A special Tatra vehicle for the transport of threaded rods over 24 meters long has been running in trial operation in the Liberty Steel Ostrava steelworks since October. The car is unique in the world, it is the longest Tatra car in the history of the Kopřivnice car manufacturer. It has seven axles, five of which are steerable.
They have been looking for drivers for this car for over half a year. In the end, it worked. “It’s a challenge to drive such a car. I’ve driven the area several times to check where I can get to without any problems. I have to think that the rear of the vehicle could extend off the road during a larger drive. I sweat the most when I need drive past waiting cars at loading points, but thanks to five steerable axles, this wheel is also handled surprisingly well, ”describes the driver Jiří Soldán.
Originally he worked as a driver of special army vehicles, when he left the army, he was looking for a job and coincidentally he was interested in the opportunity to start working as a driver in an Ostrava steelworks. He immediately liked the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of the largest Tatra truck in the world.
The chassis for the unique Tatras with a total length of 25.3 meters was supplied by Tatra Trucks in Kopřivnice. Special modifications were then made according to its own technical design by the Frenštát company Partner Ipex, which is also a traditional dealer of Kopřivnice brand cars.
Breathtaking shots: You won’t believe it’s possible to transport something like this on a truck!
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The longest Tatra car in history is equipped with a directly air-cooled eight-cylinder Tatra engine with an output of 300 kW and an Allison automatic transmission. In addition to the original six axles of the Tatra Force chassis, which is primarily used in mining or integrated rescue vehicles, Partner Ipex has added an additional axle to achieve the required total load capacity of over 70 tonnes and a payload of almost 50 tonnes.
The first four axles are driven, the two front and the last three rear steered. This allows the car of above-standard length to go through corners on internal roads. Part of the technical modifications was also the installation of a suspended short modified cabin of the Tatra Force model series, thanks to which the vehicle has a small height and the loading area of the flatbed platform can extend above the cabin.
“The Tatras are traditionally considered to be vehicles for difficult terrain, but in this case another unique feature was used: The ability to build a chassis for extremely long loads. Liberty Ostrava as one of the most important metallurgical companies in the Czech Republic is a customer reference and a new car is an example that Tatra trucks are really suitable for various roles, “says Tatra marketing director Kamil Košťál.
A 70-meter colossus on the highway? Look at that ballet behind the wheel!
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The reconstruction lasted about ten months, and even under normal circumstances, the normal time for special projects is at least one year. In this case, the work was further complicated by the covid-19 epidemic and the tense situation in the car market. As well as the chassis and the implementation of the reconstruction, most of the subcontracting of the necessary parts was provided by manufacturers almost exclusively from the Moravian-Silesian Region.
Liberty Steel Ostrava started to demand a special car when, at the beginning of last year, it was decided to move the final processing of threaded rods and their accessories from Luxembourg to Ostrava. The vehicle, together with other technologies, such as special saws, was part of an investment of 90 million crowns, which allows for final adjustments to the threaded rods in Ostrava. It is a production with high added value.
“Bars with a final length of up to 24.2 meters are being rolled in our medium-rolling mill, now they will also be further processed in the service center of threaded bars of the Ostrava smelter. maximum length of 13.6 meters As in the past, oversized trucks or railway wagons will transport finished products to customers in non-standard lengths, ”explained Pavel Suchánek, head of the Liberty Ostrava threaded rod center.
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