DOLL [MELINA°
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High build quality, speed of discharge and a reasonable price combined to persuade the panel that Dolts triaxle Combi-Floor should win the top prize in the Bulker category. Several of the trailer's design details also received approval, including the absence of any obstruction at the load area's rear corners that might cause the cargo to dam up during discharge.
The 13.6m trailer weighs eight tonnes and has a capacity of 90m3. It is fitted with a Cargo-Floor moving floor made up of zi aluminium boards, and will rid itself of a full load of wood chips in less than seven minutes—a moving wall is fitted to ensure the load is completely discharged.
The wall can be swung upwards for cleaning, or so that it can be housed beneath the roof to allow palletised loads to be transported. The rollers used to move the wall are equipped with a small brush to keep the track clean—one of many cleverly thought out features that impressed the judges.
The Legras FMA Bulkliner, also fitted with a moving floor, was applauded for its versatility. It has doors along its sides for easier access, and 96m3 of capacity.
Made by Star Trailers of the US and built in the UK under licence, Dee Warley's 96m3 Panther Ali-Star makes extensive use of alloy to achieve an impressive unladen weight of 6,870kg. A 3o-tonne payload is achievable, says the manufacturer.
However, the judges were concerned about the use of Mentor composite single-leaf spring suspension. Although it offers weight savings, they pointed out that it could not achieve the levels of compensation that can be had with air suspension.