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Alutip’s new rigid-drawbar
combination is designed to carry aggregate loads weighing over 38 tons
legally.
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There's a rich DIY ethos running through our truck transport industry and a clear example of this is a Pretoria-based tipper operator who decided that in order to get the trailer he really wanted, he's have to make it himself reports
Paul Collings.
When Rudolph Labuschagne, owner of Labuschagne Transport, went shopping for a tipper, he had some fairly simple but specific requirements. "I wanted to be able to carry a 38-plus ton load without running the risk of overloading on axle groups. I also wanted durability to handle the punishment tipper applications meter out."
Unable to find a satisfactory supplier, Labuschagne's search ended in 2001 when he decided to make his ideal tipper trailer himself. And the rest - as they say - is history. Alongside his tipper transport business, Labuschagne now produces tipper trailers and bodies commercially under the Alutip banner.
At an event held at Gerotek in July, Labuschagne unveiled the latest tipper model from Alutip, a rigid drawbar aluminium side-tipper combination fronted by a four axle International 9800. "We used as much aluminium as possible to get as low a tare as possible," says Labuschagne. "Even the chassis is aluminium. The entire combination weighs in at 17 600 kg, giving a fully legal payload of 38.4 tons."
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The
powerful International
9800 has four axles, two of which steer, to distribute the load
within legal parameters. |
A firm believer in fitting quality components, Labuschagne says that his new baby is a premium product. "You can't get a lower price, only cheaper quality. Going the premium quality route yields a better total lifecycle cost and this new rig comes with BPW axles and Airlite suspension, as well as Knorr-Bremse ABS brakes."
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Aluminium
rims,
aluminium chassis and air suspension from
BPW all help lower tare. |
With two units sold in as many months, the new tipper combination is yielding an extra 8 tons for its owners, adds Labuschagne. "There's also a significant fuel saving using this low tare rig, thanks to the International 9800's engine and automatic gearbox. Single wheels on the drawbar reduce rolling resistance and wear and tear on empty trips is lessened."
Equipped with a Loadtech on-board weighing system, Alutip has produced a top-end tipper combination targeted at the professional operator who doesn't want to be waylaid by weighbridge contraventions.
"Successful operators are just that because they focus on maximizing payload legally without compromising on quality," says Labuschagne.
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Aluminium
tipper bodies
can take a pounding and stay the distance |
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