Cummins has introduced the QuikDisc rotor, which the company says is the first air disc brake offered for a single rear-drive axle at the 33,500-pound capacity rating used by heavy fire apparatus. Shown recently at FDIC International, the product pairs the Meritor EX+ H air disc brake already used on front axles with a patented two-piece hub that lets a technician replace a rotor without pulling the entire wheel end. Cummins says the design cuts a rotor replacement that once took three to four hours and several technicians to under an hour for one person.
Highlights
- Cummins says QuikDisc is the first air disc brake for a single rear-drive axle at the 33,500-pound rating used by heavy fire apparatus, where axles rated 29,000 pounds and above had been drum-brake-only.
- A patented two-piece hub replaces a rotor without removing the wheel end, cutting the job from three to four hours and multiple technicians to under an hour and one person, according to Cummins.
- An interchangeable flange fits both 11.25-inch and 335 mm bolt patterns, and front and rear axle brake components share part numbers.
- QuikDisc is in validation testing with the Garden City Fire Department in Michigan and is targeted for availability through OEMs in late 2027.
Disc Brakes Reach the Heavy Single Rear Axle
The fire and rescue market has trended toward disc brakes over recent decades for shorter stopping distances and better fade resistance under the hard, sudden stops that come with fast travel to a scene. Despite that demand, heavy single rear axles rated at 29,000 pounds and above had stayed drum-brake-only. The QuikDisc rotor closes that gap, bringing the Meritor EX+ H air disc brake — the same unit Cummins already runs on front axles — to the rear of these heavier vehicles, so OEMs can spec disc brakes front and rear at the 33,500-pound rear rating.
“The fire and rescue industry has been asking for disc brakes on heavy single rear-drive axles for years and until now, the answer has been no. QuikDisc changes that. For the first time, heavy fire apparatus OEMs can spec disc brakes across the full vehicle, front and rear, and at the 33,500 lb rear rating the heavy market actually needs. And because rotor replacement no longer means pulling the wheel end, departments get the performance of disc brakes while also reducing service time,” said Perumal Rengasamy, Senior Product Manager of Specialty Axles, at Cummins.
A Two-Piece Hub That Stays on the Axle
Conventionally, replacing a disc brake rotor on a heavy axle means removing the entire wheel end — hub, bearings and all — an assembly that can weigh close to 200 pounds. The wheel bearings then have to be readjusted and the hub resealed, work that Cummins says typically runs three to four hours and takes more than one technician. The QuikDisc two-piece hub keeps the hub on the axle and removes only the rotor and its mounting flange, a far lighter assembly. A new rotor bolts to the flange, the assembly slides back over the hub, and the fasteners are torqued — with no bearings to adjust and no seals to replace. Cummins says the job then takes under an hour and can be done by one person, making rotor replacement roughly as involved as swapping brake drums, the operation fire departments know best.
One Rotor, Two Bolt Patterns
The QuikDisc rotor accommodates both 11.25-inch and 335 mm bolt patterns through an interchangeable flange, so fire OEMs can cover different vehicle lines without stocking separate rotors. Front and rear axle brake components also share part numbers, which Cummins says further simplifies stocking and service and lowers total cost of ownership across a fleet.
Validation and Availability
Cummins is running real-world validation of QuikDisc in service with the Garden City Fire Department in Michigan. The rotor is aimed at new-production fire and rescue vehicles and is planned for availability through OEMs in late 2027.
Subscribe to The BRAKE Report. Get the Handbook free.
