Europe’s heaviest combination vehicles can be found up north, especially in Finland. The country’s legal maximum GVM for a big rig is 76 metric tons (167,500 lbs). But that’s not all, domestic truck maker Sisu also offers the most powerful factory truck on the market, the 900 DIN-hp Polar Hybrid.
Sisu Auto builds on-/off-road trucks, heavy haulage tractors and other special vehicles. Don’t call them for a puddle jumper (to use Bryce’s term), as they only make jumbo-type of trucks, called the Polar-series.
The cabs, diesel engines and automatic transmissions are sourced from Mercedes-Benz. Manual transmissions come from Eaton-Fuller. The sturdy frames and axles are in-house products. Sisu has an excellent reputation for producing heavy-duty drive axles, both steering and non-steering. These are also used by other truck manufacturers, like Ginaf.
The extra powerful Polar Hybrid combines a 625 DIN-hp, 15.6 liter inline-six Mercedes-Benz engine (the mighty OM 473) with a 250 kW Danfoss Editron electric motor. A parallel hybrid system, with the electric motor placed between the diesel engine and the 18-speed Eaton-Fuller transmission. As mentioned, resulting in a grand total of 900 DIN-hp. The maximum torque output is a staggering 3,600 Nm (2,655 lbf-ft) @ 1,000 – 1,800 rpm.
Compared with a similar diesel-only Polar, the hybrid’s fuel consumption is claimed to be around 10% lower.
The hybrid system also has a manual mode -the blue switch on top of the gear lever knob- so the driver can control the extra grunt of the electric motor. The Benz diesel and the electric motor can be used simultaneously or separately.
The supercapacitors (for energy storage) are located behind the cab, neatly tucked away.
Another distinctive Sisu feature is a liftable, rearmost drive axle. That’s right, a liftable drive axle. Obviously, the single wheeled, steering pusher axle is also liftable.
Let’s have a closer look at the axles at the rear.
Giddy up go, two serious and seriously cool Finnish guys, spurring their hybrid Sisus.
Meanwhile, the Finnish trucking world and authorities aren’t sitting still. In January 2019, the national overall length limit went from 25.25 m (82’10”) to 34.50 m (113’2”)…
…and logging combinations with a GVM of 104 metric tons (229,000 lbs) are being tested (photo: Victor Asmoarp). Anyway, those northerners certainly got truckloads of horsepower! Or is it tons of kilowatts?
All Sisu Polar Hybrid images courtesy of Sisu Auto
A related, sort of, and interesting write-up: Sisu, the Finnish art of inner strength.
Wow, thanks Johannes, I had no idea those crafty Finns had their own domestic heavy truck, and I work for a Finnish company. Makes sense though, they have a very self sufficient outlook and a lot of things you can buy in Finland are actually made there.
I can’t help but read the article in my head with a Finnish accent though. 🙂
For a country with a population of only 5.5 million, the Finns are very accomplished. Among other categories, they lead in education and national happiness. How they do it might be worth investigating if not emulating.
Overall, Scandinavians score high on the Happy-o-Meter.
I thought of the various rankings of national happiness that I’ve seen where Finland ranks at or near the top as I was reading the BBC link on sisu that Johannes provided. Therefore, the following quote jumped out at me:
I guess the grass is always greener…
You must remember that sisu as a concept (in this context) was born when the country was among the poorest in europe, so there is a bit of desperation, hunger and freezing toes mixed in with the more widely known ingredients. Things must get better… or else. So they will, but it won`t happen by itself. And that grass, it always is greener….
Now, being happy, balanced and proud of yourself, that sounds awfully swedish. Those lagom cake-eaters…
Regarding the happiness scores, people probably never can or will be totally happy, but knowing that you are relatively equal compared to others and generally safe, whatever happens, helps to reduce the angst and unhappiness.
Thanks for these insights,
-Eric
I was hoping that an insider would join the conservation, so thank you!
I had never heard of Sisu – either the truck or the Finnish concept. Both are fascinating.
I was intrigued enough to look up Sisu’s website and it looks like they currently manufacture the Polar big rigs and the military all-terrain Defence line. With a product line like that, I’m awfully curious where the sales are located. I can imagine that Scandinavia and Russia would account for the bulk of their sales, but on the other hand, I can see a specialized company like theirs having an even broader reach. The products certainly seem well thought-out.
I liked the videos too, and the scenes of one logging truck overtaking another on a snowy highway seemed classically Finnish.
I had heard of Sisu … perhaps even from some plastic or die cast toys from decades ago. And the Danfoss name is familiar; I think we had one of their recirculating water pumps in a previous house. But I was unaware of these modern Sisu trucks or even the existence of hybrids in this class. Love the size, and unusual features, and of course I’m always happy to learn more about modern COE’s. Thanks.
I first read about Sisu in the eighties, when they looked like this, with their own cab and a Cummins diesel (see badge). They also built conventionals back then.
Dang, thems a lot of telephone poles!
The only vehicle named Sisu that I’d heard of before is fictional: the Free Trader space ship featured in Robert Heinlein’s novel (perhaps his best novel), Citizen of the Galaxy (1957). Of course everyone on board speaks Finnish (“Suomic”) as a ship’s language; each Free Trader ship seems to represent one or another Earth culture. The novel is one of those rare books that you can read as a teenager and still enjoy as an adult.
Fascinating, to see these small volume truck manufacturers thriving for localized markets. Impressive too!
I think now we’re all living the Finnish concept of Kalsarikännit
Kippis!
https://finland.fi/emoji/kalsarikannit/
Bit of surprise for a Finn, did not expect to see Sisu featured here, but Johannes is the expert on the truck stuff. Few comments on the topic, local 2 cents. Sisu was more like a general mainstream truck maker in the past (on the finnish market), but this niche product approach was probably a necessity for survival. And in any case, logging trucks and military are a stable customers. Still, these ultra-heavy rigs are a recent development, the driver being the needs of the industry. The need for efficiency and lower costs is always on the agenda, but the forest industry has changed a lot in the past decade, mills have been consolidated and closed, leading to fewer but larger factories. Which mean larger volumes and longer transport distances. And bigger trucks. Surprisingly, even the bureaucrats have been eager to raise the weight limits. Of course, you can always build the pulp mill in some other country…
Still, as far as I know, the 104t combinations have been tested mainly on specific routes. Even if the axle loads are not too high, the highway bridges from the sixties have not been designed for such loads. Those longer trucks I have seen, overtaking is definitely trickier. On the whole, it is bit surprising to see how easily seemingly stiff EU based regulation has been adjusted when needed.
Off to sauna..
As I read your comment, Pottu, I was thinking of my first experience of overtaking a B-double; it just seemed to go on forever! But these? At least with all that power you probably wouldn’t need to overtake a Polar Hybrid, even fully loaded!
All trucks are officially limited to 85 kph (usually in practice around 90), but fortunately there are at least some overtaking lanes on most main highways. Unlike e.g. Norway, there are few steep hills or mountains, but obviously plenty of forest which limit the visibility. Patient you must be..
Amazing trucks of unique manufacturer that also makes some military vehicles – armored trucks and personnel carriers.
This one is also made by SISU. Currently in service of Finish, Lithuanian and Estonian armed forces.
Quite fascinating, Mr Netherlands, and all new to me.
Is it my eyes or are the wheels on these rigs a bit small, possibly to do with snow conditions (ie: chains or somesuch)?
The truck wheels look normal sized to me. The trailer wheels are smaller, obviously, but for such a trailer these are normal sized too.