Steel semi services Rai!freight
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• A tipping skeletal trailer equipped to empty granular foodstuffs from bag-in-the-box 6.1m ISO containers has gone into service with Railfreight Distribution.
The steel-framed semi, which tares out at 6,360kg, is the last of its type to be built during Wilcox Seadyke's receivership.
The variable pressure blower, powered by a Lamborghini SAMI four-cylinder diesel, has a modified rotary valve operating at between 0.6 and 1.5bar which allows it to discharge from tanks or container-bag systems.
Rear discharge is via a stainless steel unicone coupling and hoses.
According to Railfreight's fleet engineer Alan Wisely, the use of RO-R's TE9000 axle with its outboard-mounted brake drums looks like becoming a preferred option. "Maintenance is much easier, takes less time and together with Pirelli 385x22.5 wide singles and Alcoa aluminium wheels, we have saved over 100kg7 he says.
Railfreight has also specified RO-R's Levelride automatic ride-height reset device which eliminates problems normally associated with manually adjusted air systems after unloading to protect suspension and chassis. It can also be used to aid top loading where there are low hoppers.
It has Drum gear and is the only tipping semi in Railfreight's 900-strong fleet of skeletals.
Once it has been fully assessed Railfreight will be looking at the feasibility of aluminium hubs and disc-braked trailer axles.