Sliding towards extra safety
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by Bryan Jarvis • Raven Trailers of Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich, has produced a lightweight sliding skeletal trailer for all sizes of standard ISO containers.
The Raven slider, with its Double-C locking system, also has a new patented Lock and Go device for improved safety. An extra button on the side applies the trailer brakes automatically and frees the king pintype frame locks for the driver to carry out the slider operation.
As the sliding section moves on self-tracking rollers into position, the pin is grabbed by the locking mechanism and the brakes release automatically.
Mc new push-button system speeds up the length adjustment operation by cutting the usual number of visits by the driver to the chassis.
Inventor Paul Raven says Lock and Go can be retrofitted, is much safer than anything
currently in use, and eliminates driver involvement.
He explains: "We devised this following a recent incident along the A14 where a skeletal trailer separated because of a faulty locking system."
With aluminium air tanks, air-suspended RO-R axles and air suspension, Raven's new skeletal tares out at 5,240kg.
The trailer also has bolted fittings such as mudwing stays, plug-in rear-end electrics and quick-release air pipe attachments to speed repair times in the event of rear-end damage.
It features Wabco's computerised distance monitor instead of a hub odometer.