Conquering New Challenges

A new Tuff Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable supertilt trailer by Tuff Trailers is assisting Colpak Logistics in carrying out the most difficult of tasks that no other unit in its modern and impressive fleet can match.

Colpak is involved in carting new and used trucks and machinery throughout Australia from its Brisbane base. Included in its service offering is the transportation of bus chassis, however this led to the need for a highly specialised trailer that was capable of legally carrying the finished product in order to satisfy customer demand.

Director of Colpak, Colin Pakai had previously worked with super tilt trailers before establishing his own business five years ago and had actually operated the very first super tilt trailer in Australia.

Although Tuff Trailers had previously not built a super tilt trailer of this kind, Colpak found Tuff Trailers to be the perfect fit for the job.

"There are other manufacturers that specialise in building super tilts, but of those I approached, none of them were willing to do what I wanted them to and I already knew that their trailers weren't perfect for the task at hand," says Colin. "They had faults and they weren't willing to push the boundaries a little. When I approached Tuff Trailers' managing director, Denis Di Pasquale, he was willing to build the unit I was after to my exacting specifications." The next three months were spent developing the concept until both parties were confident that it would stand up to the required task. It was delivered and put to work in November.

The innovative Tuff Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable is the first super tilt trailer of its kind.

With a tare weight of 14 tonne, a length of 14.6 metres( 48 ft) long when closed and the ability to extend a further 1.5 metres through its main beams, the trailer is capable of legally carrying 13.8 long loads on the bottom deck. It is filled with PTE hydraulics, Rexroth valves, TMC airbag suspension with disc brakes and twin 20,000 lb Thomas winches. When the trailer is fully tilted and slid back it has an angle of only 7.9 degrees, however this can be adjusted right up to 22 degrees for easy loading of buildings or containers.

Floors are constructed from Hardox 450, while the beams use Weldox 700. As the first two metres of the deck receive the most impact, it is constructed of 8mm thick Hardox 450. In addition to tie-down points, rope rails have been incorporated into the design to provide added strength. Chain and dog storage can be found in the gooseneck as well as underneath the floors to make equipment readily accessible.

The of the Tuff Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable brings the Colpak fleet up to 15 trailers, all of which have been manufactured by Tuff Trailers.

"All of my gear suits a purpose, " states Colin. "I'm capable of moving everything up to 52 tonne with the quad float and the tilt trays in the fleet; and now the super tilt adds to that. People were asking us to transport brand new bus chassis, which we could do with the other trailers, but now they are asking us to transport the finished product, something we weren't able to do with any of the other trailers. We actually also carted a 13.5 metre site shed on the Tuff Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable and we didn't even need to use a crane or split it up, the trailer can just load itself so easily.

"The new super tilt is an extension of what we are already doing, but now we are offering a more complete package to our customers. This trailer has really opened other avenues for us. I really want to be a one-stop shop for most of my customers and with the fleet that I've got now, we are definitely starting to do that."

"We stick to Tuff Trailers because they are always willing to build what I want them to build. What we do is a very specialised task and the average trailer builder usually won't build it. I always think outside of the box and I know that I can go to Denis with an idea and be sure that he'll be up to the challenge."

Impressed with the unit, Colpak is working with Tuff Trailers to design a second Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable with even more features than the first. "We've come up with a new system that is going to be even better than the one we are currently running and it is going to revolutionalise a lot of trailers," explains Colin. "While the first unit is based in Brisbane, it is working Australia-wide. Because we can cart a lot of things that others can't, demand for the trailer is increasing and I don't want to let my customers down. The newer trailer that is currently being designed is a combination between the current Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable and the truck transporter I already have operating in the fleet – this unit could actually render that truck transporter obsolete."

Since the first Tuff Tilt 'N' Slide Extendable hit the road in November, another four of these units have been delivered to four separate customers.

(This article was first published by Trailer Magazine in February 2010)