TIDD TRAILERS
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T. iike the rest of the industry,112year-old Tidd Trailers has experienced some verytough trading conditions in recent times.
Since its rejuvenation two years ago, when Hector Tidd returned as chairman, the company has divided its efforts between conventional truck body building and bespoke engineering.
Last year it teamed up with Parcel Force to develop an elevating second deck parcels trailer which is designed to be loaded from a boom conveyor. .
More recently Tidd has devised the MaxPak two-decker that gives extra carrying space for roll cages, and the Rak-Pak range of fixed-frame trailers.
These allow operators to carry palleted goods of various sizes in selected positions, all within a seemingly standard curtainsider.
They come in two versions, both with fixed steel floor-to-roof pasts down the centre and along the outer edges that divide the interior into loading compartments od various sizes.
Simple 200mm-wide shelf-like supports with non-slip surfaces fold down to accept a pallet of up to a tonne. They are all secured by load retaining straps and the support brackets can be folded out of the way of taller pallet loads beneath them.
The example shown to Commercial Motor is one of 14 built for Transfleet to service a contract with Esso Lubricants, t has tri-RO-R axles on Flexair suspension; the rear is a selfsteer. Over its steel frame the main floor has a hardwood cover and chequer plating.
The roof is aluminium and standard sliding side curtains pull towards the front giving access for fork lift loading.
Transfleet's new 38-tonne GCW trailers, which are said to have replaced 24 standard curtainsiders, allow a range of packaged oil products to be carried. Smaller pallets are placed over the front two-thirds of the trailer deck ahead of the fixed double-deck main section which can hold up to 5.0 tonnes, depending on axle loading.
The next version will have adjustable height brackets that can lock into any position on a sliding column.
Tidd has also built six Rak-Pak 2 trailers with longer pallet bays for a Walker Smith operation in Poland.