100 years of Farmall Tractors
Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of Ashburton on 6-7th April.
Suffolk, UK-based Richard Western Trailers has over 50 years' experience building high-end trailers, manure spreaders, chaser bins, drill fillers and vacuum tankers.
Imported and distributed in New Zealand by Ashburton-based NZ Tractors, the RW products are manufactured using formed steel main rails and closely spaced bearers. A recent £1 million+ investment in finishing facilities means all components are shot-blasted prior to the application of a two-pack primer coat and a high-grade, twin-pack final paint finish.
An integral part of the trailer build sees monoleaf spring suspension, said to impart better stability, and a braking system designed to offer over 50% braking efficiency at speeds of up to 60km/h.
the trailer range includes bodies for grains, silage, root crops, stone and rubble.
Specialised units are also available to haul bales or pallets, offer an easy loading variant for livestock transport and a clever push-ram, powered discharge option.
Grant Reith of NZ Tractors says they have been importing RW trailers for over 27 years.
"So, we know they build them properly, usually up to 600+ units each year.
"They're designed properly, then built with high-grade steel of job-specific sizes and profiles to give rigidity, then finished off with an industry leading paint finish. We regularly come across many trailers that we supplied many moons ago that have carted in excess of 150,000 tonnes of material and still do a full day's work, every day."
NZ Tractors specify trailers for the local market with commercial-grade, 10-stud axles, along with the option of hydraulic, air or combined braking systems and a choice of standard, swivel type or the increasingly popular K80 type ball and spoon hitches.
One such trailer was spotted taking a front and centre position at Kirwee, in the form of a 9.8m (32 foot) tandem-axle unit set up for bales, pallets or bins, offering a 14 tonne capacity, with drop-side walkways, rope rails and a rear hydraulic box pusher. General construction sees 6mm formed steel sections running front to rear, deep "U" section chassis runners and a 4.5mm steel chequer plate platform.
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