Tipping for peak profit

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Power Torque Magazine  /  October 2016

Mick Guse looks for versatility in tipper alternatives.

Back in June 2014, TrailerTorque caught up with Guse Transport Services (GTS), which operates out of Wondai in the South Burnett Region of Queensland’s Great Dividing Range.

GTS is an all Kenworth fleet with a selection of five highly specified prime movers, such as a Kenworth T909 Director Series, and, the latest model to join the fleet, a limited edition T950 Legend. Both feature 600 hp Cummins engines, the T909 with a Signature and the T950 with an ISXe5.

Owner, Mick Guse, has traditionally operated Tautliners and tippers, with the tipper fleet being supplied by Lusty EMS and using BPW Transpec running gear.

The T909 couples to a 25-metre Lusty EMS aluminium B-double tipper set running on BPW air-bag axles and fitted with disc brakes. Each trailer bin has 2.1-metre sides and the lead axle on each is an air-bag lift.

The tipper combination can be set up as a standard B-double, as a road train or as an AB-triple. In road train set-up it couples through a tri-axle dolly that also rides on BPW axles with air bags and disc brakes.

“It is really as stable on the road as a normal B-double, even when we’ve got the third trailer on. It was the first tri-axle dolly in the fleet and formed part of a trial,” said Mick.

Aware that the tipper landscape is always changing, Mick recently approached Lusty EMS to design a tri-axle road train tipper combination that would enable Mick to find the balance between meeting strict regulations and maintaining profitability during a lean grain harvest.

The solution came in the form of a versatile Lusty EMS B-double/road train combination, designed to reap the rewards of increased payloads. The combination features a Lead Slider and Tip Over Axle B-trailer connected by a tri-axle dolly.

When road train routes through NSW for tri-axle dolly road trains became available, Mick Guse knew that real gains could be accomplished. The payload advantage that could be achieved by using a road train rather than a B-double would mean the new combination would be more profitable per trip, something that appealed to Mick to keep his business successful and provide some security against low yield seasons.

Mick is quick to point out that the backbone of his operation is having good drivers who appreciate and want to operate premium equipment.

“Being on time, every time, and getting the loads delivered safely is paramount,” said Mitch Jensen, senior driver for Guse. “It is as simple as doing what you say, when you say you’re going to do it – that’s my philosophy.”

“How we do that is by having the best gear,” Mitch continued. “We spent a lot of time with Lusty EMS in Brisbane planning the specifications of the trailer combination to ensure that we could take advantage of payload increases in all the areas we travel.”

Those payload increases have given GTS an edge, increasing profitability.

“We very rarely run our units as single trailers other than when we are running dog trailers to set up a road train. We either have them set up as a B-double or road train and we average a healthy 56-tonne payload with the Lusty EMS tri-axle dolly combination,” Mitch said.

The key to the versatility of this combination is the Lusty EMS Lead Slider trailer, which enables Mitch to slide the tipper bin forward to reveal a turntable mounted over the tri-axle suspension. In this setup he can connect it up to the rear Tip Over Axle trailer and use it as a B-double. Conversely, when he is running on road train routes he simply slides the turntable under the lead trailer’s bin and connects the trailers via the dolly as a traditional road train, giving him 15 tonnes further payload over the B-double.

The Lead Slider trailer also features a second drop-in kingpin, which ensures correct carrying capacities are achieved in road train and B-triple applications.

“Not only do we get the additional payload, but the tri-axle dolly is so much more stable than a bogie dolly,” Mitch claimed. “They are far safer and we believe they are the way forward for the future.”

“The trailers and dolly are fitted with what we consider to be the best running gear on the market, for maximum reliability,” said Mitch.

“Both trailers have an automatic lift on the first axle for when the trailers are running empty, and the standard LED lights adapt automatically to varying voltages in truck power supplies. Meanwhile, both tipper bodies have been treated with a ‘mill bright’ finish, which ensures they are always looking clean,” said Mitch.

Mick Guse has been so impressed with the performance of the tri-axle slider and dolly combination that the company has just taken delivery of a second identical combination.

“It’s all the little things that really make these trailers the best in their class. They come standard with corner cleaners and grain chutes all mounted on the chassis. I was really impressed when I picked them up in Brisbane as to how well they’d come up. Both trailers have stainless steel toolboxes and water tanks and there are no sharp edges anywhere.”

“In the time we’ve had these trailers we haven’t had one issue and they still look as good as the day we picked them up,” Mitch concluded. “But, more importantly, we’re reaping the rewards of the increased payload.”

The Lusty EMS Lead Slider trailer may be purchased as a bogey-axle or tri-axle trailer as part of a B-double combination, and can also be used as part of a road train/B-triple setup.

The units are available in various sizes from 27’ 6” up to 30’ long in a tri-axle configuration, and 21’ 3” mm in a bogey-axle configuration to a maximum height of 7’ 2” to suit different applications. The option of rollover or retractable tarps is available in both manual and electric operation.

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