Aerodynamic dry bulk tanker

Feb. 1, 2003
Spitzer celebrated its 50 years of building dry bulk tipping tank trailers with a visionary look into the future. The vehicle study is a Colami-design

Spitzer celebrated its 50 years of building dry bulk tipping tank trailers with a visionary look into the future. The vehicle study is a Colami-design based on Spitzer's cylindrical dry bulk tipping tank trailers, the SK series with volumes up to 66 cubic meters (2,330 cu ft).

One goal of the study was to find ways to reduce fuel consumption. The chassis frame and wheels are dressed in aerodynamic shrouds, and the gap between the tractor and trailer is filled with a cylindrical panel mounted on the tank. The rear of the tank is likewise enclosed, but the rear ladder, walkway and collapsible safety handrail are exposed.

The vehicle study is based on the DaimlerChrysler futuristic tractor, the SZM:DB Actros Mega Space with a wheelbase of 3600 mm (142").

Fuel consumption tests conducted at the Bosch test track in Boxberg showed that the ultra-streamlined tractor and tank semitrailer attained a reduced rate of 20.9 liters per 100 km (11 miles per gallon).

Spitzer Silo-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH actually started some 130 years ago. Johan Spitzer registered the company in Mosbach, Germany, in 1872 to build agricultural products. Production of dry bulk tankers moved to nearby Elztal-Dallau in the 1960s.

The company now has three manufacturing plants in Germany and one each in France and Hungary. Spitzer Silo-Fahrzeuge, Industriegebiet, D-74834, Elztal-Dallau, Germany.