Trucking milestones: 1979 – the 2224 mixed things up constructing a dam

Series: Trucking milestones

Not for the faint of heart!

A fleet comprising of various Mercedes-Benz trucks accomplished a huge feat constructing a dam in North Rhine-Westphalia in the late 1970s.


35.000 kilometres per year with a radius of less than 20 kilometres: that was the impressive result of the truck mixers of Fertigbeton Düren GmbH & Co. KG at the end of the 1970s. A large-scale project that Transport reported on in 1979 played an important role: the construction of the Wehebachtalsperre in the West German state of North Rhine‑Westphalia. The dam, to which the company transported countless loads of concrete as it was a construction site at the time, is still in operation today.

The 2224 B with a body from Stetter did a top job. And not only because it sometimes did eight-hour shifts and had to master rough terrain on the construction site. No, in addition, the engine output was twice the annual mileage. Finally, the mixing drum was also moved via the vehicle’s engine – by means of a camshaft drive and hydraulic pump and motor. And the ratio of driving time to standing working time was a exactly one to one.


A total of 88 vehicles in action.

At that time, Fertigbeton Düren’s fleet was consisted of total of 88 vehicles, the majority of which were from Mercedes‑Benz. These included more 2624 LB truck mixers as well as 2226 articulated trucks with mixing drums that held even more concrete than the drums of the truck mixers. In addition, there were various gravel and cement trucks.

Finally, the eleven Mercedes 1413 and 2219 trucks equipped with concrete pumps had a particularly important task. Their booms were up to 30 metres long and transported up to 80vcubic metres of concrete per hour. This way, all areas of the construction site that the mixers could not reach were also reached without problem.


Photos: Daimler

5 comments