When it comes to volume transport, cubic metres and pallet spaces count for more than just payload – especially with fuel prices as high as they are at the moment. Fliegl’s extra-long push-floor semi-trailer offers 11 cubic metres more load volume, whilst the extra-long curtain-sided semi-trailer boasts 3 more pallet spaces than the standard trailer. Spreewaldmühle GmbH ordered two extra-long trailers from Fliegl.
The maths is simple: 101 cubic metres of cargo instead of the usual 90 equates to 11 cubic metres, or 12 per cent, more freight per journey – and therefore higher revenue. Depending on the load and route profile, the slight additional cost of the extra-long trailer can pay for itself in as little as a year. Uwe Kümmel, managing director of Spreewaldmühle GmbH based in Burg, Brandenburg, has also recognised these advantages. “We transport products that are relatively light despite their large volume, such as oat flakes,” says Kümmel, adding: “With the extra-long push-floor semi-trailer, we can now load around 1.5 tonnes more freight per journey.” So instead of 15,000 kilograms, it’s now 16,500 kilograms. The cost saving was the deciding factor in the purchase decision, not least because of high fuel prices.
The lightweight chassis of the SDS 390 X-tra Long is made from weight-optimised S700 steel, and with an unladen weight starting at 7,600 kilograms, the semi-trailer is one of the lighter models of its kind despite its length of 15.35 metres. The permissible payload is over 27,000 kilograms, sufficient for most transport tasks not only in the agricultural sector but also in the recycling and timber industries, for example for wood chips or pellets.
The most important component – the push floor – is subject to wear and tear from the daily unloading of the cargo. Fliegl uses an extremely abrasion-resistant aluminium alloy for the 8-millimetre-thick floor profiles. (For particularly abrasive materials, the floor is also available in a 10-millimetre thickness as an option.) The key feature: the aluminium profiles are bolted in place at the centre of the trailer; if, after a few years, the lower part is more worn than the upper part, the profiles can simply be rotated by 180 degrees – allowing them to be used for several more years. The box body consists of robust hollow aluminium profiles; the sliding wall is fitted with reinforced tarpaulin flaps and rail cleaners. The sliding floor hydraulics are easily operated using a radio remote control.
Durability and reliability have always been a priority at Fliegl. The stainless-steel door locking mechanism ensures that the doors open and close easily throughout the trailer’s lifetime. Further details help keep running costs low: the lamp bracket can be easily replaced by the user following collision damage thanks to screw and plug-in connections; a visit to the workshop is not necessary. The right-hand door also fits on the left, and there are only three different stanchions for all Fliegl trailers (on the curtain-sided trailer) – ensuring a fast and reliable supply of spare parts.
As is standard with Fliegl, the axles are laser-measured and perfectly aligned – this ensures low tyre wear and reduces fuel consumption. The first axle is designed as an automatic lift axle, including forced lowering and a start-off aid. Up to a speed of 25 km/h and with an axle load exceeding the limit by 30 per cent, the axle can be raised (also operable from the lorry) to transfer more weight onto the fifth wheel – this ensures greater traction on the drive axles. The AAC (Automatic Axle Control), which acts on the rear axle, makes manoeuvring easier.
Extra-long curtain-sided semi-trailer
Uwe Kümmel has around a dozen vehicles in his fleet, including several Fliegl trailers. In addition to the extra-long push-floor semi-trailer, he ordered a curtain-sided semi-trailer – naturally also in an extra-long version. Like the push-floor model, the SDS 390 RoadRunner X-tra Long offers a significantly larger loading area: With an internal length of 14,900 millimetres, it provides three more pallet spaces than the standard RoadRunner. “We mainly use the curtain-sided semi-trailer to transport big bags, which weigh around 650 kilograms each. When fully loaded, we’re looking at around 19 to 20 tonnes, so we need plenty of volume and less payload there too,” explains Uwe Kümmel.
To ensure that Spreewaldmühle’s big bags reach the customer safely, the slightly sloping outer frame is fitted with a Load-Lock profile: this allows lashing straps to be attached quickly and easily. The 180-millimetre-high crash blocker at the front and the side pallet stops also contribute to greater safety. The pallet stops provide a lashing point every 200 millimetres – something Uwe Kümmel considered essential for securing the big bags properly.
To ensure that the load floor can be driven over even by heavy forklift trucks with an axle load of up to 7,100 kilograms, the 30-millimetre-thick screen-printed panels rest on 8 longitudinal cross-members. The rear section is designed as a heavy-duty floor extending 1,800 millimetres. To maintain the full loading height during side loading and unloading, Fliegl uses its special ‘Roof Non-Elastic’ roof beam made of high-strength aluminium. This does not bend across its full width even when the stanchions are open – which makes loading and unloading with a forklift truck much easier.
Like the push-floor trailer, the RoadRunner also runs on lightweight aluminium rims; naturally, the axles are precisely measured and adjusted here too, and even on the extra-long RoadRunner, the first axle is designed as an automatic lift axle. The rear axle can be unloaded as a manoeuvring aid up to a speed of 20 km/h.
The robust body is certified to DIN EN 12642 Code XL, VDI 2700 Sheet 12 ff. and DL 9.5. Fliegl offers a 10-year warranty against perforation by rust for both the extra-long sliding floor semi-trailer and the curtain-sided semi-trailer.
The vehicles operated by Spreewaldmühle GmbH each cover around 70,000 kilometres per year, mainly in Germany. According to Uwe Kümmel, distance restrictions for long lorries are not an issue; the road network is now quite extensive, making the use of long lorries all the more economical.
