Unmodified Tundra to pull 300,000 lb space shuttle

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: supton
I'd like to see them do a panic stop.
wink.gif
Doesn't take much to get moving, but it takes a bit to stop.


Properly equipped heavier trailers have brakes that are typically electric with battery backup. So stopping should be a non-issue.


That makes the "test" a "stunt", they are stating that Tundra can do "the job", but "the job" is only to get the shuttle moving.

I have seen 200 tonne equipment transported across the country, and the ability for 1 truck to get the load moving is nothing to do with the job of moving stuff.
 
The thing is the same calculation can be used to show that a Prius could pull the space shuttle. Just replace the 300hp number with 100hp and you would get your answer! Doesn't that sound ridiculous?
 
This stunt would be more a statement of the low friction present in the shuttle's wheels and the high friction of the Tundra's tires. It makes no statement of how "wonderful" the Tundra is. This stunt should be relegated to the tire manufacturer.
 
It's about the rolling resistance of the tires on the special trailer and the amount of weight put on the drive wheels of the truck. If they were using steel wheels on a railroad, the rolling resistance would be very nearly zero. If they were running mudder tires on soft ground, the rolling resistance would be very high.

The truck has a known amount of tractive effort available, and I don't doubt that Toyota's vehicle performance engineers have studied the problem to be sure they can do it. They've probably already run the test with a 300k pound trailer at their proving grounds.

So let's get down to the case at hand.
The Toyota Tundra 4x4 with the 6-speed automatic and tow package with the 5.7L V8 has the following specs as shown on the Toyota website:
1st gear = 3.333
Final Drive = 4.30
Transfer case low range = 2.618
Smallest available tire diameter = 31.9" (275-55-R20)
Engine peak torque = 401 ft*lb @ 3600 rpm
Engine peak power = 381 hp @ 5600 rpm, (357 ft*lbs torque)

If it is assumed at launch the engine can produce 85% of its peak torque output at 2000 rpm, and that the torque converter stall torque ratio is 2:1 at 2000 rpm, the tractive effort available would be:

401*.85*2*3.333*2.618*4.3/(31.9/12) = 9622 lbs

This would be the maximum amount of force available from the truck at the drawbar to accelerate the 300,000-pound mass. If the static friction of the Shuttle-Trailer assembly is greater that that, they won't be able to get the load moving.
 
I am a huge fan of the Toyota Tundra, having owned two of them with great success.

But...

Doesn't it seem like they should use an American truck to do this?
 
its only 785ish pounds per hp, it shouldnt be a problem getting it moving. Freight train locomotives do it everyday with as high as 9000 pounds per hp.
 
Am I the only one that fails to see the need to turn the transportation of Endeavour into a publicity stunt?

The overwhelming majority of the overland move will probably be done with some sort of Class-8 tractor. This same tractor is also fully capable of traversing the last quarter mile of the journey. However, that last quarter mile of the move now becomes a glorified advertising grab by a company with zero-link to the space shuttle program.
 
You must be...
this thread has been overwhelmingly supportive of the desire to see if a Tundra can truly pull off the massive feat of dragging a space shuttle 1/4 mile.
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
So let's get down to the case at hand.
The Toyota Tundra 4x4 with the 6-speed automatic and tow package with the 5.7L V8 has the following specs as shown on the Toyota website:
1st gear = 3.333
Final Drive = 4.30
Transfer case low range = 2.618
Smallest available tire diameter = 31.9" (275-55-R20)
Engine peak torque = 401 ft*lb @ 3600 rpm
Engine peak power = 381 hp @ 5600 rpm, (357 ft*lbs torque)

If it is assumed at launch the engine can produce 85% of its peak torque output at 2000 rpm, and that the torque converter stall torque ratio is 2:1 at 2000 rpm, the tractive effort available would be:

401*.85*2*3.333*2.618*4.3/(15.95/12) = 9622 lbs



Ooops. There is a mistake in the calculation up there. ^
I should have divided by the radius of the tire, not the diameter.

401*.85*2*3.333*2.618*4.3/(.9/12) = 19244 lbs

It does make a difference.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I'd like to see them do a panic stop.
wink.gif
Doesn't take much to get moving, but it takes a bit to stop.


Haters will always be haters. And it does take much, as in a lot of very much, to get moving for this setup. And that Tundra, along with all other Tundras, are built in United States.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Brick B-Body
Am I the only one that fails to see the need to turn the transportation of Endeavour into a publicity stunt?

The overwhelming majority of the overland move will probably be done with some sort of Class-8 tractor. This same tractor is also fully capable of traversing the last quarter mile of the journey. However, that last quarter mile of the move now becomes a glorified advertising grab by a company with zero-link to the space shuttle program.


Your not. This is a pretty lame gimmick. Maybe they should get the guy that pulls trains and 747's with his teeth to do it.
 
from the usatoday
Quote:

Even though it practiced for months, pulling the 292,000-pound trailer turned out to be no big deal. The engine never even revved hard. When the truck started effortlessly pulling the shuttle -- in four-wheel-drive low, naturally -- the crowd of several hundred broke into a "USA, USA" chant.


English is not my native language but that sentence starting with "Even" just seems to be wrong. Doesn't usatoday employee any editors?
 
There is video on YouTube. Meh, I bet a Ford, Chevy, or Dodge could tow it. The question is, could Chevyboy's F150 tow it?
grin.gif
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MolaKule
  • Locked
NASA and Mars Topics
Replies
5
Views
1K
Al
Back
Top Bottom