Opportunity knocks

North America has been the focus for many specialist transport equipment manufacturers thanks to the recent ConExpo trade show which bought together the great and the good of the lifting and moving sector, plus the wider construction world, to the city of Las Vegas, USA, in March 2023.

In particular, the show provides a great opportunity for European specialised transport equipment manufacturers to get their products seen ‘in the metal’ in the huge and lucrative US market – the ‘land of opportunity’ where the road rules!

Due to the unique nature of the US market – where long distance highways connect destinations yet differing regulations between states complicate movement– manufacturers have realised flexibility is important for this market and some have even developed US-specific models.

Demonstrating this flexibility was Luxembourg-headquartered equipment manufacturer, the Faymonville Group; it used ConExpo to debut its new modular HighwayMax All-In-One trailer for on-road projects.

According to Faymonville, it is a completely unique concept where operators can configure different trailers from one single modular kit. The concept allows use as a 3+6 double drop combination, as an extendable single drop trailer with nine axles or – with additional nitro booster – as a 12-axle vehicle. A configuration as a tower adapter vehicle is also possible. And the company's entire range, including excavator decks, transformer decks, and perimeter decks, can be integrated in the double drop version.

Other trailers Faymonville displayed at ConExpo included: the steerable six-axle (3+3) singledrop MultiMax trailer, which it describes as 'an all-round solution for a range of heavy haul projects' including industrial components, wind energy elements, crane components and oversize containers; and the double drop three-axle MegaMax, which has an additional fourth steerable pin-on flip axle. This feature allows it to increase the legal payload and to ensure even more versatility going from state to state.

With regards to self-propelled vehicles, Faymonville showed its Cometto brand six-axle Eco1000, which has its Power Pack Unit integrated under the loading platform, and a six-axle electronically steered MSPE selfpropelled modular vehicle.

MARKET SPECIFIC

Memmingen, Germanybased specialised equipment manufacturer Goldhoffer reports that ConExpo was a success due in large part to its vehicles that have been developed for the North American market. “The great interest shown by trade visitors in the new products presented was overwhelming,” said Goldhofer CEO Matthias Ruppel. “Our expectations were more than exceeded with regards to demand.”

One such product specifically for the US market was the P12 Plus highway trailer. Goldhofer says it is designed to be flexible for a wide range of applications.

In the 12-axle version, the semitrailer has a maximum payload of up to 281,000 lbs (127 t) at an axle load of 26,400 lbs (12 t). The hydraulic steering has been optimised for travelling on public roads, making it well-suited for the long-distance highways of North America.

“Thanks to its multiple variants and flexible configuration options, freight forwarders can now operate with a single vehicle to transport a variety of special and everyday loads in the various states,” says Jerry Rothwell, director of sales, North America. Goldhofer also had its STZ-VL three-axle lowboy semitrailer with an additional flip axle on display. As already outlined, in the North American market an additional flip axle can increase the vehicle’s flexibility and payload enabling it to operate across interstate lines with changes in regulations.

A highlight of Goldhofer’s stand was its Addrive 2.0 vehicle presented in combination with its FTV 850 blade carrier – the first in the USA. It sold three Addrive 2.0 models and FTV 850 blade carriers to Bragg Companies and another FTV 850 to Salt Lake City-based Mountain Crane, which mounted an eye-catching sawn-off wind turbine blade for demonstration purposes.

According to Goldhofer, Addrive 2.0 combines the advantages of a towed heavy-duty module with those of a self-propelled module. Its tractive force supports the tractor unit up to a speed of 31 mph (50 km/h). The driven axles are then disengaged automatically and can be re-engaged at lower speeds while driving.

The Addrive 2.0 is also a timeand cost-saving solution when switching from the support function on a public highway to working as a purely self-propelled vehicle for the final off-road section of the route, says Goldhofer.

Heilbronn, Germanyheadquartered Tii Scheuerle used the opportunity of ConExpo 2023 to present its SPMT PowerHoss 80 as a representative of its complete SPMT series. The PowerHoss models are available with two, four and, now, six axle lines and offer up to 80, 180 and 330 tonnes of payload respectively.

INTELLIGENT TELEMATICS

At the show Tii Scheuerle also launched a telematics system for use on its SPMTs. The system, called TII Connect, facilitates predictive service management, the company claims, with the vehicle automatically reporting the need for any servicing. Dispatchers therefore have sufficient time to direct the vehicle to the workshop and at a time when it least disrupts daily work procedures. Any possible damage is also reduced, Tii Scheuerle adds.

