Iveco Astra: five HD9 heavy haulage push&pull tractors delivered to Jordan

Iveco Astra has recently delivered five HD9 push&pull heavy haulage tractors in Amman, Jordan, to the customer Orient Heavy Haulage, leader in the sector of transportation and installation of heavy loads in Jordan, Iraq and Syria

Iveco Astra has recently delivered five push&pull heavy haulage tractors in Amman, Jordan, to the customer Orient Heavy Haulage, leader in the sector of transportation and installation of heavy loads in Jordan, Iraq and Syria.

The tractors have been used for the transportation of wind turbines within the project of construction of several wind power plants in Jordan. The delivery includes two heavy haulage tractors HD9 66.54 equipped with fully automatic transmission and with a GCW up to 220 ton and three heavy haulage tractors HD9 84.48 equipped with automated gearbox and with a GCW up to 100 ton. 

The vehicles have been requested by the customer with a single front axle and a tridem bogie rear suspension configuration and have been manufactured starting from a tractor HD9 6x4 by adding a tag axle with an hydraulically steered pneumatic suspension. The advantages of this particular configuration are first of all an optimized distribution of weight on rear axles and therefore better traction, especially in the start-up phase with the possibility to transfer part of the load from the tag axle to the drive axle maintaining the same maneuverability of the three axle version.

Moreover, the raisable tag axle contributed to less wear on tires and reduced fuel consumption. 

In particular the two HD9 6x6 will be used in combination (synchronized dual towing version) for the transportation of wind turbines in very harsh terrain and arduous climatic conditions, which is what makes Iveco Astra the group's specialised brand for the heavy off-road industry. 

Beyond the peculiar tridem configuration of the rear tandem for the 8x4, the features specifically dedicated to the heavy haulage mission include the installation of additional engine cooling systems for particularly hot climates, reinforced front driven axles with loads up to 10 ton and front and rear reinforced cross members for the push&pull version. 

In addition to these special characteristics, Iveco Astra HD9 vehicles are also distinguished by their now renowned heavy-duty components, including the broad stainless steel chassis (820mm) which is ultra-robust, (530 MPa) and has sections with large dimensions (320 x 90 x 10mm), the closed-loop undercarriage shoulder that lends strength and stability to the entire structure of the chassis, the state-of-the-art driveline, and the simple electronic architecture, all of which has been designed to guarantee robustness and reliability in the most challenging off-road applications.