Rear axles RT2610HV / RT3210HV

Design and Function

Student booklet

Rear axles
RT2610HV/RT3210HV

Contents

This training package describes the rear axles

design and function. Service operations and
the use of special tools are described in Volvos
service literature.

2 Type plate ............................................5

1 General, tandem rear axle ....................3

3 Tandem rear axle ..................................6

4 Final drives, front/rear ...........................7
5 Gear set, front/rear ...............................8
6 Pinion bearings, front and rear ............. 9
7 Pinion shims, front and rear .................. 10
8 Input shaft shims, transfer gear .............11
9 Differential ...........................................12
10 Transfer gear ......................................13
11 Transfer gear differentiallock...............14
12 Wheel differentiallock .........................15
13 Drive shafts ........................................16
14 Wheel bearings ..................................17
15 Hub reduction .....................................18
16 Maintenance ...................................... 19

Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

1 General, tandem rear axle

RT2610HV/RT3210HV are identical in design and function. The difference is max bogie pressure
and that RT3210HV is designed for Volvo FM construction vehicles.
This are two tandem rear axles that consists of two single reduction gears of spiral bevel type and
a transfer gear that is fitted to the first rear final drive.
This rear axle is intended for use in heavy and demanding haulage operations both on good roads
and on poor road conditions. Drive to two axles means that extremely high traction can be
transferred to the road surface, since the total axle pressure is high. This promotes excellent getyou-there ability, and also results in more uniform tyre wear between the front and rear axles.
RT26/3210HV is equipped with three differential locks, one each for the front and rear axle, and
one for the transfer gear. This guarantees excellent traction when the road surface is slippery
and offers poor grip.
RT2610HV or RT3210HV is the type designation of this tandem rear axle.
R = Rear axle
T = Tandem
26/32 = Max bogie pressure 26.000kg/32,000kg
100 = Max gross combination weight 100,000kg
H = Hub reduction
V = Volvo

Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

Specifications:
Make
Type designation

Volvo
RT2610HV or RT3210HV

Type:
Final drive
Transfer gear
Hub reduction
Crown wheel, diameter
Driveshafts, diameter
Max engine torque
Max bogie pressure
Max gross combination weight

Single reduction, spiral bevel, hub reduction

Cylindrical gear
Cylindrical planetary gear
295 mm
45 mm
3100 Nm
26.000kg or 32,000 kg
100,000 kg

Weight including driveshafts, hubs and drum brakes:

Front axle RT2610HV/RT3210HV
861/879 kg
Rear axle RT2610HV/RT3210HV
758/776 kg
Weight including driveshafts, hubs and disc brakes:
Front axle RT2610HV
816 kg
Rear axle RT2610HV
730 kg
Oil-change volumes:
Front final drive,RT2610HV/RT3210HV
Rear final drive, RT2610HV/RT3210HV
Each hub (included in above values)

29/31 litres.
26/26 litres.
1,5- 3 litres depending on versions of hub casing.

Ratios :
3.61:1, 3.76:1, 4.12:1, 4.55:1, 5.41:1 and 7,21:1 only for RT3210HV.
The transfer gear has a ratio of 1:1.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

2 Type plate
The rear axles are made by Volvo and the type designations are RT2610HV/RT3210HV.
The type plate consists of the following markings:
COMPONENT = component designation
DIFF. CARRIER/RATIO= final drive/ratio
SERVICE CATEGORY = service category
PART NO REAR AXLE = Volvos part number
DIFF. ASSY = Volvos part number
FABR. NO DIFF. ASSY = date of manufacture
ID = Internal factory number
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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

3 Tandem rear axle

Tandem rear axles RT2610HV/RT3210HV consists of two rear axles of the following
main components;
The first rear axle consists of:
1. Rear axle casing
2. Final drive with transfer gear
3. Differential locks (transfer gear, differentiallock and wheel differentiallock).
4. Driveshafts
5. Output shaft
The second rear axle consists of:
6. Rear axle casing
7. Final drive
8. Wheel differential lock
9. Driveshafts
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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

4 Final drives, front/rear

Both the final drives (gear sets) are of spiral bevel type, which means that the pinions centre line
is in line with the crown wheels centre line.
Due to that the ratio is small, the differencies in diameter between the crownwheel/pinion are
small. This gives a compact and service friendly final drive with small internal losses.

The crown wheel and pinion are matched to each other and cannot be replaced individually, but
only as a complete pair.
In order to avoid the risk of accidentally separating the gear set, the crown wheel and pinion are
both marked with the same serial number.
The front final drive consists of; gear set, transfer gear, differential, transfer gear differentiallock
and wheel differentiallock.
The rear final drive consists of; gear set, differential and wheel differentiallock.
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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

5 Gear set, front/rear

The gear set consists of the pinion and crown wheel. The crown wheel is attached to the differential.
A: The front pinion is supported by two conical roller-bearings.
B: The rear pinion is also supported by two conical roller-bearings.
Adjustment of the pinions axial position is done with shims between the inner bearings outer
ring and the final drive housing.
The correct pinions pre-tension is achieved with spacer sleeves in both final drives.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

6 Pinion bearings, front and rear

Both the front and rear pinion is supported by two conical roller-bearings, A and B in the picture.
Spacer sleeve C in the picture is used to create the correct pre-tension for the pinion bearings.
Adjustment of the pinions axial position is done with shims between the inner bearings outer ring
and the final drive housing.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

