Freightliner Business Class M2

Freightliner Business Class M2

Freightliner M2 106 straight truck with a beverage carrier body.
Overview
Manufacturer Daimler Trucks North America (Freightliner)
Production June 2002-present[1]
Assembly Mount Holly, North Carolina
Body and chassis
Class Class 5-8
Body style 2-door daycab
2-door extended cab
4-door crewcab
Layout 4x2
6x4
4x4
6x6
Related Freightliner C2 (bus chassis)
Powertrain
Engine Caterpillar 3126/C7 I6 (discontinued)[2]
Cummins ISB5.9 I6(discontinued)
Cummins ISB6.7 I6
Cummins ISC I6(discontinued)
Cummins ISL I6
Cummins ISL-G I6
Detroit Diesel DD13 I6 (M2 112 only)
Mercedes-Benz MBE900 I4 (discontinued)[2]
Mercedes-Benz MBE900 I6 (discontinued)[2]
Chronology
Predecessor Freightliner FL-Series

The Freightliner Business Class M2 is a medium-duty truck produced by Freightliner. In production since June 2002, the M2 was the successor to the FL-Series introduced in the 1990s.[2] It is assembled in Mount Holly, North Carolina.

Current Models

Freightliner M2 106 extended cab with an ambulance body in Gaston County, North Carolina.
Freightliner M2 112 in a crew-cab configuration (160" BBC)
A 2013 Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2, which uses the much of the bodywork from the M2 106 from the driver's seat forward.
A M2 112V crew cab in use as a railroad maintenance vehicle in Iowa.

M2 106

Named for its 106-inch BBC length in daycab configuration, the M2 106 is a Class 5-8 truck available in GVWRs up to 56,000 lbs. [3] It is available in three different cab configurations: a 106-inch BBC day cab, a 132-inch BBC extended cab, and a 154-inch BBC 4-door crew cab.[1] The crew-cab configuration offers seating for up to six passengers.[1] The M2 106 is produced primarily as a straight truck, although its cab and chassis are used in the bus industry as a cutaway cab conversion.

M2 112

Named for its 112-inch BBC length, the M2 112 is a Class 8 truck available in GVWRs up to 80,000 lbs.[4] Although available as a straight truck like the M2 106, it is also available as a tractor. Externally, it is distinguished by a larger grille and slightly higher hoodline.

C2

Along with various cutaway cab conversions of the M2 used for the shuttle bus market, the M2 serves as the donor chassis for the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 school bus constructed by Freightliner subsidiary Thomas Built Buses. The Saf-T-Liner C2 was introduced in 2004.

Unlike previous conventional school buses, which used little more than the hood and steering column from the donor chassis, the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 shared a high degree of commonality with the M2 106 forward of the driver's seat. For example, the dashboard was used in its entirety, and while it was a redesigned (larger) piece of glass, the windshield allowed the use of the stock Freightliner windshield wipers.

Other variants

Parts of the Business Class M2 design would be shared elsewhere in various capacities. The M2 106V/112V severe service trucks, while based on an entirely different chassis would utilize the cab and front bodywork of the medium-duty M2 trucks. These were replaced by the 108/114SD service trucks; while the M2 cab was retained, the SD trucks wore their own hood entirely.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Freightliner rolls out new Business Class M2 models". Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Freightliner introduces Business Class M2". Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  3. ↑ http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/Trucks/Models/M2106/
  4. ↑ http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/Trucks/Models/M2112/

External links