New Mercedes Actros for Megatranz

Specialized transport service provider Megatranz, based in Brazil, has taken delivery of a Mercedes-Benz Actros 4160 SLT 8x8 extra-heavy duty truck.

The truck has been developed to transport loads with a gross combined weight of 500 tonnes. It has been adapted to suit the conditions of Brazilian roads. In addition, the truck is fitted with two radiators for the cooling system and an oil radiator.

It is powered by a Mercedes-Benz 16 litre OM 502 LA V8 engine and has a Voith VIAB turbo clutch, for high traction and manoeuvring capacity, and a 16-speed Mercedes PowerShift G 280 gearbox to provide high torque.

Gilson Mansur, Mercedes-Benz trucks sales and marketing director in Brazil, said, “Power is meaningless if its transmission to the ground is not possible. And only a truck like Actros SLT, unique in the Brazilian market with 8x8 all-wheel drive assures enough traction to face steep slopes, even under adverse conditions, such as rain or dirt lanes.”

Henrique Zuppardo, Megatranz Transportes president, said, “The introduction of the Actros 4160 SLT 8x8, which presents twice the GCWR of the tractor trucks present in the national market so far, allows extra-heavy freight transport with higher operational safety, performance and productivity, shortening the travel time, besides the advantage of eliminating the push-pull system which is necessary when a second tractor truck is used. In an almost 50 metre long set, considering the truck and the trailer, this truck is utilised to haul a modular hydraulic trailer with 24 axle lines and 192 tyres, for indivisible loads weighing up to 350 tonnes.”

The truck will be used for transporting large infrastructure components and heavy construction works, such as hydroelectric plant turbine wheels, engines and generators for thermal-electric plants. It can also be used for transporting transformers, secondary electric plant, reactors, columns and tanks for the chemical and petrochemical industry.

The first task for the Actros 4160 SLT was the transportation of a 300 tonne engine from Porto do Pecém in Fortaleza to a thermoelectric-power plant in Maracanaú, Brazil.