Carry more on your Floor
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We all keep an eye on new developments in trucks, but it's easy to forget that trailer manufacturers are making innovations too. The latest is to dispose of the chassis...
• by Piet Wieman Dutch trailer builder Floor BV from Nukerk has developed a composite construction chassisless bulk trailer which weighs just six tonnes. That's up to 1.700kg lighter than a similar trailer of conventional aluminium/steel construction, even for models with steering axles, and Floor predicts a service life of 30 years.
The body is made from a sandwich material, and was developed in co-operation with a yacht-building company. The material comprises two layers of epoxy laminate with foam in between. The epoxy laminate is reinforced with glass fibre and, in places where more tensile force is expected, with carbon fibre.
Type approval
Tne wheel rims, aso made of reinforced plastic, are produced by the Dutch company Prins from Dokkum. They have type approval in several European countries, including Germany and Holland.
Floor has protected the design with US and European patents: research and development cost several hundred thousand Dutch guilders. The development team included the Technical University of Delft and the TNO TUD CLC research organisation, also in Delft.
For pre-production testing Floor turned to Daf. An Australian-spec Daf 60 tractor hauled the new trailer around the St Oedenrode test track for the equivalent of 500,000km, with the trailer both empty and fully loaded. No problems occurred during this test.
Easy replacement
The trailer has small galvanised steel sub-frames to which the fifth wheel, landing legs and triple axle set are bolted; this allows these components to be replaced in a couple of hours. The epoxy laminate has a very hard surface which resists internal corrosion as well as impact damage.
Another benefit of the chassisless trailer is the relative lack of maintenance: conventional trailers of this type need a general overhaul, including body repanelling, every 10 years, which costs up to £8,000.
The Floor trailer has been designed to carry potatoes, but it is also suitable for other agricultural bulk products like carrots, peas and grain. Floor is the leading Dutch trailer supplier for hauliers specialising in potatoes, working mainly for potatochip manufacturers.
Constant demand
This global business is dominated by five companies, and the trend is towards ever-larger factories which operate 24 hours a day.
The factories demand a constant supply of potatoes, and during some seasons the potatos have to be transported over large distances, for instance from Turkey.
The Dutch market for potato trailers is not large—about 100 vehicles a year—but Floor plans to produce 40 new chassisless trailers a year.
They will cost slightly more than traditional trailers, but Floor expects to recoup its development costs within five years. helped by exports to the UK and USA. The chassisless design will also be adapted to other trailer types,
Contacts
• Floor: +31332454214.
• Prins: +315192985 55.