Easyloader Road Train
Triabunna, TAS
AWESTERNAustralian logging company enlisted Elphinstone Engineering to design a trailer that automatically loaded up when empty. The company required a road train with lighter tare weight enab-ling maximum payload while still following the rules.
The major challenge was that road trains in Western Australia have traditionally been flat towed. However, Elphinstone used a spread axle dolly instead, which allowed the unit to handle longer logs by using more of a gap between trailers, thereby reducing the centre of gravity and still enabling it to comply with bridge formula rules.
However, this created another set of difficulties in loading trailers when empty, regarding how to get the rear trailer short enough to load onto the front trailer. The solution was to slide the dolly back and shorten the rear trailer, by designing a simple sliding attachment to the bottom of the front beams and sliding the dolly back. The road train was designed and manufactured in Triabunna in Tasmania.