How Germany’s Carnehl revolutionized tipper body design

50%

Reduction in tipper body weight

1,500+

Dump bodies manufactured or sold per year

3-5x

Increase in annual production

Challenge

The idea was promising – but unproven

In 1994, when SSAB first approached Carnehl Fahrzeugbau about the potential to use Hardox^® wear plate to redesign its conventional tipper bodies, Carnehl’s engineers hesitated. For decades, tipper bodies had always been box-shaped. But what SSAB was proposing was to use the superior strength and lightweight properties of Hardox^® wear plate to create a unique U-shaped (half-round or elliptical) design. The idea was promising – but unproven.

“We simply rejected it at that time – we didn’t want it,” recalls Henning Hellwig, production manager at Carnehl Fahrzeugbau. “Everyone else rejected it…so why should we take such a risk?”

"We told our customers “If it’s no good, bring it back.” But no one wanted to bring them back. And that’s when we knew: This is a success."
Henning Hellwig, Production Manager, Carnehl Fahrzeugbau

Solution

A bold new design made possible with Hardox wear® plate

Although Carnehl initially rejected the idea, the potential benefits of a radical new U-shaped tipper body concept were too significant to ignore. Because Hardox^® wear plate is harder and stronger than conventional mild steel, a U-shape design could make bodies lighter yet capable of carrying higher loads.

For Carnehl, this would mean less steel needed in production, and less cutting and welding since the steel could simply be bent into shape. For Carnehl’s customers, a U-shaped body could bring many benefits. Bulk material could be centered for optimal loading and discharge, helping to reduce wear rates. When materials are centered, truck stability improves regardless of density carried, making driving easier. And because of the steel’s high strength, the material properties of Hardox^® could be utilized to its full extent and welded beams could be eliminated, allowing for lower body weight, higher payload capacity and lower fuel consumption.

Shortly after turning SSAB down, Henning and his colleagues met up for coffee for a rethink. “We still had a gut feeling,” he says. In the café’s parking lot, the team found the courage to take the plunge. “We looked at each other in the car and thought, “Yeah, we’re going to do it! Let’s build it!”

Less cutting and welding

Since Hardox^® wear plate can be bent into shape, the manufacturing process is simplified, resulting in more efficient production.

Results

Taking the industry by storm

But would the new design live up to expectations out in the real world? To find out, the first prototypes were loaned to some of Carnehl’s customers. These tests covered a broad range of materials and operating conditions in order to really push the new design’s capabilities.

“We told our customers that if it’s no good, bring it back,” says Henning. “But no one wanted to bring them back. And that’s when we knew: This is a success. This will be a success for us, and for the entire industry.”

The next step was to unveil the new U-shaped tipper to the world – and what better place than the IAA trade fair in Germany. Carnehl’s booth was inundated with visitors, with everyone eager to see the radical new design up-close. New orders quickly poured in.

Bright-red Carnehl dump truck with a lightweight half-round tipper body made from Hardox® wear plate, offloading abrasive sand.

“We had production numbers of 1,500 or more dump bodies per year, which was three to four, even five times what we usually had. It was a breakthrough for us. Not just in Germany, but worldwide.”
Henning Hellwig, Production Manager, Carnehl Fahrzeugbau

About the customer

Carnehl Fahrzeugbau

Carnehl Fahrzeugbau is a German manufacturer of tipper and dump bodies.

Founded in 1961, the company is based in Pattensen, south of Hanover, and in Wittstock, Brandenburg. Carnehl uses Hardox^® wear plate to manufacture its tipper bodies, which are now also available in Hardox^® 500 Tuf wear plate.

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