Demand outstrips supply of drawbars
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DEMAND FOR USED drawbar combinations is rising sharply, says Simon Hall, sales and leasing executive at Weston-on-theGreen, Oxfordshire independent dealership and trailer and bodywork specialist Kel-Berg.
"If you order anew one you face a long lead time and a fair amount of expense." he warns.
"As a consequence,secondhand examples sell strongly, but unfortunately there aren't many about, and not all are suitable for use at 44 tonnes" Most of the demand is from the construction industry, with operators on brick and block work very much to the fore. "When the weather is good, the prices go up," Hall remarks. "So far as specifications are concerned, customers want sleeper cabs, and they've got to have 420hp on tap. Even more power is popular, but it costs significantly more money."
Tractor units and trailers tend to be sold together, he reports: "On its own, a drawbar trailer might fetch around £3,000. But put it with a unit, and it will be worth considerably more."
So are tractors being stretched into drawbar rigids in a bid to capture sales? -It's not happening all that much," Hall replies. "Most tractor chassis don't have a thick enough frame."