MAE has many different styles of towing dynamometers for purchase or rent for car/SUV applications.
View our latest Tow Dynamometer Brochure (PDF)
The car/SUV tow dynamometer products are specifically designed for light duty passenger vehicle applications. The light weight tow dynamometer imparts low parasitic drawbar drag losses to the towing test vehicle. The car/SUV tow dynamometers are available in MDT- Pull Only and MDTe- Push/Pull configurations. These tow dynamometers are ideal for:
- Passenger cars
- SUV’s
- Light pickup trucks
- Larger utility vehicles
The attachment of the tow dynamometer to the test vehicle may vary depending on the test article. The vehicle interconnect could be a ball, clevis, pin, ring, or other. Mustang can develop a suitable connection means for any type of vehicle you need tested.
Mustang’s MDT- Pull Only product line typically uses eddy current power absorption units (PAU’s) for loading the car/SUV tow dynamometers, although being an engineering company we routinely substitute different types of PAU’s to load and or motor.
The car/SUV MDTe-Series of tow dynamometers incorporates a larger generator and motor to produce a pushing and pulling force for the tow dynamometer. If you do not see your desired amount of push and/or speed range, contact us and our engineers will come up with a solution for your requirements
Standard Features
- Field-proven design and Gen-5 control technology
- DAC-32 based tow dynamometer control system
- Simulate pre-recorded road profile data
- Hill, mountain, slope, trailer weight, aero and rolling loss simulations
- Compensate for vehicle weight
- Programmable step testing
- Script testing
- Import/export Excel files
- High capacity generator
Tow Dynamometer Rental Options Available
Tow dynamometer purchasing, leasing and rental options are available. MAE can also assist with finding available test tracks, if needed. Contact a MAE sales representative for more information.
MDT & MDTe Tow Dynamometers
| MDT – Pull Only | Draw Bar (Pull) | Draw Bar (Pull) | Speed Range | Speed Range | Loading Axle |
| Model Number | (1,000N) | (1,000lb) | Km/hr | (mph) | # |
| MDT-3.6kN | 3.6 | 0.81 | 130 | 80 | 1 |
| MDT-5.4kN | 5.4 | 1.2 | 130 | 80 | 1 |
| MDT-8.0kN | 8.0 | 1.8 | 130 | 80 | 1 |
| MDTe – Push/Pull (e-Series) | Draw Bar (Pull) | Draw Bar (Pull) | Draw Bar (Push) | Draw Bar (Push) | Speed Range | Speed Range | Loading Axle |
| Model Number | (kN) | (klb) | (kN) | (klb) | Km/hr | (mph) | # |
| MDTe-4kN/1.8kNe | 4.0 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 115 | 70 | 1 |
| MDTe-6kN/3kNe | 6.0 | 1.4 | 3.9 | 0.67 | 115 | 70 | 1 |
| MDTe-8kN/3.5kNe | 8.0 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 0.79 | 115 | 70 | 1 |
MAE offers the largest and most complete lineup of tow dynamometers available for test engineers in the industry. We offer both traditional Pull Only MDT- and our new Push/Pull MDTe-Series tow dynamometers. Our full line of tow dynamometers can be configured as Pull only or as Push/Pull based on your requirements. MAE has a tow dynamometer that will fit your needs from ultra-light to extreme heavy duty. For more details on each of our specific product lines, follow any of the links below or simply contact MAE sales. We have configured our product line based on vehicle size and type but if you have an application outside of these parameters just call us and we can discuss your application.
Using advanced GEN-5 controls, air-cooled eddy current power absorbers and electric motors, Mustang’s tow dynamometers are capable of testing vehicles and simulating road profiles taken from pre-recorded data of road grades, hills and mountains without ever having to leave the safe and controlled confines of the test track. MAE’s advanced control system allows for grade control, speed control, drawbar control, manual control, polynomial drawbar control as a function of velocity, mountain climbing test as a function of distance, cycle testing as function of distance or time and engine speed control – to name a few.
Advances in the MDTe-Series allows all the standard control capabilities of the GEN-5 controller connected to the standard Pull Only MDT-Series and also provides for positive grade simulation with GPS road data gathering including grade, speed, acceleration, altitude and position monitoring. Using the GPS road data system during on-track playback allows the tow dynamometer to compensate in real time for irregularities in grade of the test track. MAE has figured out how to flatten your test track grade. This grade compensation is necessary when performing real world road simulation on full electric and/or hybrid vehicle on a test track. Check out the Resources / Download tab above and Download more information on the MDTe-Series Push/Pull Tow Dynamometers.
