The Zandbergen hauling company, specialized in transporting full-size on- and off-road vehicles, brought one of their truck & trailer combinations to the show I recently visited. There were three Volvo 4×2 tractors aboard the rig, forming a colorful ensemble.
The leader of the pack is a 2017 Volvo FH truck with low profile tires and a liftable, baby pusher axle. GS Meppel built both the truck body and the complete trailer.
Parked on the truck bed, a Volvo FM, the FH-series’ smaller brother. Especially cab-wise, evidently.
The Volvo drive axle and Estepe baby pusher axle, rated at an axle load of 11.5 and 3.8 metric tons, respectively.
The trailer coupling is mounted low, directly behind the truck’s rearmost axle (the drive axle here). This is the typical set-up for a truck towing a mid-axle trailer.
Like this one, with a tridem axle configuration.
The white Volvo FH tractor has a sleeper cab with a low roof, something you don’t see every day in the top segment of Euro-cabovers.
Let’s also focus on the one all the way at the back, a 2019 Volvo FH Globetrotter (the sleeper cab with a raised roof, the norm).
It’s running on LNG (liquefied natural gas). Nowadays, multiple truck makers offer an optional LNG engine in their heavy vehicles.
For a test drive, call the number mentioned on the side of the roof. You’d better leave it to a Zandbergen crew member to get the precious tractor off the trailer in good order.
Look at that cryogenic tank hanging out there proud.
(hits head)
Meanwhile we gotta have ’em caged and cushion wrapped and air bag protected and…
lol
That tank is crashproof, don’t worry. Also, a low cab, that is rare these days.
“Old school style”, as it’s called in present times…
(photo courtesy of transport-online.nl)
That is quite a highly engineered set up, with only millimeters of clearance in a lot of places.
In the US new trucks are often delivered piggyback. Not sure exactly how they get them off at the dealer though. Having lived in the town where the Kenworth factory is located I used to see such set ups regularly in my daily travels. The axle shafts for the rear axle are removed, banded to the back of the frame and a plate installed to keep the oil in and junk out.
Usually one of these methods are used, overhead gantry crane, very large truck mounted crane or very large tow truck.
…synchronized forklifts
The system is aka Axle Saddle Hitch
Right, piggybacking, I also wondered how the (un)loading process works.
A picture from Zandbergen’s website, a similar rig hauling 3 full-size Fendt farm tractors. The Scania’s cab/roof has a cut-out, I assume to make room for the rear end of a truck frame, sticking up.
Volvos CC effect 5×5 I spent some hours in one yesterday, just relocating it I havent been sentenced to a regular ride in one, no I got introduced to that briefly on Tuesday a Mercedes no less
Neat line up. Are all these loaded and unloaded from the rear of the trailer, or from the centre?
From the trailer’s rear, both on and off the combination.