The best offroad drive in the world
Line Traction
The best offroad drive in the world
"My vision was to develop a drive system that could individually control the speed and torque of each wheel during acceleration and braking—without driver input. This would allow each wheel to be driven or decelerated independently of the different friction coefficients between the tire and the road surface."
Werner Müller
Werner Müller
Founder
From idea to innovation
The path of the Line Traction drive
Two developers, one strong partner
The Line Traction drive was developed by Müller Landmaschinen GmbH and Müller Engineering and continuously optimized over two decades. The system was patented worldwide in 2015. In 2022, Aebi, as an integration partner, enabled the drive to be fully developed and ready for series production. In 2025, we received the Agritechnica Innovation Award gold medal for this drive and its implementation in the target vehicle.
Provision of the integration vehicle
TT281 for practical testing and preparation for
Series integration
Inventors, Prototype Manufacturing &
System integration
Development & optimization of the drive system.
Software and technical development.
Become an integration partner
The success with Aebi shows:
Our drive technology is flexible and ready for new vehicle concepts. Equip your vehicles with the Line Traction drive and bring greater efficiency and innovation to the market.
Are you ready?
The Line Traction drive system is a fundamentally new all-wheel drive system that utilizes the full traction potential in every driving situation through highly efficient individual wheel speed control. Each wheel of a vehicle follows its own line of travel, defined by the current steering angle. This line of travel is independent of the surface and describes the wheel's direction of travel.
Functional
description
Line Traction
Line Traction
Information and
Press area
All information about the drive
By continuously monitoring the steering angle and taking the vehicle's geometry into account, the tracking lines are calculated in real time. Combined with the speed specified by the driver, this results in target speeds for each wheel, which serve as input parameters for the Line Traction System to control the wheel speeds.
When the ring gear is fully locked, no oil flows. The locking is controlled by a software-controlled proportional valve. In this state, the Line Traction transmission behaves like a conventional planetary gear with a fixed ratio.
When cornering, the proportional valve is deliberately opened, allowing oil to circulate within the system. This releases the ring gear in a controlled manner, which—due to the transmission geometry—leads to a speed overlap.
As a result, the planetary carrier to which the respective wheel is attached slows down. By detecting the wheel speeds, a control loop can be closed to individually control each wheel speed.
The outermost wheel in the curve is referred to as the "master" in the Line Traction system. With this wheel, the ring gear always remains completely fixed—the corresponding proportional valve is completely closed.
For the remaining wheels, which are to run at reduced speed in the curve, the proportional valves are opened until the respective target speed is reached.
The Line-Traction transmission resembles a conventional planetary gear on the outside, but differs fundamentally on the inside. In conventional planetary gears, the ring gear is firmly connected to the joint. In the Line-Traction system, however, it is hydraulically fixed. This is achieved via an internal hydraulic circuit that only circulates oil when the ring gear is required to rotate.
Unlike conventional vehicles, which have longitudinal and/or transverse differentials, Line Traction technology is based on rigid shafts. All differentials and locking mechanisms are completely eliminated, meaning every shaft leading to the axle rotates at the same speed.
Functional description
Line Traction
The Line Traction drive system is a fundamentally new all-wheel drive system that utilizes the full traction potential in every driving situation through highly efficient individual wheel speed control. Each wheel of a vehicle follows its own line of travel, defined by the current steering angle. This line of travel is independent of the surface and describes the wheel's direction of travel.
The elimination of differentials, locks or clutches together represents a radical simplification of the previous drive system.
By continuously monitoring the steering angle and taking the vehicle's geometry into account, the tracking lines are calculated in real time. Combined with the speed specified by the driver, this results in target speeds for each wheel, which serve as input parameters for the Line Traction System to control the wheel speeds.
Unlike conventional vehicles, which have longitudinal and/or transverse differentials, Line Traction technology is based on rigid shafts. All differentials and locking mechanisms are completely eliminated, meaning every shaft leading to the axle rotates at the same speed.
The elimination of differentials, locks or clutches together represents a radical simplification of the previous drive system.
Radical simplification
The Line Traction transmission looks similar to a conventional planetary gear, but differs fundamentally on the inside. In conventional planetary gears, the ring gear is permanently connected to the joint. In the Line Traction system, however, it is hydraulically fixed. This is achieved via an internal hydraulic circuit that only circulates oil when the ring gear is required to rotate.
When the ring gear is fully locked, no oil flows. The locking is controlled by a software-controlled proportional valve. In this state, the Line Traction transmission behaves like a conventional planetary gear with a fixed ratio.
When cornering, the proportional valve is opened in a targeted manner so that oil circulates within the system. This releases the ring gear in a controlled manner, which – due to the transmission geometry – leads to a speed overlap. As a result, the planet carrier to which the respective wheel is attached slows down. By recording the wheel speeds, a control loop can be closed to control each wheel speed individually. The outermost wheel in the curve is referred to as the "master" in the Line Traction system. For this wheel, the ring gear always remains completely fixed. The associated proportional valve is completely closed. For the other wheels, which are to run at reduced speed in the curve, the proportional valves are opened until the respective target speed is reached.
Innovative core
The goal of Line Traction
The further development of drive systems is increasingly being hampered by the limitations of traditional differential technology. While mechanical locks, self-locking differentials, or all-wheel-drive clutches prevent individual wheels from spinning, they simultaneously cause tension in the drivetrain, increase tire wear, and damage the turf. This technology quickly reaches its limits, especially on slopes or in changing terrain.
Operating the differential locks also requires a high level of attention from the driver and leads to fatigue and loss of productivity during long working periods.
The Line Traction System was developed to overcome these weaknesses. It combines maximum traction efficiency with significant reduction in operator workload. The core of the system is the controllable superposition gears in the final drives, which replace all differentials and locking mechanisms. The steering angles are continuously recorded, and the resulting tracking lines are calculated in real time and combined with the speed specified by the driver. This results in target speeds for each individual wheel, which are precisely implemented using software.
This is the first time that complete individual wheel speed control has been implemented in all driving and working situations.
In contrast to conventional planetary final drives, the ring gear in the Line Traction final drive is hydraulically locked. The speed of the ring gear is controlled by software via a proportional valve, resulting in targeted speed overlay. The outer wheel acts as the master wheel, while the other wheels adjust their speeds precisely to the specified sequence line via the software. This completely eliminates manual intervention in the differential locks.
The advantages are on several levels:
Maximum traction: The full traction potential is available in every situation. Furthermore, up to 100 percent of the drive power can be transferred to a single wheel, regardless of the steering angle or the surface.
Ground protection: Shearing of the turf due to spinning of individual wheels is avoided
Line Traction enables operation in even more challenging terrain with lower soil conditions. The agile handling simplifies turning maneuvers and saves time. Less ballasting allows for larger working widths, increases area performance, and thus reduces both costs and diesel consumption.
Driver safety and relief: The system operates fully automatically. By eliminating differential locks, they no longer need to be operated, allowing the driver to concentrate on the task at hand.
Mechanical simplicity: All differentials, locking mechanisms and clutches are eliminated.
The Line Traction System opens up a new dimension in traction technology. It combines mechanical robustness with digital control intelligence, increases productivity and soil protection, and opens up application possibilities in terrain previously considered impassable. Line Traction thus redefines the state of the art in agricultural vehicle propulsion.
Information and press area
All information about the drive
Line Traction
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© 2025 by Müller Engineering. Johannes Müller
Impressum
Data protection
© 2025 by Müller Engineering. Johannes Müller