Delivery of special stanchion semi-trailer with EPSILON crane
Forest management company Rolf has already been a customer of Austrian vehicle body company Riedler for many years.
Since 2007, Riedler has developed several trailers for the haulier based in Lower Saxony as, despite the huge distance between them, cooperation between the two companies has always been perfect.
So, it was no surprise that Managing Director Jörn Rolf contacted his trusted vehicle body partner once again with his latest special request.
Rolf had just acquired a new Scania 450 4x4 semi-trailer tractor with the intention of using it to transport a variety of semi-trailers in the future.
To allow the maximum payload in each case when changing the semi-trailer, the crane was not to be mounted on the truck as usual but on the stanchion semi-trailer itself as a special solution.
Weight, safety and performance – strong arguments for EPSILON
As Rolf's priorities were clear, it did not take long to find the perfect crane for this special project. An L-crane was selected for its crane geometry, which makes it both fast and robust. But the crane choice was not just based on performance – another particularly decisive factor was the low dead weight of an EPSILON model from the new series. For example, with a net weight of just under 2,110 kg (excluding joint/rotator and gripper, etc.), the M10L97 with Classic Drive is currently the lightest crane in its class and with this range on the market.
Despite the major focus on the total weight of the vehicle, even the new EPSILON control option Master Drive was a possibility with these parameters. Alongside optimal protection and comfort for the driver, Master Drive is characterized by particularly precise control and tangible improvements to user-friendliness. Work is made particularly easy thanks to the hydraulically piloted joysticks, and downtime caused by split hoses is almost a thing of the past due to the internal hose routing from the base frame to the rotator.
All this considered, the Master Drive package including EPSHOOD only weighs 150 kg more than the EPISILON Classic variant.
Riedler Fahrzeugbau develops special vehicle body
The required weight savings were made in the choice of materials for the semi-trailer. For this purpose, the cover was constructed from a mixture of high-strength sheet steel and high-strength aluminium base plate to ensure that the semi-trailer has a dead weight of no more than 8,040 kg when ready for operation with the front crane.
Then, only the biggest challenge remained – to come up with a skilful semi-trailer design that reduced the mounting height, which was sharply increased due to mounting on the lsemi-trailer, back to a road-legal level. In doing so, the neck of the semi-trailer was significantly offset in the front section and designed to be as low as possible. For the secure transportation of 3 x 3 and 2 x 4 – 5 m timber, six ExTe-D7 steel stanchions including 12 ExTe D7 aluminium stanchions in a single conical C-construction as well as a folding wood cover on the third stanchion were installed.
KWF 2016 – come and see for yourself
The special vehicle body solution will be on show at KWF (9–12 June 2016 in Roding/Germany) at the Riedler Fahrzeugbau stand (A1-225).
Various models from the new EPSILON crane series, including Master Drive and EPSHOOD, as well as other cranes from the EPSILON on- and off-road model ranges can also be found – and some tested – at the PALFINGER EPSILON stand at KWF. We are looking forward to your visit to the EPSILON stand, directly at the east entrance of the exhibition centre.
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