ГЕОТРЕЙДИНГ АД

02.03.2016

The race against time is the greatest challenge for the Helsinki railway cabling teams. When up to 1,500 trains a day are scheduled to pass by the construction site, it is not in anyone’s interest

to spend one single extra second on the rails. The race against time was won at midnight on Saturday when the Lännen 8800i Rail multipurpose machine arrived, equipped with all conceivable installation and maintenance extras. It makes it possible to finish the task of replacing 1,500 m of overhead contact line within the planned 28 hours—and while trains keep passing by on the adjacent tracks at that. Geotrading AD is the authorised representative of the Finnish brand Lännen for Bulgaria. 

The Lännen 8800i multipurpose backhoe loader is „on track“ during work. The vehicle has additionally installed front and rear rail wheel units, allowing it to move freely along the track. It also features a hydraulic cable device, rotating at the front. At the backhoe end, the rail wheel unit and the boom for the installation team’s working platform are attached. 

A backhoe loader on tracks may strike you as odd, at first. However, Lännen 8800i has already been used for other urgent and complex repair works in Finland. The vehicle is easy to maneuver along the tracks, thanks to the attached rail wheel units and the boom for the installation team’s working platform. The cameras are installed at the front of the backhoe loader. Even reversing of the machine is easy, since one of the lenses shows the track wheels, and the other one shows the overall view in the driving direction. Lännen 8800i Rail is equipped with LED lights. They ensure excellent visibility in nighttime, when the railway repair works are mainly carried out due to the less intense railroad traffic. 

The vehicle’s operator Mikko Kärkkäinen reveals another advantage: “Thanks to the curved glass, I have upward visibility and there’s no need to stretch my neck from under the long roof to see my mates working on the line.” 

Years ago in Finland, it took two different machines to replace an overhead contact line, and the replacement of an overhead copper line took much longer than the 28 hours it takes today. Lännen 8800i Rail saves not only time, but also labour costs, because less personnel is needed on the site. 

In Bulgaria, Lännen 8800i Rail could be used for the upcoming upgrades of the Dragoman-Sofia and Plovdiv-Burgas railways. They will be carried out under the Operational Programme “Transport and Transport Infrastructure” 2014–2020. 

With its rail wheel units removed, Lännen 8800i could also be used for road construction, railway and other infrastructure projects. This multipurpose vehicle is well suited for extremely difficult and rolling terrain. Lännen 8800i has an impressive size: 9.3 m length, 2.6 m width and the height to the cab roof is 3.17 m. The “4 in 1” front bucket has a 1,500 L capacity. 

The Lännen 8800i backhoe loader has a maximum travel speed of 45 km/h and is powered by the efficient and reliable Agco Power 49 AWI 4-cylinder diesel engine. Its operating hydraulics and drivetrain sense the load to avoid overloading the engine, thus allowing to reduce the fuel consumption by up to 10%. 

The Lännen 8800i multipurpose backhoe loader has easy-to-operate joystick controls. It also has an automatic heating, cooling and cab air recirculation system, as well as an air-conditioning which provides comfort for the operator. 

Shortly after becoming representative of the Finnish brand in Bulgaria, Geotrading AD delivered the first articulated Lännen 8800i backhoe loader to a major enterprise with a state-of-the-art water treatment facility. It has a system of drainage ditches. These are cleaned with the Lännen 8800i. 

If you would like to find out more about the Lännen 8800i’s features, please watch the video: http://vbox7.com/play:37cd184c27