After over a dozen years of making pile drivers for the solar power industry, Vermeer says it has gained extensive insight into utility contractors’ needs on those jobsites. And it was those needs that fueled the development and launch of Vermeer’s world-first material transporter for piles on solar farm projects, the MT500.
The new tracked machine is built around an automated arm attachment for picking and placing W-beam piles, aiming to speed up that process and make it safer for crews on ground-mount, utility-scale solar jobsites. Designed to move 10- to 25-foot piles, thanks to an adjustable rack and boasting a max total payload of 5,000 pounds, Vermeer highlights that a single button press will allow the MT500 to handle piles up to 400 pounds without human interaction.
After that one button press, the MT500 uses lasers to identify which W-beam pile is at the top of the bundle and closest to the machine, grabs it, moves it to the outside of the machine, places it on the ground within a 6-inch-diameter spot, returns the arm and moves to the next pile.
The MT500 uses both point-to-point and row-to-row automation, and contractors can combine this machine with third-party GPS systems. Powering the MT500 without the need for DEF fluid is a 74-horsepower Tier 4 Final Rehlko engine with a 35-gallon fuel tank.
Powered byTo keep workers safe while in operation, the MT500 uses object detection and bump bars to slow or stop when needed without specific travel zones. The machine comes standard with an emergency stop, full-function wireless remote and an amber beacon that signals when it is in automation or remote-control mode.
Vermeer
Vermeer has designed the MT500 specifically to replace the traditional pile layout setup in which workers use skid steers and telehandlers to move bundles from a staging area throughout the jobsite — also known as a “shakeout.”
Not only does the MT500 free those workers to perform other, safer tasks, it automatically delivers consistent and accurate pile placement, according to Vermeer Product Manager Ed Savage.
"Accuracy is pretty important, so the pile driver crew isn't having to drag these [piles] to the pile driver," Savage says. "With a skid steer, people aren't always really concerned with how accurate they are. They're just wanting to get them off the forks and go on to the next one.”
Vermeer
The decision to produce the MT500 came from conversations Savage and other Vermeer product managers had on solar jobsites with utility contractors.
Another reason for replacing the usual pile moving system, according to Savage, is fighting employee turnover. “It's hard to keep people,” he says. “They don’t really see this as a career, handling this heavy steel, or [they don’t] want to do that as a career typically. So, there's just a lot of turnover, because it's hard work.”
Savage says he's not aware of any commercially available machines similar to the MT500.
Rubber tracks creating 6.4 psi in ground pressure minimize ground disturbance and improve performance in wet conditions, while 12 inches of clearance boost the MT500’s ability to navigate uneven terrain, the company says. By stowing the pile rack and arm, the MT500 measures 7.3 feet wide and 15.6 feet long for transport.
Vermeer
Operators get on-rig diagnostics that deliver troubleshooting steps to the MT500’s on-machine display, the same monitor on Vermeer’s PD25R pile driver. The MT500 also integrates with the VermeerONE telematics platform to deliver real-time machine data to improve performance and fleet management.
Savage says the suggested retail price on the MT500, which is made entirely by Vermeer in Iowa, will be $265,000.
Vermeer Material Transporter MT500 Specs:
- Net power: 74 horsepower
- Max total payload: 5,000 pounds
- Max pile weight: 400 pounds
- Fuel tank: 35 gallons
- Ground pressure: 6.4 psi
- Ground clearance: 12 inches
