The mighty vehicle weighs 2,200 kilograms and is hydraulically expandable to a max. width of 3.6 meters. To enable it to powerfully cut through reeds of up to four meters in height, Bengt Eckerblom AB relies on standard conveyor belts as drive belts. Heeding the advice of ContiTech’s partner in Sweden, Ösmo Bandservice AB, the reed cutter manufacturer uses TransConti 40 belts as tracks and ContiClean A-H series belts as a sliding surface.
“Reeds grow quickly. That’s why the concept sought had to work fast and also perform well on difficult terrain,”explains Harald Hauff, managing director of ContiTech Scandinavia, “In end-effect, the TransConti belts, in combination with the screwed on drive cleats, function like a timing belt drive. Normally crawler chains would be used in this case. Here, however, the high quality of our standard belts is in evidence. They work like a charm even under extreme loads.”
The machine’s operating efficiency is quite impressive. In one hour it can cut as much as a 1,200m2 reeded area and can work down to a depth of 2.9 meters. The amphibious vehicle’s buoys are made of aluminum and stainless steel. And where there are reeds, there is also water. Insofar, it was only logical that Bengt Eckerblom AB designed the machine as a kind of amphibious vehicle. This greatly expanded the machine’s field of application. It is deployable not only to cut reeds but also to clean up oil spills – on beaches, for example.
Another solution based on conveyor belt technology was developed for Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG’s PistenBully, which can be used as a snow-removal vehicle with attached rotary snow plow, as a slope taxi or as a snow grooming vehicle. For this purpose elongation-reduced tracks are used (rubber belts). They are equipped with steel or aluminum cleats to propel the crawler-type vehicle and thus ensure the PistenBully’s optimum driving stability.
