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At Rossco Crane and Rigging Inc., heavy hauls may be all in a day’s work. The key, however, is to complete jobs as efficiently and productively as possible.
Not that long ago, for example, the Minot, North Dakota-based provider of crane and transportation services was called on to transport the 192,000 pound base unit of a Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 800-ton crawler crane to a wind farm. Normally, the haul would have involved two separate moves.
For Rossco, a new addition to their heavy haul fleet — a Faymonville HighwayMAX All-In-One modular vehicle — meant only one haul was necessary.
“Our customer was very pleased that we could load the element in one piece and not in two units,” Ross Kovach, vice president of Rossco Crane and Rigging, said. “That resulted in massive time savings. The versatility of the modular HighwayMAX All-In-One means we have the capabilities of multiple vehicles in one package.”
For the Liebherr crane haul to the wind farm jobsite, Rossco used the trailer as a 9-axle combination with a 3-axle nitro booster to increase the payload capacity to more than 200,000 pounds. The trailer varies from a 3+6 flatbed to a 9-axle flatbed when needed.
Even at that length, Kovach reported, the modular vehicle capably handled the crane haul route.
“The maneuverability of this combination compared to anything else was absolutely remarkable,” he stated. “We often have to navigate small, tight turns and very congested construction sites while hauling long loads. Our new HighwayMAX All-In-One combination manages those with ease.”
Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc., distributes Faymonville products in North America and Sales Representative Marc Staley shares Rossco’s enthusiasm for the trailer on the wind farm transport project. “The moment when the nitro booster was lifted and swung over the ditch while the driver took a left turn was impressive,” he said. “It was emblematic of the ease with which tasks can be mastered with the HighwayMAX All-In-One.”
Kovach is equally enthusiastic about the newest edition to the Rossco Crane and Rigging fleet. “The HighwayMAX All-In-One is a real game-changer for us,” he said. “With the increased efficiency it provides we can do multiple hauls within a day instead of just one. We’ve had whole teams on jobsites looking at the vehicle in action and they’ve never seen anything like it.”
Modular and Adaptable
The HighwayMAX All-In-One is a vehicle concept with application possibilities both as a single drop trailer and as a double drop vehicle. In effect, it allows heavy haulers to use one trailer to create five different combinations.
The modular design of the trailer allows it to be used as a 3+6 double drop combination, as an extendable single drop trailer with nine axles or with an additional nitro booster as a 12-axle vehicle. The 3+6 double drop variant for higher loads achieves a legal payload of 150,000 pounds with a 20,000-pound axle load.
Separation points at the front and rear bogie of the trailer allow for an easy exchange of the deck. This feature enables the vehicle to be adapted for any transport mission with excavator decks, transformer decks, perimeter decks or wind tower adapters.
With the installation of a telescopic add-on-beam, the vehicle becomes a single drop trailer and can move payloads over 200,000 pounds with the additional nitro booster.
With hydraulically steered axles at the front and rear as well as pendle-axle technology with a 24-inch stroke and a steering angle of up to 60 degrees, the HighwayMAX All-In-One allows for optimal maneuverability over challenging route profiles. Complex loads can also be supported on all axles with the vehicle’s adjustable ratio between fifth wheel load and axle load, as well as suitable load distribution.
Once a haul is complete, the trailer can be reduced effortlessly and within a few minutes to a minimum overall vehicle combination length, which significantly reduces the cost of unloaded trips.
Rossco Crane & Rigging Inc., provides a range of crane and trucking services for the oil and gas, mining, industrial and commercial construction and agriculture industries. The company provides cranes ranging from 50 to 300 tons and boom trucks, along with NCCCO-certified crane operators and certified riggers.
Heavy haul trucks and trailers in the Rossco fleet include models with up to 13 axles and 240,000 pounds of capacity, winch and slick trucks, RGNs and stretch trailers.
The company also operates a full-service shop that offers truck and trailer service and repairs along with DOT inspections, electrical and hydraulic troubleshooting and repair, tire repair and roadside service and has CAT and Cummins software for troubleshooting and repair of diesel engines. Additionally, it provides crane repair and annual inspections and certified welding services.
