The eighth biennial trailer show at Kortrijk attracted some 200
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exhibitors and more than 22,000 haulage professionals, including many from the newly emerged Baltic and Balkan states. Trailer 99 highlighted the increasing use of composites in vehicle body systems (in Stevens' case in trailer chassis too) but the wealth of telematics programs, on-board computers and satellite communication systems on display reflected the effect that this technology is having on this sector. Bryan Jarvis reports.
Top names bring up the rear in Kortrijk
• Stevens of Lokeren, Belgium, showed two trailers, both with composite chassis and superstructures. One, for IBC, runs on Mentor drum-braked axles and has a conveyor belt system with centre rear discharge. It weighs 5.6 tonnes unladen and can carry 31 tonnes of potatoes or other vegetables. The other, an 86m3 example featuring a Cargo Floor discharge system, weighed 6.6 tonnes with aluminium wheels but it can handle 36-tonne loads. Stevens also displayed a 40m1 composite container weighing in at just 1.25 tonnes. • This Electra-Slider roof mounted shutter from Carpanel of Asse-Mollem mounts 650mm behind the shutter to free up vital roof space. Controlled by the driver's radio link, it runs on toothed racks on the shutter guide rails, driven by electric motors at each side. Gas struts ensure the shutter stays closed under pressure; it costs Bfr 50,000 (approx £800).
C.:intact: 0032 24523393. • Krone's Safe Liner had its first public outing along with a new offspring, the Paper Liner. Safety features include impact-resistant side and rear sections with an ultralow ground clearance. It's built on a space frame principal that will form the basis of most future Krone designs ( Of 814 July). So far 60 hand-built Safe Liners are in use. One is earmarked for James lrlam's fleet and with the jigs just about ready series production should start in March. Krone is also trialling a 15.6m version which gives 30% more capacity—in Germany manufacturers can legally run up to 10 prototypes. The new Paper Liner has Jeloda floor tracking and notched side raves that accept wedges and load securing straps. It weighs 7.3 tonnes and can carry 31.6 tonnes.
Using Potyfont panels in the side walls of Moeyersons' 13.6m tandem-axled Strongbox Light semi-trailer has saved 600kg (800kg including the roof) but adds around 7% to its cost. The Van Hool-based trailer has steering axles for extra manoeuvrability; following trials by TIP, this one is joining LVC of Holland. Maeyersons, which majors in sliding doors, has a new four-section system for 13.6m semis that relies on broad, slotted Inox steel cant rails, clever nylon roller tracking and simple lacking mechanisms. When released, each door overlaps the adjacent panels to provide wide loading apertures. II General Trailers' Alsace is a true Belgian speciality: a fullsized 54m3 bulk tipper with integral raised wedge plates welded onto the inner floor. This enables it to carry coiled or indeed scrap metal as well as granular products such as cereals, sand or coke. Coil securing bars are stowed against the inside front walls. The spec includes SMB disc-braked axles, a roll-over cover and a tare weight of 6.48 tonnes. The show model was one of 10
ordered by Liege operator US.
• This neat discharge system slides out from under the rear of the trailer to interface with the 56,000-litre 30ft aluminium container (below left). The
trailer-mounted compressor discharges its load at a pressure of 2.0 bar. The skellie runs on three BPW axles and uses Edbro tipgear. LAG recently bought out container maker WEW giving it 25% of the global market. The company owns Burg, Hobur and Burgers, and recently acquired German container builder WEW. At Kortrijk it showed off James Durrans' latest acquisition: a 60.5m3 LAG powder tanker. The enclosed tipping ram saves 600mm in length and improves stability Having the connection manifolds and gauges down the side makes it safer and less prone to damage. This is one of four additions to Durrans' 34-strong trailer fleet which will supply plastic granules to the food container industry
• if a wide-single blows out, you can always fit a standard wheel to your trailer using this Widmann Radadapter converter ring. It costs BFr 15,611 (approx £250) from MCB NV of Awans, Belgium. Contact Mr Fredencks on 0032 42696611.
• If it's extra payload you're after, try Bielefeld-based Wihag's latest body panels for size. The new Monopan system uses polypropylene in its honeycomb core with polypropylene/ GRP facing panels. It's thermally bonded and weighs just 4.5kg/m2. This Mercedes Atego 817 with a BAR 1.0-tonne tail-lift and 6.2m cargo body offers a 2.9-tonne payload; a 3.7m VW LT35 3.5-tonner with a standard 16.5m3 body using these panels has a 1.4-tonne payload. Full production should begin in May and Wihag is looking for manufacturers in other countries including the UK to make it under licence. Contact Wihag on 0049 52114550 or post@wihag.de.
• Kogel's 96ml Xmaxx showed us how to get a quart into a pint pot: cut the frame height down to 75mm, use Michelin's 19.51n squatties (445/4511 )(Tits) and couple at under 900mm. With its slim chassis rails including a 55mm neck, load bed height is down to 1.04m at the centre axle but above deck there's 2.84m-high load space which can be extended by 360mm using the mechanical lifting posts at each corner. Complete with an Edscha top opener, the raising roof enables the operator to load and stack at the height of three crate pallets, • As part of a French trading agreement with Kaiser, Broshuis is busy developing a hydraulic steering system for multi-axled low loaders for use at up to 120 twines gross, and triple-extendible trailers that can expand from 13.6m to 30m or even 55m. Examples will be on show at next February's RAJ show in Amsterdam. This extender for illiesbauer of south Germany steers on four axles and can stretch to 21m, making room for 4.3m-wide metal sheets or fabrications on its hydraulically tilting decks.
• Drum Engineering has converted Edico Wheaton's standard delivery valve into a sealed unit that can link to a central computer and record a full loading/unloading operation. The £5,400 unit awaits Weights & Measures approval but it could replace walkways and ladders.
• Spanish trailer manufacturer LeciTrailer showed its latest multipurpose Euro Must curtainsider. Behind the curtains the linked series of key-holed panels down each side are ideal for hanging rails and load lock bars. They also swivel out and fold as the curtain unfurls for loading, but they boost the opening roof trailer's unladen weight to 7.25 tonnes.
Xnapen of 1:Warne's sliding canopy is usually fitted to extendible trailers in the 13.6-22m range but the company also makes canopies to order. This example, for Beitastaal, is the longest to date at 27.4m, The system has been modified to allow the cover to slide along extrusions added to the top edge of the body's dropside panels; it's also T1R sealed.