Semitrailer transports excavator up mountain

Pinzgau, Austria-based transport and earthworks company Josef Neureiter used a Goldhofer

 MPA 3 three-axle low loader semitrailer to help transport a Liebherr crawler excavator 1,200 metres above sea-level to a job site in the Austrian mountains.

The excavator was being transported into the mountains so that Neureiter could use it to clear a gorge of snow and debris up to five metres in depth following an avalanche. The snow was blocking access to the Marxtenalm inn.

The excavator weighed 20 tonnes and the access road was unpaved so good off-road capabilities were required of the Scania tractor unit and the Goldhofer low loader semitrailer. The route also crossed mountain streams and climbed gradients of up to 15%.

“With a hydraulic axle compensation of 350 mm we could literally lift the new MPA 3 across the streams at the fords,” said Michael Neureiter. “That makes us fast and flexible in the mountains.”

The MPA 3 incorporates a MacPherson axle system which Goldhofer said provides good lateral stability. The use of so few components with the MacPherson axle makes it a low-maintenance solution, Goldhofer claims.

The MPA 3 is designed for axle loads of up to 15.6 t at 20 km/h. It has a steering angle of 60° and a loading height of 785 mm. The vehicle frame has a high bending resistance for maximum reliability and a long service life, said Goldhofer.

As an extra, the Goldhofer’s MPA steering system was fitted on all three axle lines of the Neureiter vehicle for even greater manoeuvrability in the tight curves of the mountain tracks and roads. “The new MPA 3 greatly facilitates our day-to-day business, and its flexibility makes us even more versatile,” concluded Michael Neureiter.