.svg)
MEILLER Combines Hooklift and Skip Loader Systems on Electric Volvo FM Electric
Image: (c) MEILLER
MEILLER has developed a new body solution based on a battery-electric Volvo FM Electric for the Gesellschaft zur Entsorgung von chemischen Kampfstoffen und Rüstungsaltlasten (GEKA), a German company specializing in the disposal of chemical warfare agents and military-related contaminated materials. The vehicle combines a TECTRUM hooklift system with a specially adapted TECTRIS skip loader, allowing it to transport both roll-off containers and skips. With this solution, GEKA is replacing two previously operated diesel trucks and can handle different transport tasks with a single electric vehicle.
MEILLER has developed a new body solution based on a battery-electric Volvo FM Electric for the Gesellschaft zur Entsorgung von chemischen Kampfstoffen und Rüstungsaltlasten (GEKA), a German company specializing in the disposal of chemical warfare agents and military-related contaminated materials. The vehicle combines a TECTRUM hooklift system with a specially adapted TECTRIS skip loader, allowing it to transport both roll-off containers and skips. With this solution, GEKA is replacing two previously operated diesel trucks and can handle different transport tasks with a single electric vehicle.
Two Body Systems on One Electric Chassis
The vehicle is based on a Volvo FM Electric with a 6x2 axle configuration. MEILLER has equipped it with a TECTRUM RS21.65 hooklift system designed to pick up and transport roll-off containers.
The system is complemented by a customized TECTRIS AK14-MT skip loader. This unit is mounted on a roll-off container subframe compliant with DIN 30722-1 and DIN 30722-2. As a result, the entire skip loader can be picked up and set down by the hooklift system in much the same way as a conventional roll-off container.
This eliminates the need for a second vehicle when switching between the two applications. Instead, the skip loader can be detached when needed, allowing the electric truck to transport standard roll-off containers using the TECTRUM hooklift system.
The necessary modifications to the TECTRIS skip loader were carried out by MEILLER's authorized partner Wille Fahrzeugbau in Lüneburg, Germany.
According to MEILLER, the so-called dual-system concept has already been implemented on other vehicles. However, the GEKA vehicle marks the first time the two body systems have been combined on a battery-electric chassis.
Electric Truck Handles a Variety of Waste Disposal Tasks
GEKA uses the vehicle for various transport operations both within and outside its facility.
For on-site transport, the company primarily uses the TECTRIS skip loader to move treated soil and sand from its incineration and disposal facilities to storage areas or transfer points.
Some of these routes are only a few hundred meters long, but they are traveled regularly due to the high volume of transport operations.
According to the company, approximately 660 filled skip containers are handled each year, each carrying eight to nine metric tons of treated material. This corresponds to an annual transport volume of approximately 5,280 to 5,940 metric tons.
For longer journeys to external waste disposal and recycling facilities, the TECTRIS skip loader is detached from the vehicle. GEKA then uses the TECTRUM hooklift system to transport roll-off containers.
Materials transported include wood, cardboard, packaging materials, scrap metal, and contaminated soil.
Electromechanical Power Take-Off Supplies Both Body Systems
MEILLER uses the Volvo FM Electric's electromechanical power take-off (PTO) to operate both body systems.
The PTO drives a hydraulic pump that powers both the TECTRUM hooklift system and the TECTRIS skip loader. Each body system has its own hydraulic oil tank and an independent hydraulic circuit.
The systems are operated using two MEILLER i.s.a.r.-control 3 wireless remote controls, with one remote assigned to the hooklift system and the other to the skip loader.
This setup is designed to allow drivers to operate the respective body functions during maneuvering and loading operations. By sharing the electric power take-off, both systems can operate without requiring an additional internal combustion engine to power the hydraulics.