THE 2015 Mid-America Trucking Show was another record breaking event for the heavy-duty trucking industry. The 2015 show set an all-time record for attendance with 81.768 attendees, surpassing the previous record set in 2012. The event, held during the last week of March, had 1.2 million square feet of exhibits and 1,064 exhibitors.
Slipping through the airstream. Great Dane revealed this prototype aerodynamic van, one of several that the company has built. A special version of the company’s Champion CP composite plate dry van, the sidewalls feature bonded lap joint sidewalls to provide a smooth exterior surface. Other features include 15.3” scuffbands, a corrosion-fighting EnduroGuard swing door frame; Prolam hardwood flooring with sliding J-Hook tracks, PuR undercoating and WaxIn 100 top coating; full-length A-track bonded to the interior liner; a Hendrickson/Bendix disc brake system; and galvanized steel I-beam cross members on 12” centers.
Primary reductions in aerodynamic drag come from an array of devices. Among them: a nose faring designed to reduce the gap between the tractor and trailer and stabilize the vortex. Tests indicate the device is especially effective in cross winds. The open design allows air and electrical hookups to the trailer. The Smartway-designated device is a product of Laydon Composites Ltd.
Laydon also manufactured the full-length skirt that the Great Dane trailer is wearing.
www.greatdanetrailers.com and www.laydoncomp.com
The question Utility is examining is the extent the bottom rail can be damaged without requiring the trailer to be taken out of service. Utility engineers have been intentionally damaging the rail and evaluating the rail’s ability to perform. Once repair and out-of-service criteria are established with confidence, the company would then evaluate next steps.
Utility made the prototype a focal point of its MATS exhibit, seeking input from the flow of customers and potential customers to fine-tune the design.
www.translead.com and www.vanguardtrailer.com
Reintroducing the steel end dump. Trail King displayed a prototype steel trailer that would mark the company’s return to the steel end-dump trailer market. The new TKSHR32 is designed to haul sand, gravel, demolition or rip rap. It features abrasion resistant steel, inverted angle designed top rail, and a high-lift tail gate. The prototype has a lower center of gravity than before and a maximized footprint, both of which contribute to improve stability. The ability to haul increased payload is a result of the 24” flat floor structural design.
“Trail King has never been a company that shies away from filling a need that the market demands,” said Rick Farris, Trail King’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “Extensive research has determined that the Steel End Dump is an essential component of the materials hauling industry’s current needs. Now, Trail King offers a complete line of products to our customers that support specific markets and varying regulatory requirements.”
The prototyped steel end dump is expected to become a regular production model in the near future.
In addition, Trail King launched a new online parts database system that the company has labeled Peak Performance Parts. The system provides an easy to navigate interface that authorized Trail King certified dealers, fleets, and service facilities can use to access up-to-date parts information, same-day shipping and live online support.
Removable mini-deck. XL Specialized Trailers introduced its XL 60 hydraulic detachable mini-deck trailer at the Mid-America Trucking Show. XL Specialized Trailers’ new XL 60 Mini-Deck lowboy goes down the road with only four inches of ground clearance. XL Mini-decks are available with a hydraulic gooseneck, mechanical gooseneck, or mechanical gooseneck with an air hatbox. The hydraulic version is shown here.
The XL 60 HDG Mini-Deck has a capacity of 60,000 pounds overall and 60,000 pounds in 16 feet concentrated. The trailer, which is comprised of T-1 flange and 80K web, features has an 11-foot long low-profile hydraulic neck full-width platform, which provides additional loading or storage space. A 13-hp Honda engine provides the power needed to raise and lower the neck into one of five ride height positions.
A three-beam design uses a center box beam to provide additional strength at a low tare weight. Four-inch junior I-beams on 18-inch centers join the box beam and the side rails. The design has steel over the center deck and apitong decking in the outer bays for added traction when loading.
Great Dane’s new design is rated for a 52,000 lb. load concentrated in four feet. It is nearly 1,200 pounds lighter than a comparable steel-aluminum combo trailer, and is available with low- or high-camber arches. Among the many new features in the redesigned flatbed this year are a lighter, stiffer beam assembly that has been re-contoured for improved swing clearance; a sure-grip floor surface, a streamlined wiring harness assembly; and low-profile turn signals.
The 48’ MATS show trailer features the XP’s optional appearance package, designed to enhance the trailer’s visual impact with features such as polished filler plates, added mud flaps and additional LED lighting. Other optional features on the show trailer include CorroGuard-treated landing gear; a Hendrickson Maxx 22 disc brake system; a single-coil hauling package; Hendrickson’s TireMaxx Pro tire inflation system; and Accurride aluminum disc wheels.
Light weight, heavy load. Manac’s Darkwing trailer shown here is 48 ft x 102” yet weighs only 8,600 pounds thanks to an extensive use of aluminum. Despite its light weight, it is capable of carrying 60,000 pounds concentrated over four feet. Polished beams have been added, and painted steel surfaces have been replaced with hot-dip galvanize. Manac builds the Darkwing at its Orem, Missouri, plant.
The neck may be skinny, but the trailer is strong. It can haul loads of up to 50,000 pounds concentrated over four feet when equipped with a spread-axle tandem. It also is rated at 60,000 pounds over 10 feet and can haul evenly distributed loads of up to 80,000 pounds.
Talbert TA trailers are available in five models, with capacities ranging from 35, 000 to 55,000 pounds. Each model offers a 14-degree loading angle.
New moving floor trailer. MAC Trailer introduced the MAC V-Slat moving floor trailer for asphalt applications. The steel V-slats are designed for high-wear loads, including sand, aggregate, and rock as well as asphalt.
The stainless steel body is built in 11-ft or 16-ft lengths, providing 8- and 14-cubic yard capacities, respectively. The ejector has two seasonal operating modes—controlled for winter loads and a summer mode which can empty the body more quickly.
