Veldhuizen provides custom construction solutions without embellishments. Affordable, reliable and simplicity in customization

In addition to trailers and semitrailers for BE driving license, Veldhuizen began specializing in construction vehicles from 2011. With success, as the company now holds its own handsomely among all the major truck brands in terms of sales numbers for the construction market. The secret? Building trucks that excel in simplicity and reliability.

Every year at the Loosdrecht facility, Veldhuizen builds about a hundred vehicles for customers and another fifty trucks for its stock or its own rental fleet. This consists of around thirty trucks, which can be rented for a week or month to a year. "This way, customers can cope with a busy period, but rental also offers a solution in case of damage or delayed delivery of a new vehicle," Pieter Veldhuizen knows. Production numbers represent a cross-section of the Dutch construction vehicle market, with an emphasis on tippers and concrete mixers. Every year Veldhuizen delivers about eighty five-axle trucks, the rest are four- and three-axle trucks.

The manufacturer's success by no means comes out of the blue. "We did a market study beforehand, which showed that transporters were not waiting for technically sophisticated products full of computers. It had to be simpler and thus less prone to failure. Reliability is extremely important, especially in the construction industry, because things tend to break down under heavy loads. Then it's nice if trucks can be tinkered with in our own workshop," Pieter knows. Veldhuizen therefore opted for a leaf-sprung solution with an additional axle, which is steered without electronics. The advantages? Resistant to overloading, low maintenance, long service life and good residual value. 

8×8 becomes 10×8

Veldhuizen's calling card is converting four-axle trucks to five-axle trucks by mounting a liftable axle in the middle. This can be under an Iveco, Scania, Mercedes-Benz, DAF, Volvo or Renault, just what the customer wants. An original 10-ton axle from the manufacturer is chosen, which ensures unity and is simpler in terms of European parts supply. This makes it possible to convert an 8×4 to a 10×4, but for typical Dutch legislation, Veldhuizen just as easily supplies a 10×8 with a maximum GVW of 49 tons based on an 8×8. The additional center axle is air-suspended and forced steered by means of rods. For more ground clearance, the axle is liftable to a maximum of 20 centimeters, which prevents "working against" in rough terrain. No electronics are involved here either, as lifting is done via air bellows.

Over the years, Veldhuizen has repeatedly succeeded in finding a "simplified" solution to the complex issues in construction transport. For example, in response to the popular widespread axle set, a proprietary system was developed under the name WSG (WideSpread Gestuurde), which uses mechanical suspension and steering. In 2020, as a variant of this, the Hydro-WSG was introduced. In hooker vehicles with a long overhang and little weight on the front axles, it is desirable that the additional axle does not steer at higher speeds. Up to 40 km/h it steers with the vehicle and above that the axle is automatically locked, simply by using a nitrogen ball.

High payload

Another typical-Veldhuizen solution is the shortened 10×4 Quadro, of which thirty have already been delivered since the end of 2020. In terms of dimensions, this tipper truck fits within the legislation for a flatbed trailer and still has a high load capacity for asphalt transport. The manufacturer achieves this by shortening the original chassis and repositioning axles 3, 4 and 5 for ideal axle load distribution. The result is a compact and maneuverable five-axle truck within 8 meters in length up to the drawbar coupling. That size is important in view of towing a flatbed trailer for the asphalt paver. By choosing a five-axle with 46 tons GVW, the 10×4 Quadro can carry 10 to 12 tons more asphalt per trip. That saves one trip on every two trips, so more efficiency and less cost plus emissions.