In transit, a piling rig at rest and a tall cabover tractor don’t go well together, for obvious reasons. That’s quite a front overhang, by the way. A much lower conventional heavy haulage tractor would be the most logical choice for such a job. But factory conventionals went the way of the dodo bird around here, many moons ago.
The best alternative is opting for the heaviest and most powerful chassis-cab version of a truck maker’s mid-size model range and then have the rear part of its cab roof flattened, among multiple other things. Case in point, Van Schie’s 2018, 550 hp Volvo FM 10×4 tractor.
It arrived in the Netherlands as a factory 8×4*4 chassis, Terberg Techniek added a steering axle ahead of the drive axles and the Estepe company flattened the cab roof. The batteries, air tanks and fuel tanks were placed behind the cab. A nice detail are the tractor’s long, monobloc fenders.
The 2018 Broshuis low loader carries a 2000 Junttan PM 20LC piling rig, capable of ramming concrete poles into the ground with a maximum length of 19 meters (62’4”). So it’s a kind of ram after all.
The whole nine-axle combination, with the 60 tonnes Junttan aboard, weighs around 98 tonnes (216,000 lbs). It takes heavy machines to haul heavy machines.
The piling rig at work. Wonderful, ancient and modern technology, captured in one picture (photo courtesy of Van Schie Mijdrecht).
Some 40 years ago, give or take a decade, Dutch companies mostly contracted with domestic truck maker FTF to build a dedicated heavy haulage tractor. Like this 1985 FTF FS-10.30.DSS 8×4*4 with a lowered cab and flattened roof, powered by a Detroit Diesel 8V92T. A true forerunner, all the way. Buying something similar from a ‘mainstream’ manufacturer? Impossible, back then.
In the meantime, FTF -defunct since the mid nineties- has achieved cult status here. The brawny tractor above was fully restored and is owned by a Van Schie employee, I caught it at a show in the summer of 2016.
For comparison purposes, here’s a 1981 FTF FS-7.20.D 6×4 tractor with the standard Motor Panels sleeper cab. The numbers in the model designation reflect the factory axle weight ratings, so for this tractor that’s a 7 tonnes front axle and a 20 tonnes tandem.
Now back to the 21st century, this must be the maiden voyage of the MS Volvo-Broshuis. And that brand new Liebherr tracked excavator certainly looks less menacing than the Juntthan. Liebherr just seems to be a more kind-hearted type of guy.
98 tonnes over the road? Holy Holland! Just wow.
That second steering axle must be mounted by the world’s strongest superglue, and powered by the world’s most Atlas-like power steering. The forces on it as it acts against the grip of the road, and those 12(!) tyres on two axles just behind it – not to mention the weight above – must be phenomenal.
And all that to create piles, which for at least some of us, our doctors are trying just as hard to eliminate…
98 tonnes in this line of business is not exceptional, as there are much heavier piling and drilling rigs to transport, in which case you need some more axles ahead and behind the low loader’s bed.
Terberg, Ginaf and some others are masters in adding steering axles and ditto systems. Below a 5-axle Ginaf with 4 steering axles, a counter steering rearmost drive axle included. There’s just no way you can buy something like this as a factory product from one of the big Euro truck manufacturers.
No wonder Holland is below sea level. All those 100 ton trucks squashing things down bit by bit. Seriously, the lower cab configuration reminds me of American LCF car carriers based on normal COE’s, especially pre-Daimler Freightliners (at least here on the West Coast).
LCF, I had to look that up, Low Cab Forward. I searched for ‘LCF car carriers’, resulting in many Freightliners, indeed, shot by Dick Copello.
Even here at CC
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/car-carriers/car-carrier-fourteen-saturns-heading-out-is-this-a-record-for-a-non-special-permit-hauler/
Alright, thanks!
Bet a modern bonneted tractor would not have a lower cab height than this low cab forward Volvo model. Daimler indented the cab roof on the Western Star X series for crane applications.
Would be a chore to tilt the cab for engine service, though!
Cab height is 2.91 m (9’7”) for a Volvo FM with a standard roof, that’s what I found on the interwebs. There are lower Volvo cabover models on the market, but those are not beefy and powerful enough for heavy haulage. Only an FM or the (taller) FH will do. The massive 16.1 liter Volvo engine is not available in the FM though.
Interesting that Mack Trucks had a set back axle COE chassis that was called an FM model. Never sold or saw any in the southeastern USA but understood they were relatively popular overseas.
I saw one at the same heavy haulage event…
Great post – I really like the looks of those two FTF models.
Thanks Jim. A hauling company nearby had an interesting fleet of them, like the 6×2 flatbed truck with a full trailer below, dating back to the early eighties. This was a very common set-up back then for both national and international transport.
FTF seemed to have the best-looking versions of the Motor Panels cabs.
The British manufacturers’ versions always looked a bit ‘quaint’ to me.
That series of FTF trucks and tractors was introduced in 1979 and 45 years later they still look quite modern, clean and ‘tight’.
IMO, the same applies to the Bedford TM, Berliet TR/Ford Transcontinental/Renault R, Leyland T45 Roadtrain and -above all- the 1981 Ford Cargo.
The flattened or chopped look has always been a favorite hot rod customization of mine and these pictures show when it is done professionally the chopped look carries over quite well even to big tractors. Years ago at a truck stop I saw a 70s Peterbilt COE tractor similar the one featured hauling a standard 53′ trailer and assumed it was customized just to look cool. Now I know it was likely for a similar purpose mentioned in your article.