UNESCO added Wilhelmshöhe to its list of sites of outstanding cultural and natural significance in June 2013. The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe – which is the largest mountain park in Europe – is thus part of the universal cultural heritage of mankind. Nowhere in the world can another mountainside park match the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in terms of its sheer size and the perfection of its water architecture. The redesign of squares, avenues and roads within this unique environment called for the ultimate in paving quality. And this is precisely why the new SUPER 1600-3i was one of the machines selected for the job.
Contractor Klei Landschafts-, Sportstätten- und Straßenbau GmbH was charged with surfacing an avenue with a total area of 1.700m2 using colored stone mastic asphalt.
Colored asphalt requires a perfectly clean machine to prevent contamination of the material for the surfacing. Usually, the machine must be cleaned thoroughly before use. However, as the Klei paving team were to be working with a new VÖGELE Super 1600-3i, which was, in fact, making its debut at Wilhelmshöhe, they were able to dispense with the extra cleaning and immediately get down to paving.
"According to the specifications, the avenue had to be built with a paver," says Joachim Schneider, Construction Manager at Klei. "The path was 6.5m wide and included many curves. The new SUPER 1600-3i, with its maximum pave width of 7.5m, was the ideal choice for this job."
The new specialist for urban job sites
The new SUPER 1600-3i is more compact and yet 16% more powerful than its predecessor. Being both compact in size and crawler mounted, it is an outstandingly manœuvrable machine. The new SUPER 1600-3i was hence a great boon at Wilhelmshöhe, where it had to negotiate many an obstacle. Thanks to its 116kW engine, the machine reliably delivered sufficient power at all times. Joachim Schneider from Klei sees crucial benefits in a paver that is so compact: “The new SUPER 1600-3i can be loaded easily and cost-efficiently because of its compact size.”
“Less is more” was very much the name of the game for the machine concept of the SUPER 1600-3i. The “VÖGELE EcoPlus” low-emissions package therefore comprises a number of measures that greatly reduce noise emissions, fuel consumption and, as a result, also the fuel costs involved when using this “Dash 3” paver.
The SUPER 1600-3i is powered by a modern, liquid-cooled Cummins engine rated at 116kW. The suffix “i” stands for “intelligent emission control” and designates all WIRTGEN GROUP machines that are equipped with engines that meet the strict exhaust standards in EU/EFTA states, the USA, Canada and Japan. The engine can be switched to ECO mode at the push of a button. Even then, it still delivers as much as 106kW, an output that is more than sufficient for lots of applications. In ECO mode, operating costs can, of course, also be saved. The generally very low noise level of the machine has been further reduced, too.
For its new “Dash 3” generation, VÖGELE supplemented the tried-and-tested ErgoPlus operating concept, adding new features to further optimize operation of the machine and the paving process. In the new ErgoPlus 3, for example, the driver’s seat and the console on the paver operator’s platform on the one hand as well as the screed consoles on the other can be adjusted even more easily to meet the paver and screed operators’ needs. The side panelling affords effective protection from wind and rain, eliminating distractions to the driver in all situations. The high-contrast colour display is clearly legible, even in glaring sunshine.
In the development of the “Dash 3” paver generation, the AB 500 Extending Screed has also been raised to the next technological level. Joachim Schneider from Klei said the following about his new AB 500 TV: “Coloured asphalt is an unforgiving material. It was therefore particularly important to us that the screed would work perfectly and ensure absolute evenness of the pavement.”
The new AB 500 TV Extending Screed is ideal for applications that require variability. It is particularly suitable on job sites with lots of bends and bottlenecks, but also for squares and roundabouts. Its hydraulically adjustable range of pave widths extends from 2.55m to 5m and the screed builds up with bolt-on extensions to a maximum of 7.5m. For the practical user, excellent manœuvrability and adaptability of paver and screed are of great importance. The new VÖGELE AB 500 TV Extending Screed therefore turned out to be the “ideal partner” for the compact SUPER 1600-3i.
A perfect pavement quality was achieved, for instance, due to the flatter screed planing angle for an enhanced floating behaviour, fully automatic electric screed heating, hydraulic crown control from the screed operator’s console and the sturdy and highly precise single-tube telescoping system combined with the ability to adjust the pave width quickly and with millimetre precision at two different speeds. Additionally, an optimized tamper geometry and vibrators ensure outstanding degrees of density with the AB 500 TV. The innovative “SmartWheel” for screed width control was particularly well received. Screed operators Lars Jacobshagen and Waldemar Schmidt confirmed: “Extending and retracting the screed with the ‘SmartWheel’ is highly convenient and works with absolute precision.”
The gap between Universal Class and Compact Class has been closed
Joachim Schneider’s conclusion sums it all up: “The SUPER 1600-3i closes the gap between the SUPER 1300-3i and the SUPER 1800-3i in the ‘Dash 3’ generation. The paver is extremely powerful, easy to transport and very versatile for use in both confined spaces as well as for access roads, rural roads etc. up to 7.5m wide. It is equally suitable for the placing of base course, binder course and surface course materials. The new SUPER 1600-3i is indispensable for every road building contractor.”
