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Past Issues

September 2005

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Duncanmec, based in Alrode South, Gauteng, has a licence agreement with the largest aluminium tipper and Walking Floor manufacturer in Europe. STAS (Strong Trailers At your Service) has 30 years experience in aluminium design and manufacture of tipper trailers throughout 17 countries, mainly in Europe.

Duncanmec is now manufacturing these trailers at their factory in Alrode South and has been chosen by STAS to be its licence partner due to Duncanmec's experience in the manufacture of aluminium Spitzer dry bulk tankers. Duncanmec also offers maintenance and repairs on their full product range.

The main advantage of this tipper is payload. With the chassis and body manufactured from high strength aluminium, an additional 2 ton payload can be achieved. With the STAS tipper in its stable, Duncanmec can now offer a sustainable solution for the problem of overloading in South Africa.

STAS aluminium semi tippers are manufactured to the highest European safety standards and have been tested to Class B trailer safety specifications.

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THE SUCCESS of any transport operation depends on a whole load of factors but the right choice of rig must surely rank high on the list of must-haves, alongside good drivers and solid management processes and procedures.
 

Purchasing the best prime mover is normally the thing that takes up most focus and concentration. What needs more thought, however, is choosing the best trailer for the job. That takes a whole lot of pre-planning and strategic thinking. After all, it is the trailer that will carry the load and determine ultimately whether each trip is profitable or not. Fortunately for transport operators, South Africa has a thriving truck body and trailer manufacturing industry with experts readily available to advise on the best trailer designs and undertake customised trailer construction for specific trucking applications.

Over the last ten years, there has been a definite move towards more responsible operations with stricter enforcement of legislation forcing operators into using trailers with lower tare masses to optimise payload and remain within legal weight limits. Where trailers were once built heavy and strong to accommodate massive ‘overloads’, they are now built using lightweight materials like aluminium and high-tensile steel alloys. The challenge for trailer manufacturers today – and in the future - is to design strong, durable lightweight vehicles that can survive the demands of daily operations.

This Special Interest Report on trailers showcases examples of innovative trailer design where the manufacturers have met specific customer needs by using ‘out-the-box’ thinking and the best materials and components to meet the design specifications and come up with real solutions. It shows, without doubt, that our South African trailer builders are up there with the best..

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THE CATTLE KING, manufactured by Trailord, is a specially designed chassis less interlink targeted at the beef industry. The client called for a lightweight and durable interlink, so the substructure is completely manufactured of Domex steel, which is lightweight and high strength. The upper structure is also made of Domex and Docol, a new product from Swedish Steel AB (SSAB), which enabled the mass of the interlink to be even further reduced to achieve a combination tare of 15 840kg. The interlink is also versatile because when not carrying cattle, it can be used to carry cattle feed on the top deck which is discharged through small doors on the sides. This design saves the operator money, as he does not return empty.