully electronic engine management, multiple valves per cylinder, injection with pump-line-nozzle technology and unit pumps for each cylinder characterise every engine. The great engineering input invested in these engines reduces environmental impacts by lowering emissions, and also results in lower fuel consumption and high levels of reliability with long service lives. The six and eight-cylinder engines in the 500 series, for example, achieve a B 10 figure of one million kilometres on the road. Put another way: at least 90 % of these engines run for at least one million kilometres without overhaul. That is the equivalent of driving 25 times round the earth.

Another common feature of all of the engines is long and flexible maintenance intervals depending on individual wear and tear. In normal long-distance transport use, the engines only need servicing every 100,000 kilometres, on average. The reliability of the units is clearly highlighted by the guarantee: for use as a stationary engine, it extends to 3,000 operating hours or two years. For use in off-highway vehicles, it amounts to 200,000 kilometres or two years.

World premiere: the OM 926 LA compact in-line six-cylinder engine

The Mercedes-Benz OM 926 LA engine is celebrating its world premiere at bauma. It sets new standards in terms of power delivery and economy. The new power plant is based on the proven OM 906 LA in-line six-cylinder engine, but has a larger displacement, 7.2 l. This volume helps the OM 926 LA to produce an output of 240 kW (326 hp) and achieves torque of 1300 Nm. Both the power output per litre and the torque per litre displacement are leading figures in the world in its segment. At the same time, the engine impresses through its minimal dimensions and its low weight of only 530 kg.

With fully electronic engine management, multiple valves per cylinder and pump-line-nozzle injection with unit pumps, the OM 926 LA has all of the innovative and field-proven technological features of the other engines from Mercedes-Benz. Like them, it serves as a power source suitable for universal use. The new OM 926 LA has already proven its high power capacity, its reliability and its economy in its first application in a piste machine in constant full-throttle operation at an altitude of 3000 m, in temperatures well below freezing.

The engines of the 900 series: compact and powerful

With their heavy-duty technology, the compact four and six-cylinder engines in the Mercedes-Benz 900 series are very much the equal of the larger-sized engines. The fields of use for the 900 series in the off-highway sector include construction plant, crane vehicles and special-purpose machines such as piste machines.

The four-cylinder OM 904 LA engine has a displacement of 4.25 l, the six-cylinder OM 906 LA engine 6.37 l. The power ratings are closely graded: they range between 90 kW (122 hp) and 130 kW (177 hp) for the four-cylinder engines and 170 kW (231 hp) to 205 kW (279 hp) for the six-cylinder models. Apart from their high output, other characteristics of these engines are their high tractive power and low running speeds.

For example, the most powerful version of the OM 906 LA achieves a remarkably high torque of 1100 Nm, which is available across a broad range from 1200-1600/min. Only a few years ago, figures like these were only attainable with far larger power plants.

A variant of the OM 906 LA in-line six-cylinder engine is also available for horizontal installation, under the designation OM 906 hLA. This underlines the enormous versatility of the 900 series.

The engines of the OM 457 series: vertical and horizontal

The output range of the Mercedes-Benz OM 457 LA in-line six-cylinder engine is particularly wide. From a displacement of twelve litres it produces between 185 kW (252 hp) and 315 kW (428 hp). By arrangement, a variant with an output of 335 kW (455 hp) is available for special applications. Mercedes-Benz supplies the engine either for vertical or horizontal installation, in the latter case under the designation OM 457 hLA.

The sophisticated injection technology with the pump-line-nozzle, unit pumps for each cylinder, eight-hole injection nozzles and four-valve cylinder head together with electronic engine management corresponds to that of the V-engines from Mercedes-Benz.

The fields of use of the OM 457 in the off-highway-sector include agricultural machines, mobile cranes, construction plant and special-purpose vehicles, to which industrial applications can also be added. In the off-highway field, in particular, the OM 457 series impresses through its customised, installation-specific design in addition to its performance capability and economy. The design options include various built-on parts and assemblies up to and including several options for auxiliary drives. Just as impressive is the low weight of the OM 457, at only 920 kg.

The engines of the 500 series: powerful and economical

The top of the range in terms of power among the engines from Mercedes-Benz are the V-engines in the 500 series. They originate from a modular system of six-cylinder (OM 501 LA) and eight-cylinder engines (OM 502 LA) each with a displacement of two litres per cylinder. In the off-highway sector, the applications in which the OM 500 series of engine are used include all variants of heavy construction plant such as bulldozers, wheel loaders, graders and mobile cranes.

The 500 series covers the output range from 230 kW (313 hp) to 420 kW (571 hp), in closely spaced steps. For special applications off-highway, the output range even extends as far as 448 kW (609 hp). In addition to the twelve output variants that can currently be supplied ex works, further gradations are also available at the customer's request.

As well as their compact dimensions and comparatively low weight, all engines of the 500 series stand out through the use of the very latest technology. This includes electronic engine management, four valves per cylinder, the pump-line-nozzle technology with separately controlled unit pumps for each cylinder, eight-hole injection nozzles and, in the case of the V8 OM 502 LA, two turbochargers. Taken together, these result in great economy, great longevity and low exhaust emissions.