Hans has been running Ahlmann for almost his entire career and does not hide his enthusiasm for this product. Since a few months he is the proud driver of a new AS 1600. This is now his fifth shovel and already his fourth swing loader.
“In May 1987 I started working at De Regt company with a tractor and ground cart. It soon became apparent that a shovel was needed so that I could load it myself,” says Hans. After the construction period, a surprise awaited him in the form of a used AS 7. “Arie de Regt had bought it from Toon van den Oord at the kitchen table, along with a can of yellow paint.”
Cheating
Because it was already an “old beast” with occasional faults, the shovel gave way to an articulated wheel loader from another manufacturer after two years. “I cheated on it once,” sounds guilty. “Still, I missed the power and agility of an Ahlmann.”
When the boss went looking around for a new machine in 1998, a big surprise awaited Hans. At the TKD fair, a new AZ 14, which combined brute force with four-wheel steering, caught his eye. Hans enjoyed working with that machine until 2011, when the 9-ton shovel had to make way for the newer and heavier AZ 150e.
More flexible
What makes the swing loader so special to Hans? “Surely that is mainly the flexibility to arrange the work as you see fit. In tight places, you are not condemned to the articulated steering, but you can lift heavy loads 90° tilted.”
Within the AW Infrabouw division, the AS 1600 does all common jobs, from paving to buffing and from axing pallets of clinkers to laying concrete slabs. “Thanks to the swivel mechanism, you can easily work towards a corner or lay around a corner without damaging the carefully smoothed surface. That makes such an Ahlmann truly unique. But also when excavating a cunet or filling in a new building, the AS 1600 definitely offers added value.”
After thirteen years of faithful service, the 10.5-ton swing loader was recently traded in for Ahlmann's latest creation. Since June, AW Groep - which acquired De Regt in 2006 - has been operating an AS 1600. That machine weighs 11 tons and is considered an all-rounder par excellence for road construction.
With a turning radius of only 4.35 meters, it is the most maneuverable wheel loader in its class, maneuvering easily even in tight construction pits. Equipped with 1,600 liters of bucket capacity, it is also very productive. Van Es also has a 4-ton shovel with laser-guided leveling bucket, giving the Ahlmann between 1,000 and 1,500 hours of operation annually.
