Inboard axle on Cat 2
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by Brian Weatherley • Andover Trailers has developed a dropwell lowloader for Burton-on Trent-based Roger Bullivant with an unusual narrow front axle within the trailer bodywork.
The four-axle 77-tonne GTW trailer is used to move a 54-tonne mobile piling rig throughout the UK: it allows the piling and foundation engineering company to retain the use of its existing Foden 6x4 tractors within Category-2 Special Types work.
The trailer's inboard leading axle has a 1.23m track with wheels inside the trailer's main rails. This helps take weight off the tractor kingpin as the wheels are within the width of the piling rig's Caterpillar tracks so it can be positioned some 1.400mm further back on the loadbed.
Bullivant's plant and communications manager Maurice Chick says the unit is working very well: "It's allowed us to stay under 80 tonnes so we don't have to go up to the next category."
The fitting of the inboard axle follows the setting up of a mutual marketing and manufacturing agreement between Andover and German Special Types trailer maker Goldhofer in 1994: the narrow axle is a Goldhofer patented design which AT has adopted.
AT's detachable neck trailer has two self-steering axles with all axles air suspended.