Krampe hooklift trailer at Cologne Bonn Airport Flexible application on the airport's extensive green areas

Latest addition to the fleet: Krampe THL 21 L hooklift trailer

In the vast open spaces that surround the 4 km of runways and landing strips, the team is ready and waiting with their tractors. Their job? To transport the green waste from the last operation and keep the airport in shape. For this, the new hooklift trailer has been put into service shortly. Six containers, each with a capacity of 32 m³, and two half-height containers for sand and rubble are all set up and the team can get to work.
"With the hooklift trailer, we work much more efficiently than constantly driving a telescopic loader directly to the truck," explains Ulrich Lehr, workshop manager for large and special vehicles. "Unlike in other airports, we cannot work uninterrupted on the taxiways and runways during no-fly times. Planes take off and land here at all hours of the day, so if we need to take care of some mowing and loading, we either have to wait for a short window of free time or for runways or taxiways to be closed off. By preloading the containers, we can act more flexibly and quickly, especially when maintaining large areas."

Safe and reliable in any situation

Cologne Bonn Airport has an impressive fleet of machines. In addition to a selection of forestry tools and vehicles, they also have four tractors, two large mowers, two balers and two large area mulchers in use at all times.
"Our top priority is maintaining high safety standards at all times," adds Lehr. "With its EU type approval, the new hooklift trailer fulfils all the necessary requirements and is also very comfortable – which is a nice added bonus."
The area around the airport is not always flat. But thanks to its pneumatic running gear and BPW passive steering axle, the THL 21 L manages to stay stable on difficult terrain. The LED lighting system and contour lamps ensure that the trailer is always clearly visible, even when daylight starts to fade.

Individual equipment

The hooklift trailer is operated by three drivers that have been specially trained on how to use the vehicle. As Manfred Weesbach, a member of the THL team, explains: "When choosing the hooklift trailer, it was important to us that we found a trailer that met our exact requirements. Upon our request, a reinforced main working cylinder supported by an auxiliary tipping cylinder was installed. This combination significantly increases the tipping performance with lifted containers and takes some of the load off the running gear and tipping frame during the crucial phase of the tipping process. With a lifting capacity of around 20 tonnes and a tipping capacity of roughly 22 tonnes, we are able to transport large quantities easily and efficiently."

Perfectly maintained green areas

While planes soar overhead, the team focuses on their work. Its not only the rolling machines that help to keep the airport operating smoothly and cleanly, keeping the green areas well-maintained contributes to this too. The Krampe hooklift trailer manages tonnes of cut grass and wood which is then transported away in the containers. Every move that the well-practised team makes is absolutely perfect.

A real all-rounder

"The Krampe THL 21 L hooklift trailer has already proven itself in action at Cologne Bonn Airport. Thanks to its outstanding performance and flexibility, it ensures that our green spaces around the airport are always well-maintained. We will continue to use the trailer intensively in the future," says Ulrich Lehr.

Even as the sun slowly disappears behind the hangars, their work is not finished. The airport is still open, and Ulrich Lehr's team will be back at it tomorrow morning along with their new Krampe hooklift trailer.