The day is just breaking when a green vehicle combination operated by the Belgian company Mathieu makes its way across the yard of Famenne-Bétons in Marche-en-Famenne. The experienced heavy goods driver, Fabrice, steers the VarioMAX Plus 2+4 low loader to the parked crusher, which is waiting there for its next job. The circumstances are familiar and he knows he can fully rely on his new vehicle combination.
We have taken the next step
Firstly the front 2-axle bogie is uncoupled, then specialist Fabrice takes over control of the 68.5-tonne crusher. At walking speed, the colossus rattles towards the transport vehicle. “We are very happy with the VarioMAX Plus. We already had thoroughly positive experiences in the past with a similar type of vehicle made by Faymonville. Now we have taken the next step”, says Thomas David, the person responsible for quality at Mathieu, explaining the motives for acquiring this low bed semi-trailer.
In the meantime, the crusher has taken its position in front of the low bed. Centimeter by centimeter, the Kleemann brand vehicle makes its way up the ramps. The long load finds its perfect position on the inlaid steel mattresses. Fabrice then puts the controls aside and moves to the tractor unit. With a trained eye, he effortlessly manages to connect the front bogie to the hook receptacle on the low bed. The whole vehicle combination including the crusher’s outrigger has an imposing length of 28 meters. Just tighten everything securely together and then it’s ready to go.
In the tightest of spaces
“Thanks to the hydraulically steered 19.5” pendle-axles on the VarioMAX Plus, maneuvering is possible in the tightest of spaces,” says Thomas David, pointing out another aspect that regularly pays off for Mathieu on a day-to-day basis. This time the journey only takes a few minutes, as the final destination is reached after just ten kilometers. The Mathieu Group has to deal with such tasks on a regular basis: after all, it is increasingly dedicated to the recycling of construction materials. Accordingly, even heavier crushers and construction machines will certainly be an option in future.
The VarioMAX Plus is ready for the future. After all, Mathieu is able to extend the combination by adding “joker axles” to the front and rear bogie thanks to the modular principle. For Thomas David this is an absolute plus point to be able to cater for new circumstances. “These joker axles enable a flexible adaptation of the combination to load, legal payload and routing. If it is necessary, we will not hesitate to make use of the joker axles.”
All further product information on https://www.faymonville.com/products/lowbed-trailer/variomax-plus/