Laser's MAN goes to 56t
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by Oliver Dixon.
• Hythe-based heavy haulage company Laser Transport was recently involved in moving the European Space Agency's Polar Platform satellite from Bristol to French Guyana, a project which the company had been involved with since 1989.
The first stage of the trip involved providing traction for the Matra-Marconidesigned MBT trailer, which weighed in at 52 tonnes.
"We tend to find that our customers have purposebuilt trailers," says divisional manager Nick Charlesworth. "When this project was first proposed, we didn't have a tractor unit capable of pulling the trailer as it needed both a PTO and heavy duty electrics.
"We decided to opt for a vehicle which would offer multiple uses. The MAN 18.403 may not look like a standard heavy haulage tractor unit but we can go up to 56 tonnes on special types. It's designed for European work, so it also conforms to German Toy regulations."
With the exception of a third axle, fitted by Chassis Developments, the 18.403 is a fairly standard unit. This, according to Charlesworth, is a distinct advantage: "We are not moving satellites every week," he explains. "If things get quiet, the MAN is still standard enough to allow us to back it under a tilt and send it off to Italy."
Laser Transport runs a fleet consisting of 90% MAN vehicles, and has therefore been able to compare the new 18.403 against its existing Euro-1 372 models. "We have been getting returns of 7.5mpg from the Euro-2 vehicle at 56-tonnes," said Charlesworth. "This is better than the returns we've been recording from the 372 units."
Space equipment transport is becoming an increasingly important part of Laser Transport's opera tion, a fact that managing director John Smith is pleased with: "We've just invested in a new Broshuis trombone trailer for the heavy haulage division, and I'm very pleased with the developments we're seeing in this sector of the market," he says.
Specialised heavy haulage now makes up an increasingly important part of Laser's operating portfolio. "We started to get involved with the transport of space machinery in 1980," explains Smith. "The work has grown along with the work of the European Space Agency, and to date we have been involved with 14 launches. We've developed a lot of skills in this sector which gives us a cost advantage that we can pass on to our customers."
Laser Transport gets involved at the beginning of a project. The lead time from the start to actual movement can be as long as 10 years.