Student Booklet

7 Pinion shims, front and rear

Adjustment of the pinions axial position is done with shims between the inner bearings outer ring
and the final drive housing, A in the picture.
Both pinions are supported by two conical roller-bearings.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

10

Student Booklet

8 Input shaft shims, transfer gear

Axial play for the transfer gears input shaft is achieved with shims, between the cover and the final
drive housing.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

11

Student Booklet

9 Differential
The purpose of the differential is to distribute torque and speed between the driven wheels and at
the same time maintain overall tractive power. This is necessary since the outer wheel has a
longer distance to travel in a curve than the inner wheel. The outer wheel must therefore rotate
faster than the inner wheel.
The differential is fitted in the differential housing and consists of four small conical gears, differential gears that are fitted to the spider. Two counter-rotating larger conical differential gears mesh
with the four small gears, each linked with its respective driveshaft.
When the vehicle is driving straight ahead, the small gears in the differential are at a standstill and
both the driven wheels rotate at the same speed. When taking a curve, when the inner wheel
rotates more slowly, the small wheels start rotating on the spider. Through this rotation, the speed
reduction of the inner wheel is taken up and transferred to the outer wheel, which responds with a
corresponding increase in speed.
The differential is supported with two conical bearings. The purpose of the adjustment screws is
to create the correct pre-tension on the differential bearings and to give the gear set the correct
tooth flank clearance.
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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

12

Student Booklet

10 Transfer gear
The forward final drive is equipped with a transfer gear. It has the task of distributing drive between
the two rear axles.
Power from the gearbox goes from the transfer gears input shaft via the transfer gears differential to the output shaft which drives the second rear axle via a short propeller shaft.
Power to the first rear axle goes via a cylindrical gear.
The path of the power: pinion, crown wheel, differential spider, via the small differential gears, on to
the large differential gears and then to the driveshafts, before finally going to the wheels.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

13

Student Booklet

11 Transfer gear differentiallock

he transfer gear is equipped with a differential lock to permit the same rotation speed on the rear
axles. The differential lock is operated via a two-stage switch on the instrument panel.
When the switch is pressed to its first position, the transfer gear differential lock is engaged,
linking the two rear axles to each other. A symbol comes on in the instrument panel to indicate
when the transfer gear differential lock is activated.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

14

Student Booklet

12 Wheel differentiallock
Each rear axle has a wheel differential lock on the right driveshaft to ensure the same rotation
speed for the driveshafts on each respective rear axle.
When one wheel slips, for instance on a slippery road surface, it is possible to disengage the
differential by linking the driveshafts to each other with a differential lock, locking one driveshaft to
the differential housing. When the wheel differential lock is engaged, a symbol appears in the
instrument panel.
The locks consist of a claw coupling made of hardened steel which is manoeuvred by
compressed air. When all the differential locks are engaged, all the driven wheels are forced to
rotate at the same speed.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

15

Student Booklet

13 Drive shafts
The driveshafts are of the fully unloaded type, that is to say the axles do not carry any of the
vehicles weight; instead, their only job is to transfer rotating movement/torque from the final drive
to the driven wheels.
The inner ends of the driveshafts are equipped with splines for linking up to the large differential
gears in the final drive. The outer ends feature a flange for fitting to the hub. In addition, the rightside driveshaft is equipped with an additional set of splines for the wheel differential locks
connecting flange.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

16

Student Booklet

14 Wheel bearings
The wheel bearings are maintenance-free unit bearings. They consist of conical roller-bearings
that are lubricated for life from the factory and fitted with sturdy seals.
The wheel hub and its bearing are fitted and removed as a single unit, which makes the process
much more convenient.
Bearing play is checked by inserting a metal bar in the wheels lightening holes and using the bar
as a lever. Normally, the bearings should be pre-tensioned, so there should not be any measurable
play in the wheel bearing. If any play is registered in the bearing, it should be measured
with a dial gauge.
NOTE: The bearing clearance cannot be adjusted.
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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

17

Student Booklet

15 Hub reduction
The hub reduction, which is located in the wheel hub, is where the majority of the torque conversion occurs. The hub reduction consists of a cylindrical planetary gear with straight needle
bearing gears that produce little loss.
The sun gear is mounted on the driveshaft and from here the driving power is transferred to the
planetary gear, which is connected to the wheel hub. When the planetary gear is forced to
rotate towards the ring gear, which is locked to the rear axle housing, there is a reduction in engine
speed.
This type of rear axle combination with tandem drive allows for considerable propulsion to be
transferred to the ground without spinning wheels, since there is a great deal of combined axle
pressure. This makes navigation very easy and reduces tyre wear.
NOTE:
The oil level plug in the picture is in the drain position.
When checking the oil level the hole shall be in the horizontal position.
Oil up to the hole edge when the level is correct.
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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

18

Student Booklet

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Service Information

16 Maintenance
The rear axle has long service intervals that contribute to low operating costs.
With Volvo-approved synthetic oil, oil is changed after max 400,000 km or every three years.

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Aftermarket Training
Rear axles RT2610HV & RT3210HV

19

Student Booklet

Volvo Truck Coporation

After Market Training
Copyright 2002 Volvo Truck Corporation

Order number: GT140000A (Entire Trainer CD-rom)