DON-BUR has engineered and manufactured trailers for Homebase, a United Kingdom-based home improvement retailer. The order includes six 13.6-meter step-frame tri-axle box van lifting deck trailers and six 13.7-meter step-frame tri-axle ratchet deck (registered design) curtainside trailers.
Temperature-controlled lifting decks: To protect plants from the cold, these trailers incorporate an 8KW Eberspacher heating system, specified to maintain internal temperature at +14° C. The unit transfers 250 cubic meters/hour of warm air via underfloor ducts and inlet vents in the lower deck flooring. The thermodynamic design allows the hot air to rise and dissipate throughout the trailer and encourages cold air to sink to outlet vents in the lower deck.
To maximize internal space use, the 38-tonne (GVW) 4.88-meter-high trailers are specified with an 8.9-meter-long, 10-tonne-capacity lifting deck platform to the rear two-thirds of the trailer. Using aluminium planks, the slimline deck is 55 mm thick to maximize internal height aperture at 1,950 mm per deck and incorporates ventilation holes and air space down the sides to allow good air circulation to the upper deck area. There is also a fixed 4.2-meter secondary deck over the swan-neck, to maximize usable load space in this area.
As the trailers also carry out direct-to-store deliveries, Homebase has specified a two-tier, 1500-kg-capacity tail-lift (1700-mm depth) that forms the upper rear closure.
Curtainside ratchet deck trailers: The 38-tonne (GVW), 4.86-meter-high curtainside double deck trailers have been specified for palletized loads. They include a 9.125-meter fixed secondary deck to the rear two-thirds offering side aperture heights of 1790 mm to both deck areas. Two central support pillars on the lower deck provide unobstructed side access.
A 3.737-meter-long, 4-tonne-capacity ratchet deck module has been placed in the area over the swan neck, generating a total trailer capacity of 48 pallets, 22 units more than their single-deck curtainsides. The ratchet deck enables a forklift to raise the deck module, in 300-mm ratchet increments, to the desired height. It includes an automatic release function in the top position, allowing the forklift driver to lower the deck again without having to get out of the forklift.
E-mail Richard Owens at [email protected] for more details.
