Mercedes-Benz Arocs for extreme operations in the construction industry now also available with five axles

Mercedes-Benz is introducing a Euro VI-compliant Arocs in a five-axle variant for a gross vehicle weight of 40 tonnes for extreme operations in the construction industry. The model has been developed by CTT (Customer Tailored Trucks) at Mercedes-Benz Molsheim S.A.S., where it will be built in future. The acknowledged competence centre for truck conversions, based in the Alsace region of France, is thus expanding its portfolio with further specialised models. Trucks for any specialist segment can now all be found in one place, and all come with the proven product and service quality of Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz Molsheim is fully responsible for every step in the process that goes into converting a basic truck model from the Wörth plant into a 5-axle variant – from development and production through to sales and marketing and even service documentation. End customers also benefit from the fact that the trucks converted by CTT enjoy the familiar Mercedes-Benz standard of quality, being produced according to the same quality criteria that apply to the standard vehicles, and delivered through the Wörth plant. With a single-invoice transaction of this nature, customers still enjoy the same warranty and replacement part supply service as they would receive with a standard vehicle from Wörth. This in turn means that customers are able to take their modified trucks in to any Mercedes-Benz service station anywhere in the world. Service colleagues there will be able to go into the system and see the full scope of the conversion – and to identify which parts were used. If necessary, the required replacement parts can be ordered through the Central Supply Depot in Germersheim and fitted locally. The visit to the workshop is thus guaranteed to be brief and trouble-free.

Euro VI-compliant five-axle trucks are very popular across Europe, but especially in Switzerland, a market that has its own specific legislation whereby vehicles with five axles are permitted to carry a gross vehicle weight of 40 tonnes. A toll applies on country roads in Switzerland but Euro VI vehicles, for example the new 10×4/4, benefit from a lower-rate toll. In the Netherlands, on the other hand, a gross vehicle weight of up to 50 tonnes is permitted for 5-axle trucks, so the possibility of making further adjustments to the five-axle Arocs for this particular market is currently being examined.

The new Arocs with five axles and a gross vehicle weight of 40 tonnes is predestined for heavy-duty construction site use. In this case the Arocs is fitted with the ClassicSpace cab and has a wheelbase of 4250 mm. In technical terms, the conversion involves fitting a nine-tonne air-sprung trailing axle to a standard four-axle model with two steered front axles (7.5 t and 9 t respectively) and two air-sprung drive axles (11.5 t load each). The additional axle is steered, relievable and liftable, in order to increase the payload or to increase the gross vehicle weight to 40 tonnes. With three steered axles in all, the turning circle is reduced to 19.6 metres and a standard Arocs 8×4/4 becomes an Arocs 10×4/4. This now has the technical capability of driving with a GVW of 44 tonnes in off-road terrain and away from public roads, e.g. on major construction sites, in Germany and other European countries too. In addition, sections of the chassis have been modified, for example the AdBlue tank and the air reservoir have been moved, while the fuel tank has also been adapted to create a greater tank capacity and allow better frame clearance.

From a very early stage, bodybuilders such as tipper manufacturer Meiller and concrete mixer manufacturer Liebherr played an integral part in the development process. The effort put into finding the right solution ultimately benefits both the bodybuilder and the customer, since the modified chassis is built from the start with outstanding body-mounting ability, which means that further work to fit the tipper or concrete mixer can be begun straight away and is therefore less cost-intensive and time-consuming.

The prototypes, complete with tipper body or concrete mixer drum, are tested like any standard vehicle in the operational testing department of the Development and Testing Centre (EVZ) at the Wörth plant, under conditions that are as close as possible to those that will be experienced in practical operation. The robustness of the 5-axle model, for example, was put to the test in a quarry in the northern part of the Black Forest. The intensive cooperation between the Development department at the CTT and the EVZ has allowed developments that reflect this practical experience to find their way into the product.