Skip to main content

Hiab launches the VSL PLUS stability feature

Hiab, part of Cargotec, has launched the VSL PLUS stability feature for its heavy crane range. Variable Stability Limit PLUS (VSL PLUS) is a safety system that automatically regulates crane capacity in relation to the actual stability of the vehicle while it is working. The system senses the position of each stabiliser leg and whether there is a load on the truck. It is designed to protect the crane operator, people nearby and the crane and vehicle outfit. It takes the total weight of the truck into a
March 22, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Hiab, part of 3335 Cargotec, has launched the VSL PLUS stability feature for its heavy crane range.

Variable Stability Limit PLUS (VSL PLUS) is a safety system that automatically regulates crane capacity in relation to the actual stability of the vehicle while it is working. The system senses the position of each stabiliser leg and whether there is a load on the truck.

It is designed to protect the crane operator, people nearby and the crane and vehicle outfit. It takes the total weight of the truck into account when calculating stability.

"The new and improved VSL PLUS stability system can take advantage of the vehicle's loaded platform because the extra load on the truck acts as a counterweight," explains Sergio Peiró, product manager for the Heavy Range at Hiab Loader Cranes. "VSL PLUS automatically adjusts the crane's lifting capacity on the basis of optimal stability.”

Pressure on the stabiliser legs is measured. More load on the truck bed means more pressure on the legs, which means greater stability. So, a load of cargo on the truck will mean that lift can be significantly more before the system stops the crane, allowing the crane to always operate at its optimal allowed capacity.

This means that stability and high capacity are maintained when working in confined spaces. Peiro said that if a customer arrives on site to find a narrow delivery space, the stabiliser beams cannot be extended fully. So lifting capacity must be reduced.

“But if you have VSL PLUS, and you have additional load on the truck bed, then you can have up to 100% lifting capacity," he said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Weigh in motion technology reduces road damage
    February 8, 2012
    Overweight vehicles cause enormous damage to road structures but they can be caught, even at high speed. Weigh-in-motion or WIM devices are designed to capture and record axle weights and gross vehicle weights as vehicles drive over a measurement site.
  • In the fast lane at Indian F1 track
    June 21, 2012
    India’s new Formula 1 motor racing circuit, with its tight construction tolerances, demands considerable driving skill. More than 500 million people worldwide watched the first Formula 1 motor race in India's history. The drivers were thrilled by the new asphalt circuit with its numerous bends and the peripheral area around the new race track at Greater Noida near the capital New Delhi, which were built by machinery from German company Vögele (a member of the Wirtgen Group). Working with four Super 1800-
  • Tunnel construction benefits from improved visibility
    November 14, 2012
    Major new tunnel construction projects will, on completion, help secure more reliable journey times for hundreds of thousands of people across the world. Meanwhile, as Guy Woodford reports, leading ITS solution companies have been providing vital equipment for major road tunnels The Martina Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), a 4,500tonne Herrenknecht Earth Pressure Balance Shield said to have a world record diameter of 15.55m, has required just under a year to build the first of two tunnel tubes for the 2.5km lon
  • Road trains project saves space as well as fuel
    February 23, 2012
    A high-tech European project involving cars could reduce fuel consumption by up to one-fifth as Patrick Smith reports. A new EU project, Sartre, is aimed at developing and testing technology for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways.