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SAME-DAY SUSPENSION
Page 54
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If you build trailers, Trailer Systems will be happy to supply running gear to your specs that can be fitted and ready to roll in just Nvo
hours. Colin Barnett reports. n oncentrating on core values" is an oft-heard phrase in many industries.Trailer manufacturers might be tempted to consider that their core values involve the special items, leaving the running gear as no more than a necessary evil to stop their bits dragging on the road.
That's the rationale of anew operation which provides ready-to-roll trailer suspension& Trailer Systems operates out of a newly refurbished industrial unit a few minutes walk from the riverbank at Stourport-on-Severn. Its current staff may be few in number, but it contains a wealth of experience of trailers and suspension.
Director Richard Bond is a former longserving Mentor man: latterly he was with Holland,the American trailer-hitch and landing-leg specialist.
The previous UK operation collapsed last year following the demise of the French General Trailers concem.The trailer ancillary side of the business has since been revived, but Bond decided to move on.
Before its troubles. Holland had been working on a project to create pre-assembled trailer suspensions based around a German concept. In the aftermath Bond negotiated to acquire the nearly completed project and the rights to the German element for the UK and Ireland.
Trailer Systems offers two basic products:a sub-frame system suitable for monocoque tankers and the like, where the suspension is mounted directly to the tank; and a modular system for conventional trailer chassis. In both cases the effect is the same, but for the sake of clarity, we'll concentrate on the modular system.
Putting it together The trailer builder specifies the make and type of axles, suspension and brakes from a comprehensive list of manufacturers. Trailer Systems then assembles the whole suspension system on one of its combined assembly jigs cum stackable transport pallet&A complete triaxle system can be built on one jig. Everything is pre-assembled, including the air pipes and valves and the brake and suspension wiring.
In the meantime the trailer manufacturer has been doing his bit,including drilling mounting holes using a template previously supplied byTrailer Systems. When that is complete the suspension unit is deliveredlust in time', wheeled under the back and bolted direct to the pre-drilled holes.
Tapered spigots on eachmounting plate ensure accurate assembly.Pipes are clipped to the chassis, the assorted pre-connected valves and couplings are bolted to the trailer and that's it—job done. Every nut,bolt and clip is supplied in a bag:the completed trailer can be rolled out in less than two hours,rather than the 40 or so needed to build a trailer suspension piecemeaL Those are the engineering facts, but there are production benefits as well. Cash flow is aided by a single invoice as the trailer goes through the door, and there's no need to bulk buy every single component up-front with the associated stock control issues.
component upront wit
Not everyone will see the benefits, but apart from "Fred in a shed"building very low volumes and those companies large enough to justify running a suspension section internally, it seems a no-brainer. Trailer Systems is confident that it can offer real savings. s • Contact Trailer Systems on 01299 828325