A&W Engineering, an Irish manufacturer of “heavy-duty” trailers, is currently launching its new ‘3 in 1’ trailer at the National Ploughing Championships in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
The manufacturer apparently spent four months designing the “multi-function” unit, which can either be used as a low-loader or a 25ft-long bale trailer. A livestock body can also be attached, via a “twist lock” mechanism. It has a standard width of 8ft.
This “unique” trailer – in low-loader guise – has a capcity of 15t. It is constructed using “heavy-duty” H-iron. The bed of the trailer consists of a 2in-thick timber floor. This, says the manufacturer, provides grip for machinery – during loading and off-loading.
It sits on commercial axles and is equipped with hydraulic brakes. Air brakes are optional. Other features include a rope box, 1ft headboard, side reflectors, LED lights and a sprung drawbar.
The loading and un-loading ramps are hydraulically-powered. When folded, they sit in line with the floor of the trailer. This, in-turn, allows bale racks to be “easily” bolted to the front and back of the trailer.
A fully aluminium livestock body can be mounted and secured to the bed of the trailer. It comes with a galvanised slurry collection tank, as part of the standard package. It also has a spring-assisted tail door and a dividing gate.
According to A&W Engineering, the unit can be attached and removed with “ease”. When not in use, the livestock body sits on special legs. To mount the unit, the low-loader can simply be reversed in underneath – and then secured using the twist locks.
To remove the unit, the legs must first be re-attached. The bed of the trailer can then drop – to create 150mm of clearance (enabling the trailer to be driven away).
Adam Niklewicz and Waldemar Farafontow, the company’s owners, explained that all low-loaders, bale trailers and livestock units can be built to a customer’s own specification.
Farafontow revealed: “The asking price for the trailer, as it sits on our stand at the ‘Ploughing’, is €23,000 (excluding VAT).”
