Nooteboom launches Manoovr trailer

Dutch trailer manufacturer Nooteboom has officially launched the Manoovr multi-PL semi-low-loader trailer.

The latest generation trailer has a 780 mm floor height and 12 tonnes per axle line capacity rating. It has pendular axles with a maximum steering angle of 70 degrees and a vertical suspension travel of 500 mm. In extended or retracted position, the steering can be adjusted when extending. To adjust the steering there is a lock pin located above the floor. In addition, if a Multidolly is used the Multi-PL also offers the option to hydraulically adapt the steering of the Multidolly to guarantee optimal steering behaviour in extended or retracted position, the manufacturer added.

Optimisation of the new design means that the trailer has fewer pivots in the steering and suspension. In addition, the axles are mounted to the trailer with a tower bearing of a new design that keeps the trailer low. Another benefit of the new design, the manufacturer said, is that the tyres will last, on average, for at least 300,000 km.

Han Rekers, Nooteboom sales manager, said, “The starting point for the development was to give our customers the best possible specifications on all the key points. And we did just that. Due to its pendle axles the Manoovr has a rated load capacity of 12 tonnes per axle line in the Netherlands. This is significantly more than semi-trailers with, for example, independent suspension can offer, which is usually no more than 9 tonnes per axle. With a floor height of 780 mm we gained 70 mm with the Manoovr compared with our current Multi-PX. In the abnormal transport business, where every centimetre counts, this is a huge improvement.”

Additional features include the ability to hydraulically adjust the ratio between the fifth wheel load and the weight on the front axles of the trailer. “A 30 tonne gooseneck goes steplessly from 18 tonnes for a 6 x 4 tractor to 30 tonnes for an 8 x 4 tractor at 12 tonnes per axle line on the frontmost axles,” the manufacturer said. For stability, at low speeds the 3-point support can be changed into 4-point support.

Han Rekers, said, “We set our own course because in our opinion there are too many disadvantages attached to the independent suspension systems that are currently available. Excessive tyre wear, high maintenance costs and limited vertical travel: all these are drawbacks that we don’t have to worry about when it comes to our Manoovr. The Manoovr offers up to just over 50 % more suspension travel than a semi low-loader with other types of suspension. With an extended multi-axle combination the suspension travel must compensate for bumps in the road surface. If the suspension travel is too limited a large part of the load will come to rest upon one single axle. Possible consequences: damage to the semi-trailer, the load or the road surface. The 500 mm of the Manoovr is more than sufficient to prevent this kind of damage. And a large amount of vertical travel is also essential for loading and unloading jacked-up loads.”

The Manoovr Multi-PL generation is available with 3 to 10 axles, with single, double or triple extendible load floor. The gooseneck is available in a 25 tonne or 30 tonne version. The Manoovr Multi-PL is available in widths of 2,550 mm or 2,750 mm.

The Manoovr Multi-PL will on display at the BedrijfsautoRAI, taking place from 20 to 24 October in Amsterdam, Netherlands.