As the industry leader in tow dynamometer technology, MAE was the first company to offer a heavy-duty, Class 8, 5th wheel style tow dynamometer with Auto-Shift capability. MAE’s Auto-Shift technology allows you to “Shift on the Fly”! No need to stop and change gear ranges. Thus, during heavy draw bar testing at low speeds, to medium drawbar loading at medium speeds, and light drawbar loading at high speeds, the operator does not have to stop the tow dynamometer and shift gears to allow the tow dynamometer to achieve the next speed range.
Trailer Style Tow Dynamometers
The trailer style connection is the traditional style of tow dynamometer to vehicle hard connection. The trailer style tow dynamometer is configured to be towed behind a vehicle with a rigid connection via a ball, clevis, pintle hook or 5th wheel connection between the test vehicle and the trailer tow dynamometer. The trailer tow dynamometer is more economical in price and only requires a single operator. The disadvantage is that a separate vehicle is required to move the unit from garage to site or site to site.
Mobile Style Tow Dynamometers
The mobile style is a self-propelled towing dynamometer. Designed from an existing motorized vehicle chassis or a custom designed and manufacture chassis. This unique mobile configuration allows the tow dynamometer to be self-powered with an engine or electric motor for use in transportation between the garage and test site. Additionally, Mustang can take over the accelerator pedal of the vehicle’s engine or motor to be used in load biasing as required. In many cases, we convert existing vehicles (customer supplied, new or used). Mustang also designs and fabricates custom mobile dynamometer vehicles for extreme applications or to meet customer specifications. Mobil style dynamometers can be direct coupled or cable/strap connected to the test vehicle via a drawbar load cell.
In certain military applications, we are required to test other vehicle parameters in addition to drawbar force. We perform test vehicle mounted winch testing by attaching the winch to the tow dynamometer via the load cell and put the tow dynamometer into an inching loading mode. The winch then slowly pulls the tow dynamometer at controlled load as the winch winds up. Other military vehicle testing applications is tank or off-road vehicle brake testing. The tow dynamometer is attached to a vehicle and the vehicle is placed in neutral. The tow dynamometer begins to pull the vehicle at a constant low speed, then the vehicle’s brakes are applied and we measure the applied brake force from the test vehicle.
Tow Dynamometer Controls and Software
“Load Control” and “Speed Control”. When the tow dynamometer is in “Load Control” mode, the driver of the test vehicle controls the speed via control of the throttle. Conversely, when the tow dynamometer is in “Speed Control” mode, the driver controls the load via control of the throttle. The Gen-5 tow dynamometer control system is a member of Mustang’s latest generation of embedded microcontroller based electronic systems. All control and monitoring functions are performed by an embedded digital 32-bit microcontroller. All calibrations can be performed using the connected display device, tablet, or laptop with calibration values stored in the microcontroller onboard non-volatile FLASH memory. Testing values such as load or speed set points can be entered by the operator in exact unit values. In keeping with our previous system design features, the new control system is configured to supply analog output signals proportional to system speed and loading force, using operator supplied output scaling values. Mustang’s Gen-5 control system operates at 1,000 Hz and provides fast and stable load & speed control to the tow dynamometer. The GEN-5 controller is based on an Ethernet interface thus allowing for wireless wi-fi interface between the control client, laptop or tablet, or a direct Ethernet connection. The GEN-5 control system also has additional analog signal interface capacities to echo information to a customer supplied data acquisition system.
Mustang “Road to Track” reproduction software allows the operator to record on-road data and precisely reproduce the on-road data on the test track. The on-road vehicle’s configuration is recorded and the driven on-road data is recorded using an integrated GPS in-vehicle data acquisition system. The acquired data is processed and saved for future messaging and reproduction. The in-vehicle data can easily be modified and/or spliced together to make seamless long track data files from multiple shorter road data runs or can be configured to perform multiple cycles of the same data. The in-vehicle data acquisition system is also used in the test vehicle during replay to remove the loading effects of the actual track grade acting on the test vehicle during playback. Optional wind sensors can also be integrated into the control system to further modify the playback for variability due to differences in the wind.
SAE J2807 Tow-Vehicle Propulsion System Performance Tests
MAE’s tow dynamometers are designed to meet all SAE J2807 Propulsion System Performance Requirements, combination vehicle acceleration and gradeability for automotive and commercial vehicles
Some of the benefits from Mustang’s tow dyno capabilities:
- Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating
- Level Road Acceleration
- Launch on Grade
- Highway Gradeability
- 12% grade, forward reverse
- Tow Vehicle Trailer Rating
- GCWR (Gross Combination Weight Rating)
- TWR (Trailer Weight Rating)
- TVTW (Tow Vehicle Total Weight)
- GVWR
- Launch on Grade
- Flat-Out Acceleration
- Total Control
- Braking Performance
- Davis Dam test
All based on the International Society of Automotive Engineers – SAE J2807 tests