Forward thinking

By: PowerTorque

Forward thinking

When GLS Transport Southern Highlands needed new equipment to cater for its expanding quarry transport business, the company’s managing director Garry Stafford decided on his next step for expansion through discussion with Sloanebuilt Trailers.

GLS already operated a truck and three-axled dog trailer with Sloanebulit bodies, and because these had performed so well in practice, this seemed a logical place to start. After Garry and his wife Susan toured the Sloanebuilt Trailers’ Smeaton Grange facility it soon became clear to them that they need go no further in choosing a manufacturer to spec up and build the trailers that they required. Sloanebuilt’s Tim and Fred Marano along with Ben Weckwerth, impressed Garry so much they sold the trailers on their personality alone, Garry says.

The Sloanebuilt Trailers’ manufacturing facility at Smeaton Grange has a 70-strong team utilising the latest technology and equipment and has been delivering high quality trailers and truck bodies for the past 29 years. Sloanebuilt’s emphasis is on quality, performance, reliability and innovation. All trailers and bodies are designed and manufactured onsite and with five overhead cranes, drive through bays, spray booth and water jet cutting machine, fast turnaround is assured.

What Garry required was a set of trailers to carry out his quarry transport needs, providing the flexibility to cart aggregates of all types and quarry products plus demolition materials and crushed sandstone loads. The new B-train combination had to not only handle a wide variety of work, from aggregates and earthmoving to demolition, they also operate under CML and HML requirements. In line with Garry’s very high standards of vehicle presentation, the final result had to look the part.

GLS transport had recently purchased a Mack Super-Liner and Sloanebuilt set about designing and manufacturing a set of 19-metre aluminium B-train tandem “A” and “B” tipping trailers to meet its unique requirements.

Both trailers are “rock lined” with 5mm high tensile, fully-welded, aluminium sheets fitted to the sides and tailgate and fitted with a 10mm floor. A two-metre spread on the B-trailer design helped with weight distribution and reduced the risk of overloading the centre tandem.

“The design of the 19m B-Train combination, which is also called a “jackknife and tip” rapid turnaround unit, because of the short B-trailer, can really improve the versatility of the unit. The operator can use the combination as a multi-skilling unit, dropping the trailer and adding a float where necessary to move plant and equipment or switching to a walking-floor trailer for added flexibility,” said Ben Weckwerth of Sloanebuilt Trailers. 

The “A” trailer is fitted with an Edbro 45-tonne capacity hoist and the “B” an Edbro 24-tonne hoist. Both trailers are running Hendrickson Intraax suspension with low-line on the “A” trailer and top-mount on the “B”.

Electronic braking systems (EBS + ABS) and anti-lock braking systems are fitted to ADR 38/04 requirements, featuring roll stability to ensure the safest of operation. This provides Garry with the ultimate safety levels for current and future proposed legislation, while currently operating as General Access running gross weights of around 56.8 tonnes.

The downside to the rock lining and heavy-duty application specification is the 21,340 kg tare weight this entire unit sits at half fuelled, which Sloanebuilt’s business development manager, Ben Weckwerth agrees is not the lightest possible, however it’s built to handle the job with a touch of style.

Garry also added, “I’m happy to forfeit tare weight a bit to ensure equipment longevity”, so payloads of around 35,460kg will be obtainable.

To help maximise legal payloads as much as possible, digital in-cab gauges have been fitted allowing the driver to accurately assess how much weight is on each axle group from the comfort of the driver’s seat and as mentioned, a two-metre spread was put onto the “B” trailer to reduce the risk of overloading the centre tandem, added to that is UHF radio contact to assist in streamlining the loading process.

Ten-stud Alcoa aluminium rims and drum brakes with automatic slack adjusters and Dunlop SP 430 11R22.5 tyres keep things rolling and stopping, while digital hub meters do the counting.

I personally would like to see a greater acceptance of disc brake technology being utilised across the industry. Having driven both full drum vehicles and full disc vehicles from a driver’s point of view the difference is dramatic, but I guess initial set up costs and servicing costs particularly, for large fleets can still be a sticking point. We can only hope that with greater industry acceptance and larger turnover of service parts costs may come down a bit making this option more viable and thereby adding a higher degree of safety for all road users.

A George’s canvas 90 percent PVC gear reduction over-ride electric tarp panel system with one-touch control and standalone battery will keep things dry and eliminate airborne dust and EPA infringements.

Both trailers have a high-tensile steel chassis with a “Set under” turntable on the “A” to provide clear tipping with the “B” trailer connected. Also on the “A” trailer there is offset tailgate hinging with automatic hydraulic operation providing clearance to the “B” trailer during tipping. There’s also a rear apron discharge rubber chute fitted to the rear of the “A” trailer.

Garry also wishes to acknowledge long-time family friends Peter and Kathy Ireland of Bowral signs who he said, pulled out all the stops late one Thursday night to get the signage on the trailers finished before the rain set in and thus having the work done in time for our photo shoot. 

Both the trailers were also chassis painted “Phantom Purple” by PPG to match the Mack Super-Liner up front, which really rounds out the whole package. With the little touches like the included shovel and broom you quickly get an idea of the attention to detail that goes into the Sloanebuilt product.

While GLS Tansport Southern Highlands is a relatively young enterprise Garry has big plans for the future, and maybe a tri-tri B-double tipper might be gracing the fleet with the Phantom Purple paint before long. With the degree of satisfaction Garry expressed to me with the whole experience of fitting this combination out, Sloanebuilt mudflaps may well be on any future fleet acquisitions.

As Garry Stafford grows his business he is particularly mindful of the support he receives from his wife Sue and friends that have given him assistance and encouragement. “I couldn’t do it without Sue and her support has made all the difference,” he added.



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