Watch Volvo FM trucks working together to pull 200-tonne transformer uphill [Video]

Indian highways have numerous interesting stories to tell. Among such interesting stories, we have seen heavy-duty trucks carrying some humongous state-of-the-art objects like windmill blades and transformers, which catch everyone’s attention. Carrying such an enormous amount of loads is not easy, even for a heavy-duty truck. A prime example of this is an incident from somewhere in India, where a pair of Volvo FM 400 heavy-duty trucks were unable to tow a 200-tonne transformer. However, the job got done when a third Volvo FM 400 came to their rescue.

The visuals of this interesting incident are available in a YouTube video from Raghav Singh, in which we can see two Volvo FM 400 trying to pull a 200-tonne transformer placed on a long flatbed. The trucks tried to pull the transformer on an inclined surface. Initially, the trucks are seen pulling the transformer, but at a certain point, the second truck in the chain got stuck on a loose surface.

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Despite several attempts carried out by the drivers of both these trucks, the transformer bed was simply not moving ahead. The rigorous attempts made by the trucks left tyre burnout marks on the road too, but of no help. Finally, a third Volvo FM 400 came to the spot and took the charge by being at the front. While the second truck which was leading earlier is tied behind the just-arrived truck, the third truck is behind the second truck, thus forming a chain.

After a few minutes, all these three trucks succeeded in pulling the stuck long trailer bed carrying the enormous-looking transformer. Towards the end of the video, we can see all three trucks marching ahead slowly with the transformer bed at the end of the chain.

Volvo FM 400

The Volvo FM 400 is one of the highest-selling and most capable heavy-duty trucks available in India. This truck gets a 12.8-litre six-cylinder diesel engine, which is paired to a 14-speed manual gearbox and produces 400 bhp of maximum power and 2000 Nm of maximum torque output. The truck comes with a 4×4 axle configuration and rides on 20-inch tyres.

Measuring 10076mm long, 2600mm wide and 3665mm tall, the Volvo FM 400 has a gross weight of around 31,000 kg and a payload capacity of 14,700 kg. The truck comes equipped with several modern features like power steering, cruise control, manual AC, adjustable driver seat and hill hold assist.

Many such tough jobs

Many such Volvo trucks do extremely tough jobs throughout the country. A popular incident from 2020 is a Volvo FM 12 truck taking one year to move the oversized payload in India during the pandemic.

The Volvo FM12 Puller started its journey from Nashik, Maharashtra towards Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Kerala. The journey started in July 2019. The oversized cargo that the puller was carrying is a horizontal autoclave and because of its weight and size, the Volvo could travel only about 5 km on average every day.

That means to cover a journey of 1,700 km, took about 340 days or almost a year! The vehicle got stranded for more than two months because of the lockdown imposed throughout India to contain COVID-19.

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