DON-BUR
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Don-Bur has been working closely with Wincanton to design it’s first 15.65m long Teardrop pillarless tri-axle in readiness for the trial. The new 2.05m longer trailer (pictured above) benefits from an average 15% additional load capacity, or four extra pallets.
To cater for the extended load distribution, the Daimler Chrysler axles have been configured with a greater spread and the rear-steer self-tracking axle will all but eliminate wheel scrub.
In addition, the introduction of Knorr-Bremse’s iCorner system lifts the front axle at lower speeds, which reduces the effective wheelbase and enables tighter cornering.
The weight increase caused by the 2.05m extension, as well as the addition of a steer-axle has been heavily offset by using stronger yield steel alongside lightweight components. Wincanton’s first longer semi-trailer will be a 2.05m longer trailer. The company wants to apply for 300 of the total 1,800 increased length trailers on offer from the DfT as part of the trial.
Dave Rowlands, technical director at Wincanton, says the trailers will be integrated into the company’s fleet almost immediately.
“Not only will the introduction of longer trailers drastically reduce the amount of CO2 into the environment, it will also ease congestion on UK roads, improve productivity by some 15% and reduce crippling fuel costs which, in turn, can help us limit our customers’ exposure to rising costs,” he says.
David Burton, MD at Don-Bur, says: “We were always keen to be at the forefront when the trials were announced.” • CM will be taking a closer look at Wincanton’s longer semi-trailer in next week’s issue.