In addition to predictive service management, TII Connect has options for data analysis and process comparisons (business intelligence) along with equipment condition monitoring.

The trade show also provided the opportunity for Tii Scheuerle to start celebrating the 40th anniversary of the SPMT. In 1983, Scheuerle Fahrzeugfabrik – Tii Scheuerle's original name – introduced the modular platform transporter with a container width of 2,430 millimetres for long-time customer Mammoet.

For a country so rich in opportunities as the USA it’s no wonder that European equipment manufacturers are ensuring that the market’s unique requirements are being so well met.

multiple challenges overcome by pesado transport in Mexico

Mexican specialised lifting and transport company Pesado Transport recently used its 16-axle Goldhofer THP/SL heavy-duty combination to deliver a 218 tonne gas compressor a distance of 430km from a port in Veracruz to the Miguel Hidalgo refi nery in Tula. The refi nery in the Mexican state of Hidalgo is being refurbished and upgraded as part of Mexico’s energy reform programme.

There were multiple challenges along the route including six toll plazas, plus numerous bridges and tunnels to be negotiated with a rig with an overall travelling height of around. 5.6 metres. This is why Pesado opted to use a dropdeck as part of the heavy-duty module combination to transport the compressor, which was 14.8m long, 5.3m wide and 5.17m high. The dropdeck had a payload of up to 300t and deck extensions for a length of 15m. The combination, which was approximately 65m long and had an overall weight of 385 tonnes, was operated as push-pull tractor trailer rig with two Western Star 515 hp heavy-duty tractors.

The convoy, with an overall width of 5.3m and a total height of 5.6m wound its way along the roads of Mexico passing over and under various obstacles. Due to the hydraulic axle stroke on the heavy-duty modules Pesado had room to manoeuvre these obstacles.

Mammoet and BigLift Shipping to deliver Antarctic research station

Mammoet has been commissioned to work with BigLift Shipping, Leighs Construction and Antarctica New Zealand to help transport the new Scott Base research station in 2027 from New Zealand to Antarctica.

BigLift Shipping will sail the prefabricated base from New Zealand to Antarctica on an MC-Class Vessel – an ice-strengthened heavy module carrier.

Mammoet’s self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) will move the new base onto the ship in Timaru, New Zealand, and off again in Antarctica. The three interconnected buildings will be separated into eight modules (each about 800 metric tonnes), sealed, and welded onto the vessel for the journey.

Mammoet’s global segment lead of transport and logistics, Reinder de Haan, says the installation method is as robust as possible, with the highest priority given to safety and operational redundancy.

“The versatile SPMTs have tremendous power yet can be manoeuvred with millimetre precision so that each section of the new station will be perfectly aligned when we set it down,” he says.

Cometto's Eco1000 proves popular for moving steel parts in Germany

Cometto’s Eco1000 self-propelled, electronically steered, compact modular vehicle is fi nding popularity with end users moving steel parts in Germany.

The Rosslauer shipyard near the city of Dessau, for example, has been using a four-axle Cometto’s Eco1000 to transport steel loads. One job was to move a 140 tonne crane beam belonging to Kranbau Köthen. The beam was 58.6 metres. This meant it protruded beyond the Eco1000’s Long Frame loading platform by 21.78 metres on one side and 25.17 metres on the other. “Due to the high centre of gravity and the payload capacity of the Cometto self-propelled vehicle attention had to be paid to the transverse inclination of the Eco1000 during the journey,” said Cometto's sales manager Joachim Kolb. “The driver, Thomas Bräuer, was helped by the automatic level control, allowing him to take a more relaxed approach to the whole thing."

And in Plauen, Plauen Stahl Technologie – which specialises in the planning, manufacture, logistics and assembly of steel structures for bridges, for structural and plant engineering and for hydraulic steel construction – used its new four-axle Eco1000 to deliver bridge sections and position them on their elephant feet. The modular vehicle’s electronic 90-degree steering enabled it to drive transversely between the support blocks.

As the vehicle was being used on public roads Cometto equipped it with bumpers and lighting systems. It also ensured that necessary TUV certifi cation was obtained for road use in advance of delivery so that there were no delays.