Have you ever wondered how much weight a truck can pull?
Well, today we're gonna make it or break it.
Former holder of the world's strongest man title
Swede Magnus Samuelsson sets out to break new heavy weight records.
Yet this time he'll have the help of a Volvo FH16 truck
and a new I-Shift with crawler gears.
By his side to keep an eye on things
is the renowned truck journalist Brian Weatherley.
The world's strongest man drives the world's strongest truck.
Stay tuned for one of the heaviest truck pulls in the history of Volvo Trucks.
A short while ago Volvo trucks introduced a brand new gearbox:
I-Shift with crawler gears. It comes with unique startability
allowing heavy haulage operators
to pull gross vehicle weight of up to 325 tonnes.
The question is, can it pull more?
Being a strongman champion, I'm used to pushing things to the limit.
Today we're gonna push it to the max
in an attempt to pull 750 tonnes.
Setting up a road train this big
and getting it rolling with a Volvo FH16 truck, straight from the factory
isn't without some minor challenges.
It's the craziest stunt I've ever seen
and you're asking a lot for a truck to pull 750 tonnes. Just one truck.
This is an impressive sight.
Trailer after trailer for a monster truck pull.
20 trailers adding up to 750 tonnes with our tractor attached to them.
That's gonna be some truck pull.
It's a long train.
No, it's not normal.
Many things could go wrong here.
The couplings, the fifth wheel, the clutch, the actual gearbox itself
the propshafts or the half shafts.
All this before getting to the issue of traction of the tyres on the road.
If it's wet, it's gonna be very difficult.
If it's dry, they stand a good chance, if everything else holds together.
Do you think it will work?
I must say it looks awesome.
Saying that, we've had a lot of rain and the surface is slippery, so...
My biggest worry is that we will stand jumping with no grip.
It'll be difficult because we've never loaded a single truck this much before.
So Magnus, one thing is bothering me.
Have you ever driven a truck like this before?
I was raised in a farm surrounded by heavy machines
so I think I can drive everything with a steering wheel on it.
That's reassuring.
Niklas, we're ready. Is it OK with you?
Yes, you can roll. Easy with the throttle.
Received.
- Ready? - When you are.
Let's do this.
Stop!
Something's definitely not right.
Too much something.
I definitely think the brakes are blocked.
- We'll wait here until you fix it. - No problem.
The brakes on a trailer are operated by air.
Without enough pressure they go into fail safe mode
locking the brakes.
When it comes to 20 trailers stretching on for 300 meters
there's bound to be some pressure issues.
It takes a while to fill up the system
and the weather doesn't help the team.
OK, here we go.
It's slippery, but I think we're going.
Stop, stop.
Well, Brian, we were up for a tough challenge before
and now it's even worse.
- Now we're ready to go. - OK.
Now all the trailer brakes are unlocked and we should be ready to go.
Alright, let's do this.
Crawler gear one engaged.
And well...
Good luck!
- I think you got it. - Here it comes.
Looking good. Come on.
We're still going.
We're pulling 750 tonnes.
I've got to say, 30 years reporting on trucks
this is the first time I've been in a 750 tonne road train
pulled by a single series production heavy haulage truck
but it is doing it.
When we started to get wheel spin I thought this will never happen.
I've pulled some heavy stuff in my life but this kind of beats it all.
Here's the finishing line, we're gonna break the tape.
It's gone. Good job!
Great job to Niklas and the team. Fantastic.
750 tonnes with one truck. Amazing!