The company puts its customization capabilities to the test.
Talbert Manufacturing, a North American leader in specialized heavy-haul solutions, put its customization capabilities on full display during the Mid-America Trucking show (MATS) in Louisville, Ky., March 21 to 23, 2013. Talbert displayed a 55SA-HX and a 65-ton (59 t) modular HRG hydraulic gooseneck trailer that can be set up in a 3+3+2 East Coast configuration. Both trailers were customized specifically to meet the end-users’ capacity, geography and payload needs.
55SA-HX
The 55-ton (50 t), which features Talbert’s special edition 75th Anniversary Package, is a spread axle (SA) model with auxiliary cross members (HX) and The Equalizer. Talbert built and customized the 55SA-HX specifically for JP Trucking Inc., Gypsum, Colo., which provides equipment and demolition hauling services throughout Colorado and in surrounding states. JP Trucking bought the trailer at the Denver branch of Jim Hawk Truck Trailers, a Talbert dealer headquartered in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Spec-for-spec, the 55SA-HX is lighter than other 55-ton models while still offering standard features that other trailer OEM’s do not. Those features include the T-1 steel construction, a removable kingpin that provides for either a 114-in. or a 90-in. (289 or 228 cm) swing, a 26-ft. (7.9 m) deck length, strobes and a 3rd lift axle. The trailer features 24-in. (61 cm) spacings of the structural cross members, which run the full width of the trailer from outer bay to outer bay. For more support on the deck, the outer bays also feature 12-in. (30.5 cm) spacing of cross-members, which are junior I-beam affixed between the two structural cross-members underneath the decking, and upper-outer flange reinforcing for extra support on the deck when hauling wide track machinery. The trailer’s axles have 25,000-lb. (11,340 kg) capacities, and they are equipped with Ridewell suspensions.
The 55SA-HX also is spreader bar and/or 4th axle capable to provide flexibility for meeting bridge laws.
Talbert manufactured this 55SA-HX trailer with upper flange reinforcement through the two outside main beams where there’s a gusset from the web to the bottom of the flange. This supports the upper flanges so they resist curling when the trailer is hauling a wide-tracked machine.
The trailer design also incorporates a five-ride-height adjustable ratchet neck. This gives operators a total of five different ride heights on the gooseneck along with the ability to adjust the suspension height with Talbert’s plus-3 minus-3 leveling valve. The gooseneck is hydraulically operated and can be powered in either of two ways: through a power takeoff (PTO) on the truck or a gasket mounted in the gooseneck. The trailer provides connections for both.
Overall, 55SA-HX trailers are used to haul heavy equipment for a wide range of industries, including construction, oil and gas, paving, heavy towing and specialized heavy haul. They deliver greater lifting capacity over comparable models due to the number of hydraulic cylinders. While most conventional trailers feature only two cylinders, Talbert engineers its trailers to include four hydraulic cylinders. This key differentiator means that Talbert trailers offer a lifting capacity that minimizes or even eliminates the need for the frequent load adjustments typically required when operating a two-cylinder trailer. In addition, Talbert strategically places its cylinders further from the trailer’s fulcrum point to allow for greater vertical travel in the deck, according to the manufacturer.
The Equalizer is Talbert’s trademarked nitrogen dampened axle extension that hydraulically transfers loads in all terrains. It allows a 14-ft.-1-in. (4.2 m) spread with 54-in. (137 cm) axle spacing or a14-ft.-7-in. (4.4 m) spread with 60-in. (152 cm) axle spacing. It is an ideal solution for haulers who wish to expand their service region into states that require the 4th axle to be at least 14 ft. 1 in. from the spread on the last axle. It incorporates a dual two-speed landing gear to make connecting the trailer to the axle attachment much easier.
The design of The Equalizer also allows users to easily lift the axle attachment out of the way for backing. Since no shimming is required, considerable time also is saved operationally and empty travel is possible without removing the booster and attachment.
65-Ton Modular
Talbert built and customized the 65-ton (59 t) trailer for Catom Trucking, Geneva, Ill. While Catom has purchased all the modular equipment needed to run a 3+3+2, the show trailer featured a three-axle jeep, a gooseneck extension, three-axle trailer with attached fourth flip axle.
The 65-ton HRG hydraulic gooseneck trailer is ideal for a variety of markets including general construction, heavy-haul trucking, and oilfields. It is engineered with heavy-duty T-1, 100,000-psi minimum yield steel construction, upper-flange reinforcement on the deck and auxiliary cross members for extra support, the 65-ton HRG also offers strength, reliability and longevity, according to the manufacturer.
The trailer’s design includes a flip extension to accommodate a tandem-axle jeep dolly, permitting it for use in all states at full rating. Talbert also designed it to provide the ability to add a tag- or pin-on axle to the jeep to allow a 3+3+2 axle configuration. Especially crucial for those without a 4-axle tractor, operators can access the optional pin-on axle for the jeep to maintain axles that are legal to scale the payload. Featuring 60-inch axle spacing, as well as an airlift on axle 3 and a chain lift on axles 1, 2, 4, and 5, the trailer is capable of running with 3, 4, or 5 axles in a row without the booster.
The 65-ton modular trailer comes with a 28-ft. (8.5 m) deck length, with a 9-ft. (2.7 m) wide, four-beam flat deck and a 30-ft.-6-in. (9.3 m) beam deck, and it is rated for 65-tons in any 12-ft. (3.6 m) section of the deck length. It also can accommodate 10-ft. and 15-ft. (3 and 4.5 m) deck extensions varying in type from beam to drop side. Loaded deck height is 22-in. (55.9 cm) and the trailer features an 8-ft., 6-in. (2.6 m) deck width. The trailer will be equipped with the 30-ft.-6-in. beam deck at the show. In addition, the trailer is equipped with an optional Right Weigh onboard load scale system that meets the toughest trucking industry requirements.
Standard features include air-ride suspension and connections for a PTO system, while an onboard power pack operates the trailer hydraulic system, the removable fenders over the tires and polished aluminum wheels are optional.
For more information, call 800/348-5232 or visit www.talbertmfg.com.
This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.
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