In the Renault Trucks family, there is a special model called the C series. Purpose-built for the construction market, it complements Renault Trucks' line of special-purpose vehicles, together with its big brother K series. In the 2020 facelift, the Renault C series has been updated along with the rest of its own models to create a more modern look.
Today, the protagonist of our article is a Renault C 520 truck-mounted crane, which was delivered to the Swiss company Friderici Special in November last year. As we all know, there are many mountain roads in Switzerland, and road conditions such as sharp bends and height differences are common. That's why the trucks used by Swiss transport companies are often equipped with special features, and this is also the case with this Renault C 520 truck crane.
First, let's start with the chassis shape of the vehicle. This Renault C 520 truck mounted crane adopts a 10x4 drive form, of which the first.
3. The fourth axle is a drive axle, and the other axles are not powered. With the exception of the drive axle, the remaining three axles of the whole car can be steered, which greatly reduces the turning radius.
At the same time, the rear axle of the Renault C 520 crane can be lifted to change the vehicle's drive from 10x4 to 8x4. The addition of the lift axle enhances the vehicle's agility and enables it to be lifted under light load and unloaded, reducing drag and fuel consumption. At the same time, it played the role of shortening the chassis, which helped to improve the maneuverability of the vehicle.
According to Swiss law, the maximum gross weight of a five-axle truck chassis must not exceed 40 tons, which is similar to the weight limit for four-axle chassis in other countries. That's why the five axles of the Renault C 520 crane are made of aluminium wheels, which reduce weight and give it a silver-shining look. In order to carry the weight of the crane, the front axle of the vehicle has been modified by ATHOS in Germany, and the axle load has been raised to 10 tons, which enhances the robustness of the vehicle.
As a truck-mounted crane, the work safety must be in place. The car's bumper is painted with a red and white warning stripe, which serves as a particularly conspicuous reminder. The full LED headlights are installed inside the bumper, and the lighting effect is better. Daytime running lights run through the light clusters** for a more refined visual element.
In order to stably support the crane work, the Renault C 520 is also designed with hydraulic outriggers at the front of the body. It is mounted on the bumper**, connected to the frame, and is responsible for jacking up the body to avoid the danger caused by the shift of the center of gravity when working with the crane. In accordance with European regulations, the front legs are wrapped with metal baffles to avoid exposing sharp irregularities and thus reducing injuries to pedestrians and vehicles in the event of a collision.
Like models such as the Renault C series, the Renault C series has a large white space under the windshield, which brings a natural "billboard" to the corporate publicity. On this Renault C 520 crane, Friderici Special has designed a racing-like latte art, displaying the company name and vehicle number.
The compact wheelbase is the hallmark of this Renault C 520 crane. The truck crane is installed at the rear of the cab, and the control panel, hydraulic tank and other auxiliary components are installed on the side of the chassis. In addition to these devices, the vehicle is also equipped with a needle.
A plurality of aluminum alloy storage boxes are installed at the cracks of the second and third axes for placing various accessories and tools.
The triangular gap area in the middle of the wheel should not be wasted either. Pull-out lockers, integrated boarding ladders and other configurations appear on this Renault C 520 truck-mounted crane, without losing practicality.
The truck-mounted crane is installed at the rear of the cab and is from the Italian EFFER with a model of 1000 9S. It is equipped with a 9-section telescopic boom with a maximum lifting moment of 90 ton·m. On top of this, the crane is equipped with a JIB 6S jib, which gives it a maximum working radius of 35 meters with an additional 6 telescopic booms.
The whole car is designed with five outriggers, including one at the front of the vehicle, two on the left and right of the truck crane, and two on the left and right of the tail, which jointly stabilize the body and jack it up. The control panel of the crane is designed on the left side of the body, and can also be controlled by remote control. In addition, the fire extinguisher is placed above the crane control area, which is clear at a glance and can be quickly accessed.
The rear of the crane is equipped with a steeplechase cargo box, which has the advantage of strong flexibility. Whether it is all kinds of building materials or all kinds of packaged goods, steeplechase containers can deal with it. The front of the cargo box is designed with a heightened baffle to avoid the rolling of the cargo and the crane. The tailgate and side doors can be fully opened, and the side doors and side pillars can be quickly removed to transform into a flatbed loading area.
According to Swiss regulations, the maximum gross weight of a five-axle truck must not exceed 40 tons. After the modification of the heavy-duty truck crane and steeplechase cargo box, the curb weight of the vehicle reached more than 28 tons. Even so, the legal load of the vehicle still reached 1125 tons, which is enough to cope with most working situations.
In combination with the telescopic support integrated into the container, the tailgate of the Renault C 520 crane can also be flattened for transporting extra-long loads such as steel pipes. In addition, the rear of the vehicle is designed with a red towing hook, which can be used to tow other vehicles such as trailers. The addition of LED work lights improves work safety.
When the tailgate is flattened, the length of the vehicle increases. Therefore, the rear anti-drill bar of this Renault C 520 truck crane also adopts a telescopic design for better protection.
At the end of the article, let's take a quick look at the vehicle drive configuration. The Renault C 520 crane is powered by a Renault DTI 13 straight-six diesel engine with a 13-litre displacement of 520 hp and 2,550 Nm of torque, mated to a Renault Optidriver gearbox. This power system is basically Volvo's D13 engine + i-shift gearbox, which is reliable and durable.
The cab has a flat-roofed cab with sleepers, which has a reduced roof height to better cope with strict height restrictions such as tunnels, which is important for the Swiss company. The additional sleeper inside allows the driver to rest more comfortably, which is also the advantage of the Renault C 520 truck-mounted crane.
Swiss transport trucks are generally compact, functional and always look highly attractive. This is the case with the Renault C 520 truck-mounted crane, which has plenty of room for load use on a five-axle 10x4 chassis and a lift axle and steering follower. Add to that a compact bodywork and a proper cab, and it's a great tool for the job. Thank you for reading this article! If you want to see more interesting and informative commercial vehicle content, don't forget to ***!
Text: Heseaotter