K-25 Power Booster demonstrated in Florida

The new Kamag K-25 Power Booster is billed as a “five in one” rigging solution. Introduced and demonstrated to U.S. customers and the media at the facilities of Precision Enterprises in Cocoa, FL on September 16-17, the new K-25 Power Booster offers owners the ability to transform their conventional fleets into self-propelled mobile transporters (SPMTs).

The K-25 Power Booster unit that was shown in Florida will go to Coffeeville, KS-based Taylor Crane & Rigging (TCR). The company recently took delivery of 32 lines of Scheuerle/Kamag K-25 trailers purchased in April at Bauma.

“These new Scheuerle Kamag trailers will expand TCR’s ability to perform heavy haul services throughout the United States,” said Jim Taylor, president of TCR. “We took a team to the Scheuerle/Kamag facility in Germany in July to learn the operational features of the K-25 trailers and K-25 Power Booster.”

For demonstration purposes, the K-25 Power Booster was coupled to an old Goldhofer transporter and a new K-25 transporter, showing its compatibility and adaptability. The K-25 Power Booster was demonstrated in several configurations, including as a push truck, on public roads as a trailer combination, and as a self-propelled transporter.

“What is great is the versatility of usage for the K-25 Power Booster,” said Taylor. “It can be used as a push truck behind a prime mover, or once the drive gear is switched off, it can be part of a trailer combination.”

The K-25 Power Booster was also designed for in-house transports. The drive unit with the PPU can be controlled as a self-propelled transport combination using a mobile control unit.

“For example you might need to pick up a transformer at a facility and use the K-25 Power Booster to move it through the plant,” said Taylor. “Then you connect with a prime mover to haul the transformer on public roads and use it as a push truck on steep hills, so you don’t need to go to the expense of another Prime Mover. Then once you get to the power plant, you disconnect from the transport system and move through narrow roads to the installation site without mobilization of cranes or other equipment.”

According to Roland Fischer, area manager of sales for TII Sales (Scheuerle, Nicolas and Kamag), the K-25 Power Booster offers five solutions to users:

• As a push truck. On hilly roadways, as soon as the tractor needs help managing an incline or the speed drops below 9 miles per hour, the driving gear starts automatically, providing the horsepower needed for pushing the load.
• On public roads as a trailer combination. Once the driving gear is switched off, the K-25 can achieve a speed of 50 mph in the combination with a truck/tractor.
• For in-plant transports. The drive unit with PPU can be controlled as a self-propelled transport system.
• Mechanical side-by-side coupling. The K-25 can be mechanically coupled in a side-by-side combination, and due to the wide support base, loads with a high center of gravity can be easily moved or transported.
• Mechanical end-to-end coupling. The Power Booster can be used as a traction unit at the front or as a push machine at the rear of long transport systems (with or without decks).

Fischer said that a total of eight Power Boosters, including Intercombi and Wide Combi dual lane trailers, have been ordered by several U.S. companies.

“We think the K-25 Power Booster will be a top product in the United States and Canada,” Fischer said. “Many of our customers are interested and so are the customers of our competition. It is a versatile product that offers many advantages in transport and moving services.”

The first unit, which was handed over to Taylor at the demonstration event, was set to be transported to Kansas after the SC&RA Crane & Rigging workshop, which was held in nearby Orlando Sept. 18-20.

Stephen Crawford, sales manager of Precision Enterprises Inc. (PEI), said reception to the K-25 Power Booster has been “huge.” He said he took several customers back to the PEI headquarters on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon after the SC&RA Crane & Rigging Workshop to see the unit and give them test drives.

“It was a huge success,” he said. “I sold two Power Boosters and two trailers, so that speaks volumes about the excitement. And with the SC&RA Annual Conference in Boca Raton next year, we already have members saying they want to come a couple of days early to see our equipment then.”

Crawford said that at the end of the day, the Power Booster is a trailer, yet so much more.

“We call it a mini SPMT, but it can be driven or dragged home,” he said. “When you get to the jobsite with the K-25, you don’t have to worry about how to get the Prime Mover out of the way. With the Power Booster, you unhook the prime mover and park it in the parking lot. That’s a major selling point, is that you can eliminate the need for the Prime Mover once you get to the jobsite. Plus, with the SPMT, there’s a lot more hook up than just pushing a button, which is what you do with the Power Booster. It’s not a big transition to unhook the Power Booster, just one guy to push a button and unhook a couple of hoses. It’s a time-saving device.”