The first ever cab-behind-engine truck designed for civil use, as Mercedes calls it, or the Zetros, as its official name is, has arrived in Finland, to be used by energy supplier Eltel for the construction and maintenance of overhead power lines.
"Overhead power lines are built away from surfaced roads, and our staff need the best equipment for this. At the same time we also have to move through the outdoor locations in which we work in an environmentally responsible manner," Juha Luusua, Eltel Networks CEO said when receiving the truck.
"The large rubber tires of the Zetros mean that it has much less of an impact on the forest floor than tracked vehicles."
The truck uses an all-wheel drive three-axle configuration, designed to allow it to meet the most extreme conditions: extreme minus temperatures, ice and snowstorms, as well as difficult terrain with a lot of sludge and significant gradients. The all-wheel drive is built with a two-stage transfer case and off-road gear ratio of 1:1.69 to increase tractive power.
The power of the Zetros comes from an inline six-cylinder diesel engine which produces 326 hp and 1,300 Nm of torque. To be used for repairing overhead power lines, it has been fitted with a Hiab telescopic crane, which extends thirty meters above ground.
The truck has already entered service and is used to erect pyons which will carry a 220 kV high-voltage power line in Lapland.
"Overhead power lines are built away from surfaced roads, and our staff need the best equipment for this. At the same time we also have to move through the outdoor locations in which we work in an environmentally responsible manner," Juha Luusua, Eltel Networks CEO said when receiving the truck.
"The large rubber tires of the Zetros mean that it has much less of an impact on the forest floor than tracked vehicles."
The truck uses an all-wheel drive three-axle configuration, designed to allow it to meet the most extreme conditions: extreme minus temperatures, ice and snowstorms, as well as difficult terrain with a lot of sludge and significant gradients. The all-wheel drive is built with a two-stage transfer case and off-road gear ratio of 1:1.69 to increase tractive power.
The power of the Zetros comes from an inline six-cylinder diesel engine which produces 326 hp and 1,300 Nm of torque. To be used for repairing overhead power lines, it has been fitted with a Hiab telescopic crane, which extends thirty meters above ground.
The truck has already entered service and is used to erect pyons which will carry a 220 kV high-voltage power line in Lapland.