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March 2005 |
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| Dave
Claxton of
Kingpin Pneumatics with his mobile demo 5th wheel and new
kingpin arrangement. |
An advertisement run by Kingpin Pneumatics in the last edition of
FleetWatch caught the attention of the editorial team in that it highlighted a new product which does away with suzie coils. We decided to take a closer look by speaking to
Dave Claxton, MD of the company.
As is well known, suzie coils haven't changed in decades and while truck tractors and trailers advance technologically - becoming safer and more cost efficient - suzie coils continue as the transporter's Achilles heel. If Claxton has his way, the suzie hose 'spaghetti western' could well be history. His company has developed a kingpin that doubles as an air conduit between tractor and trailer.
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Sitting ducks. Conventional suzie coils are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions, theft and faulty connection. |
"It's a fixed system," he says, "so there's no driver involvement and no more dangling coils between truck and trailer. The pneumatic link between truck and trailer is made automatically as the kingpin engages the 5th wheel."
Removing the possibility for human error obviously improves overall safety. Explains Claxton: "Runaway trailers are a frequent occurrence and are caused by a combination of driver negligence, poor suzie connections and kingpins not sitting securely in the 5th wheel. A driver will engage the kingpin but not securely. Then he plugs in the suzie coils, releasing the trailer brakes. He lifts the landing legs and off he goes. The weight of the trailer will keep it on the 5th wheel until a 90-degree turn is made..."
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No more
exposed hoses. The Kingpin Pneumatics innovation is a 'fixed airline' design that negates theft and faulty connection of air hoses.
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According to Claxton, three fuel tankers have run away in recent months because of this and the phenomenon is also prevalent among other trailer types. "When truckers use our kingpin, there's no chance of this happening. Unless the kingpin is properly engaged, the trailer brakes won't be released and the rig won't be able to drive off."
The pneumatic kingpin has been four years in the making and has been through rigorous SABS testing. "Our kingpin is proven to be 80% stronger than conventional kingpins. We use imported Bohler steel and its design allows for a certain amount of flexibility within the 5th wheel, preventing stress fractures in the steel."
According to Claxton, truck and trailer manufacturers are beginning to design around his unit. "MAN has fitted our unit to three test rigs," he says.
The units retail for R5 500 for fitment to both truck and trailer and are compatible with most 5th wheels says Claxton. Truck fitment centres are signed up to install the kingpin, which takes about two hours for the truck and three hours for the trailer. Important to note is that the system does not prevent suzie hoses from being used so if a trailer is not fitted with a pneumatic kingpin, the driver can still plug in the old fashioned way.
"When you think that 0.6% of our national fleet is standing at any one time because of suzie hose problems - costing around R54-million a year - our pneumatic kingpin comes in as a genuine solution," concludes Claxton.
That's a new figure to us and we're not sure where Claxton gets the 0,6% statistic or the 54-bars a year but if it's true - he's onto something good. If any transporter out there is testing this product, please let us know how it goes.
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