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ISO TANINgr imr IS
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Dennison is also a leading player in the tank skeletal market, setting high payload standards with its Arrowhead tapered trailer design. That has been superseded by the current range which have a sloping frame and weigh just 3,800kg with eight twist locks and full ADO kit. New units can carry 20ft, 30ft or 7.8m tank containers at weights up to 44 tonnes GCW. Even lighter is the four-twistlock model at 3,660kg for 20ft and 7.8 metre tanks.
The move to 44 tonnes gross is impacting on ISO tank skeletal trailer designs, with once popular step rames being replaced by straight 'rame skeletals, according to Dave kanley, managing director of L-tec. /riginally an importer of Spanish-built .ecitraller trailers, I.-tec is now pro/tieing designs of its own and manufacturing them in the UK in a joint venture with Hull-based Paneltex. "We needed a UK manufacturing base to compete on price," says Stanley. Our new ISO fixed-bogie tank skeletal is £1,000 cheaper than its nearest rivals and includes more equipment as standard." The tank skeletal has a shallow 158mm neck, disc brakes, eight twistlocks as standard, four six-metre hose tubs, flush front and rear walkways and complies with ADO rules. A new 14twistlock sliding bogie skeletal goes Into production this month.
Stanley points out that stepframes naturally bias the weight towards the trailer bogie and that it is difficult enough to achieve 44 tonnes with a 24-tonne trailer bogie, especially when eight metres is the minimum distance permitted from kingpin to centre of rear bogie. "ISO tank skeletals are often shorter than eight metres, and skeletals that don't meet that minimum dimension are limited to 41 tonnes." Indeed, Stanley warns UK hauliers to check European specifications for tank skeletals as some may not be legal for 44-tonne operation in the UK. "Even if it's legal in Europe, it may not be in the UK. In mainland Europe they can operate with a 27tonne bogie and there is no eightmetre minimum dimension needed for running at 44 tonnes."
Stanley also suspects that tank hauliers in the UK are suffering unfair competition with mainland European operators who are inadvertently operating illegally in the UK. "Tanks are now coming in already mounted on the trailers. If they are fully laden, I believe there's a good chance they won't meet the UK regulations for 44 tonnes gross. That's wrong. Why should UK hauliers lose the opportunity of being able to do that work with a trailer that is legal because no checks are done on the legality of the skeletals coming off the ferries?"