English - Nooteboom Giants on the Road Magazine English - Nr. 4 - 2017 | Page 25

REPORT Th e list of requirements for this combination was a long one: a high legal load capacity, low dead weight and a low load fl oor almost speak for themselves. Th e cab of the tractor had to be low so that a road planer can be loaded over the cab. And there was more: the combinations had to measure less than 16.5m in length. For the transport of excavators an excavator trough was a necessity and for the driver the vehicle must be comfortable, straightforward and safe to drive. Th e fi nal requirement: lower cost per kilometre. THE NUMBERS Th e technically-permissible total laden weight of the combina- tion is 92 tonnes. Th is high value is mainly due to the Manoovr’s axles, which have a rated load capacity of 12 tonnes per axle line at 80 km/h. Th e low dead weight makes it possible for the com- bination to carry a load of more than 60 tonnes with exemption and with the low load fl oor it is possible – with exemption - to transport loads up to a height of 3.5 metres. Th anks to the exca- vator trough, the low load fl oor and the high load capacity the 5-axle Manoovr semi low-loader can carry machinery that previously need- ed a 4-axle axle low-loader with pendle axles and 2-axle Interdolly. With the Manoovr the combination is shorter, multi-functional and the purchase price is lower. An excavator trough is essential In order to restrict the total height when carrying excavators. In this version the excavator trough is 800 mm wide, with a vehicle width of 2.74 metres. And for the transport of road planers the length of the load fl oor can be extended by 3.5 metres. COST PER KILOMETRE When the Manoovr was being developed, lowering the cost per kilometre was a priority. Lower mainte- nance costs and a high residual value helped to achieve this. Replacing the tyres on a heavy semi low-loader is a major cost factor. Th e steering of the Manoovr consider- ably reduces tyre wear. On self-steering semi-trailers with a comparable load ca- pacity the tyres sometimes need to be re- placed aft er 50,000 km. Depending on the use the tyres of Manoovr are good for 300,000 km, which hugely reduces the cost per kilometre. ■ EXPERIENCES OF CORNÉ DE PEINDER Corné has been with Van der Vlist for just over two years. He is very happy with his new employer and his new Volvo – Nooteboom combination. Corné: ‘Th is new combination was delivered three weeks ago. Nooteboom was well represented with two men for on-site training and instruction. I was most impressed by the steering of the Manoovr. Th e Manoovr properly tracks the tractor. We oft en transport construction machinery and don’t oft en need to extend the trailer, sometimes by a metre but that’s all. If the trailer is not extended, the front axle tracks the tractor. When extended I switch the steering so that the front axle is rigid and the rear 4 axles are steered. I have never driven a trailer with steering as good as this. We oft en have to manoeuvre the vehicle and then the large steering angle of the Manoovr is an advantage. Before this I drove a 5-axle Nooteboom semi-trailer with self-tracking axles. A very good trailer, still in excellent condition aft er eight years of intensive use, but with the Manoovr my job has become so much easier. Nearly every week during the night I transport road planers used for road works. I oft en have to reverse park in the dark. With this trailer this is no problem at all.’ 25