Northampton-based road surfacing contractor Tripod Crest Ltd has taken delivery of its first tri-axle semi-sloping step-frame from Andover Trailers, which will be used to transport a combination of rollers, pavers and planers.
Worth more than £40,000, the trailer is built to carry a payload of up to 26 tonnes, supporting the company’s road surfacing operations across the UK.
Tripod Crest has been buying custom-built trailers from Andover for more than a decade, and the new 13.6 m bespoke SFSL 41 will join a fleet of 16 Andover trailers already in service, including drawbars and standard step-frames.
It is equipped with a low-profile neck and a specialist semi-sloping frame which allows Tripod Crest to maximise usability of the trailer’s load space via safe and easy loading of plant onto the upper deck. To aid manoeuvrability and minimise tyre wear, the new trailer’s specification includes two fixed and one self-steering SAF axles, with manual and solenoid control so the steer axle can be locked from the cab.
SAF air suspension with Wabco raise/lower valve is also fitted, which can be used to lower the trailer for loading and unloading. The trailer also features extra-wide 1.2 m ramps with access toes and two-speed leg gear.
Jim Tough, plant director at Tripod Crest, said: “It is still early days, but so far the trailer has proven to be both reliable and durable, plus its semi-sloping frame means the neck doesn’t get in the way when loading. This enables us to maximise use of the load space.”
