Maneuverability is key

But let's start from the very beginning: Heiko Kohn is a man of many talents. Born on the North Sea island of Föhr, he lived on the isle until a few years ago. There he worked on an ingenious invention: the HK grader. The implement is used for the maintenance and creation of cycle paths, hiking trails, rural track roads, road shoulders and park installations. Everywhere that water-bound paths and surfaces need to be worked on, the invention from the island of Föhr is ideal.

The demand is so great internationally that Heiko Kohn eventually could no longer run his business from the island. "I simply had to move to the mainland." The step was not easy for him. But he left himself a backdoor to the island: together with his son Björn he recently founded BK Wegebau there. A specialist company for civil and earthworks, landscaping as well as excavation and demolition work. There is a lot to do on Föhr; the Kohns have to transport rubble skips back and forth and regularly ferry them to the landfill in Flensburg. And for that they needed a powerful vehicle that is manoeuvrable, versatile and, above all, short. "The ferry charges by length," explains entrepreneur Kohn. That it ultimately became a U 427 with a length of 3.15 metres, equipped with a municipal mounting plate and K80 mounting for a dumper, is now "perfectly logical" to the Kohns. "We can get into any yard with it and deposit the skips almost anywhere flexibly." The roll-off container system from Jotha makes this possible.

A 10-ton trailer from Müller Mitteltal completes the combination when it's a rubble job, for example during house demolitions. The vehicle is practical for the family business. They hardly opted for any extras. "Front PTO and every conceivable hydraulic connection are important to us," says Heiko Kohn. He has already bought a dozer blade and is eyeing a spreader. And anyway: such a boom mower... So there are many good reasons for Heiko Kohn to regularly check on his beloved island. Not least when the new Unimog, which his brother, by the way, drives with passion, is also in municipal service.