An awe inspiring operation that I could not help but include on this blog, the sheer thinking, planning, finance & engineering behind such a move continues to amaze me.
"Stuttgart / Speyer – Not long ago, in the port of Rotterdam, a crane hoisted the BURAN onto a sixteen-axle low-bed trailer with a Mercedes-Benz Actros SLT 4160 8x6/4 heavy-duty tractor unit, which had previously been placed on a pontoon barge. The first thing onlookers saw when the barge carrying the BURAN came around a bend in the Rhine, was the leaf-green Actros heavy tractor unit of the Kübler haulage company. The Russian space shuttle BURAN ("snowstorm") fascinated spectators all along the Rhine valley, past Cologne, past the famed Loreley rocks and all the way to Speyer, the home of the Technik-Museum.
In the natural harbour at Speyer it was not just the BURAN that riveted the attention of visitors. Numerous heavy transport vehicle fans had also come to see the Actros SLT 4160 8x6/4 and its exotic cargo. Its drive configuration, approved for a maximum gross combination weight of 500 t, makes it a very rare sight indeed in the field of heavy-duty haulage. The Actros SLT 4160 8x6/4 is one of very few four-axle tractor unit with three driven and two steered axles. The all-wheel drive with the three driven axles and differential locks improves traction considerably compared with the 8x4 variant. And that this increased level of traction pays, can easily be seen, whether it is on the muddy ground of the natural harbour at Speyer, or simply on any large building site.
The two steered axles improve the tractor vehicle’s manoeuvrability immensely – and that is what the heavy haulage business is all about, whether it means centimetre-precise manoeuvring when driving off the pontoon barge, or just negotiating a roundabout.
Everything about the drive train of the Actros SLT tractor unit speaks of competence in heavy-duty haulage. The Mercedes-Benz OM 502 LA V8 16-litre turbocharged BlueTec 5 engine with charge-air cooling, delivers 447 kW/ 609 hp and a maximum torque of 2400 Nm at engine speeds between 1080 and 1800 rpm. The Actros SLT is equipped ex works with the largest radiator available. The Actros SLT heavy truck uses a Mercedes-Benz 16-speed G 240 range-change transmission with a WSK 400 torque converter clutch and retarder. The two-gear Mercedes-Benz VG 2400-3W transfer case with reduced-torque off-road ratio makes it possible to avoid gearshifts which entail an interruption of tractive force on slippery ground.
One look at the Actros SLT is enough to feel how it radiates power and self-assurance. Above the sun visor there is a chromed bar upon which four powerful searchlights are mounted, flanked by a compressed-air horn on one side, and a yellow rotating flashing beacon on the other. On the cab rear wall there are three searchlights for working at night. The red-and-white painted bumper and the Titan logo next to the Mercedes-Benz star all add to the powerful impression the Actros SLT makes; and it can afford to look powerful, simply because it is powerful."
"Stuttgart / Speyer – Not long ago, in the port of Rotterdam, a crane hoisted the BURAN onto a sixteen-axle low-bed trailer with a Mercedes-Benz Actros SLT 4160 8x6/4 heavy-duty tractor unit, which had previously been placed on a pontoon barge. The first thing onlookers saw when the barge carrying the BURAN came around a bend in the Rhine, was the leaf-green Actros heavy tractor unit of the Kübler haulage company. The Russian space shuttle BURAN ("snowstorm") fascinated spectators all along the Rhine valley, past Cologne, past the famed Loreley rocks and all the way to Speyer, the home of the Technik-Museum.
In the natural harbour at Speyer it was not just the BURAN that riveted the attention of visitors. Numerous heavy transport vehicle fans had also come to see the Actros SLT 4160 8x6/4 and its exotic cargo. Its drive configuration, approved for a maximum gross combination weight of 500 t, makes it a very rare sight indeed in the field of heavy-duty haulage. The Actros SLT 4160 8x6/4 is one of very few four-axle tractor unit with three driven and two steered axles. The all-wheel drive with the three driven axles and differential locks improves traction considerably compared with the 8x4 variant. And that this increased level of traction pays, can easily be seen, whether it is on the muddy ground of the natural harbour at Speyer, or simply on any large building site.
The two steered axles improve the tractor vehicle’s manoeuvrability immensely – and that is what the heavy haulage business is all about, whether it means centimetre-precise manoeuvring when driving off the pontoon barge, or just negotiating a roundabout.
Everything about the drive train of the Actros SLT tractor unit speaks of competence in heavy-duty haulage. The Mercedes-Benz OM 502 LA V8 16-litre turbocharged BlueTec 5 engine with charge-air cooling, delivers 447 kW/ 609 hp and a maximum torque of 2400 Nm at engine speeds between 1080 and 1800 rpm. The Actros SLT is equipped ex works with the largest radiator available. The Actros SLT heavy truck uses a Mercedes-Benz 16-speed G 240 range-change transmission with a WSK 400 torque converter clutch and retarder. The two-gear Mercedes-Benz VG 2400-3W transfer case with reduced-torque off-road ratio makes it possible to avoid gearshifts which entail an interruption of tractive force on slippery ground.
One look at the Actros SLT is enough to feel how it radiates power and self-assurance. Above the sun visor there is a chromed bar upon which four powerful searchlights are mounted, flanked by a compressed-air horn on one side, and a yellow rotating flashing beacon on the other. On the cab rear wall there are three searchlights for working at night. The red-and-white painted bumper and the Titan logo next to the Mercedes-Benz star all add to the powerful impression the Actros SLT makes; and it can afford to look powerful, simply because it is powerful."
Mercedes Benz South Africa (Not Dated). Actros SLT takes space shuttle move in its stride, Mercedes Benz South Africa[online] daimlerchrysler.co.za Available from: SOURCE [Accessed 23 June 2009].
No comments:
Post a Comment