Trelleborg's anti-vibration mounts helped Kalmar break a record

Trelleborg's industrial anti-vibration solutions operation has supplied anti-vibration mounts to Kalmar, provider of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centres and to heavy industry, for the world's largest reachstackers, aiding them to successfully lift a record-breaking 130 T.

The increased engine power required for a reachstacker to lift such significant loads causes a greater level of vibration to travel through the vehicle. To counteract this, the two Kalmar reachstackers were fitted with Trelleborg's engine and cab suspension as well as purpose-built, heavy-duty bushings for the drivetrain. The anti-vibration solutions are designed to operate the most extreme of loads, to guarantee increased operator comfort, lower noise levels and reduced maintenance.

Stefan Johansson, director - business support and product marketing for Kalmar Reachstackers and Empty Container Handlers, says: "As we grow the size and capability of our machines to meet customer demands and tackle even greater weights, our need for reliable, safe and high performance components increases, too. Aside from the world record attempt, these vehicles are used day in (and) day out to lift incredible loads; one error alone could cause significant damage.

"We've worked with Trelleborg for a number of years and they have always delivered on safety and performance. They were the clear choice for vibration isolation solutions when building our largest machine."

The mounts used to attenuate the increased levels of vibration on these Kalmar reachstackers needed to deliver a finite level of anti-vibration performance. In addition, the bushings had to be purpose-built to suit the larger axles.

Kalmar's Super Gloria reachstacker broke the world record on September 25 in Lidhult, Sweden. The vehicles will now be transported to Aviles, Spain to lift, in tandem, heavy wind turbine sections weighing up to 260 T.