Tri Axle Trailers

All

I'm at it again - wanting to draw on the huge knowledge base of the Forum.

Does anyone know (roughly) when 'factory made' tri axle general trailers first started appearing on Aust highways & byways?

I'm guessing around 1974/5 - but being from the back blocks - then we might have been a bit late off the mark.

Oldfulla - just wonderin' again

OlFulla
Gudday M8

Interest n Subject
[smiley=thumbsup.gif]
can offer pix of one of the 1st tri axle low loaders in
Melbourne

Freighter: 8.25x15 tyres: Spring Suspension: Air Hydraulic Brakes: Circa 1956











not sure of the timeline for general cargo like interestate transport
But the trailers started with:
Single axle 8t
Bogie axle 13t
Spread Bogie Axle 16.5t
Tri Axle 20t

ButEyeDoSt&2BCorrected

Swishy, Mate not too sure what you Mexicans were allowed..

But here in N.S.W. you were only allowed 18T on a tri.
Until the Late '80s early '90s.
When you could Pre pay your overloading Fine & purchase a permit.
That let you go to 20t on the Tri. 16.5T on on bogie(was15). & 6 on the Steer. (was 5.4)

Question? When you could Pre pay your overloading Fine & purchase a permit.
possible answer ... not much has changed .. lol

I know the Canadians have used them forever but I believe the Ringwood brothers built the first one but not sure, sailorV might know as he drove for them, c'mon Pete tell the story of driving on the beach!! hillarious.

I believe the Ringwood brothers built the first one but not sure, sailorV might know as he drove for them.

Yes I drove for Tom and Arthur Ringwood in Adelaide in 1960 or '61.They had a yard at Nailsworth and operated a few trucks on interstate mainly Adel.-Sydney. They did build their own trailers but to my knowledge never made a tri-axle.
They did build a 40 foot trailer (remember this was 1960!) used for carting Kellogs Corn Flakes from Botany to Perth. As the maximum allowable length then was about 32 or 34 feet they constucted it with an 8 foot overhang from the kingpin to the front of the trailer.This made it rather awkward making turns in city streets. They also used axles from old ww2 blitzes as trailer axles which had 3 inch brake linings using air over hydraulic activation.Needless to say the trailer brakes were not very efficient. However as Arthur Ringwood used to say "you don't need brakes going from Adelaide to Sydney as its all flat".
I towed this 40 foot trailer for nearly two years going through Marulan without mishap then got pulled up one Sunday afternoon in Swan Hill and got locked up for overlength infringements. I fronted the local magistrate next day,was fined and released. Ringwoods continued to use that trailer but kept away from Swan Hill.
Just one of the many joys of trucking back in the day. I'll leave the story of the beach for another day.

From what my grey cells can dredge up, it was about 1968-9 that a tri axle first appeared in Linfox's yard at Moorabin.
It was only allowed a couple of ton above a bogie and it was a tad longer than the bogies to, but it helped Linfox make some extra dollars.


regards greenie [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

G`Day
Gunson & Weil had Tri axle trailers in1971 on the Perth run and I seem to remember Don Macglinchie had one also around that time
OLDBOB70

...when the spread bogies came in to regular usage, the new situation embarrassed a lot of older trucks that were doing just fine with the old closed bogie set-up....

...original Cameron driver Peter Cerveri related how the 6V71 S model Kenworths very suddenly started to show their age...and with their low horsepower, hated the extra couple of ton that the spread allowed....

...i guess the tri was the end of the story for a lot of older highway rigs....

D tec, extra weight plus extra "drag", they did take a bit of pullin around some corners in the Putty. >