KEE Transport – Everything You Need to Know About Low Loader Trailers

Low loader trailers are highly useful and versatile machines that are designed to transport heavy equipment. Whether it’s a crane, excavator, or an enormous dump-truck heading to a mining site, low-loaders are the top pick for transportation.

This type of machine has been in use for several decades, with the first model being introduced in the late 1920s. Since then, it has been called different names around the world, with the Brits calling them “lowboys” and Western Canada referring to them as “low-beds”.

The main difference with these trailers is that they can drop their deck height. With this unique functionality, operators can load machines without the use of a fixed ramp, which is essential when transporting machines to remote sites. The lower deck also means the operator can accommodate even taller machines without needing to obtain a special permit. For example, the average deck height of a trailer is 1.5 metres, and trucks are only allowed to transport machines on the roads of up to 4.5 metres before a special permit is required. A low-loader has a deck height of between 800cm- 1m, therefore the operator immediately gains a much-needed height capacity.

Many companies that deal with heavy machinery find it to be a practical investment, especially when moving advanced equipment.

All About Low Loader Trailers

Low loader trailers can transport heavy machines or project equipment from one place to another with the use of specific hydraulic suspension features. Their low-loading heights and length-optimized loading platforms make them cost-effective machines.

There are different trailers on the market today, from mechanically-detachable gooseneck to fixed neck varieties that perform many carrying tasks, such as carrying construction machines used for excavation, road work, and crushing or screening equipment. Low-loader trailers can also drag forestry machines, such as forwarders, harvesters, and skidders. These are also used for transporting boats and vessels, farming machines, and loading wind power plants like generators and turbine blades.

Given these many applications, these machines have proven to be one of the best ways across all industries to transport heavy cargo across long distances. Some of the most common uses of heavy-duty trailers are the following:

Construction

Perhaps the most commonly known use of trailers is in the construction industry, particularly in the transportation of equipment involved in constructing roads and bridges. Semi-trailers may not always be able to transport all equipment and materials, so low bed trailers are often used to move concrete blocks and beams to construction sites.

Heavy Vehicles

Vehicles that are being moved from one showroom to another are transported using low loader trailers. These heavy vehicles include buses, trucks, tractors, and other similar vehicles.

Trailers are used to move these vehicles between ports and showrooms or even directly to clients. If you are transporting smaller cars, then low bed trailers can still be used by stacking these vehicles to maximise space.

Mining Machinery

Mining involves both the transporting of equipment and the different materials related to the industry, such as crude oil and minerals. To accomplish this, the heavy machinery needed is assembled offsite and brought to the mining site for use with low loader trailers.

Mining machinery and equipment are generally the heaviest cargo transported on the road, so heavy hauliers are the preferred method of transportation.

Rail Vehicles

Given that rail vehicles are especially bulky and heavy, low bed trailers are the best way to transport them. This can apply to any of the different types of rail vehicles, including rail motor coaches, locomotives, and road-rail vehicles.

Forestry Equipment

Cutting down and moving logs requires the use of heavy machinery and equipment to process timber and other wood products on-site before transporting them. The machinery used to perform these tasks is assembled or imported before being moved to the forest, and low loader trailers typically deliver these since they can withstand the rough terrain.

Agricultural Equipment

Large scale farming located far away from towns and cities will require the transportation of excavators, cranes, and bulldozers using a trailer that can go through muddy farms with no issues. Low load trailers are ideal for this type of transportation requirement.

Conclusion

Whether you need to move heavy equipment for construction or mining, low loader trailers are an efficient way to address your transportation needs. Look for a company that can provide 24-hour logistical assistance and full support for transporting your machinery on-site. It’s a good investment if they can also provide full support for transporting, supplying, fuelling, servicing, and operating it. This will ensure that your valuable equipment and other assets will be transported safely, quickly, and with ease.

Here at KEE Transport, we aim to provide uninterrupted logistical support to our clients. With a formidable fleet of low loader trailers and exceptionally trained operators, we can handle anything from 1T to 250T. For high-quality and professional hauling of your equipment and other logistical requirements, contact our team today!

A ‘Prime Mover’ is a truck with a robust engine that can haul bulky towed or trailered loads for long distances. Prime Movers (also referred to as heavy-duty trucks) are capable of carrying heavy-plant machinery and can transport large quantities of materials to different places using their strong pulling power.

Ships can only ship goods from port to port, rail networks can only reach city to city. The trucking network, however, can transport items to and from even the most remote of location sites.

Ultimately, prime movers are a cost-effective freight option and can reach parts that other transportation cannot.

Why Your Business Will Benefit from a Prime Mover

Prime movers come with various trailer combinations, each serving a different purpose. Thanks to their powerful engines they can haul impressive loads effortlessly, all kinds of jobs will be possible with the right combination of storage trailers.

Here are five types of prime movers and how they are configured:

1. Semi-Trailer

These are the most common types of prime mover trailers, as you can use them for general storage and transportation of goods safely. They typically come with a maximum loading capacity of nearly 50 tonnes, and these are safely moved using a twin-steer axle and tandem axle group for stability. The length of a semi-trailer will be approx 19m and height between 4.3m to 4.6m.

2. Semi-Trailer With a Dog

The semi-trailer with a dog variant comes with five axle groups and holds a maximum storage capacity of 84 tonnes. They do not exceed 27.5 metres in length and can be attached to other trailers using a converter dolly. The whole length extends to 53.5 metres, adding the sixth axle for better control.

3. Semi-Trailer With a Pig Trailer

Pig trailers are larger than the dog variants but have only one axle with two wheels holding the weight of the entire load. This trailer links up to a tow vehicle using a drawbar and has a height that does not exceed three and a half metres. They also carry only up to a capacity of 65.5 tonnes.

4. Semi-Trailer With Both a Dog and Pig Trailer

These consist of a single or twin steering platform with a semi-trailer towing both a dog-type trailer and a pig trailer. The length extends to 27.5 metres with a capacity of 84 tonnes and six axles for better stability.

5. B-Double Types

With six axles, these prime movers have two trailers that are linked together. The length of this reaches 45 metres and has a whopping capacity of 107.5 tonnes. These carry larger freight and are more stable for overall transport. B-Doubles can also tow a couple of dog trailers, increasing the length to 53.5 with eight axles. The capacity, therefore, goes up to 147.5 tonnes, which makes it one of the more popular vehicles on the market for heavy goods transport.

Conclusion

These five types of prime movers can provide business owners with various methods to transport their goods and products safely. While investing might be a bit of an over-kill for small and medium-sized enterprises, hiring the services of heavy-duty vehicles in Australia can make a huge difference. Invest in hauling goods the right way, today!

KEE Transport has the latest Drake Low Loaders, and the best models of Prime Movers in Australia. We’re ready to assist all businesses to transport their various goods and services all over Albany, Port Hedland, and Perth. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

All construction projects require transportation of heavy plant machinery and equipment to the site. One of the most efficient transportation machines to use is a prime mover, which has been designed to move and transport even the bulkiest of materials.

Projects call for long-distance hauling, which can be difficult to do with an ordinary vehicle. With robust pulling power, you’ll easily be able to transport large quantities of items, including vehicles, overweight loads, containers, machinery and so much more. Given the boom of the freight industry, it’s no wonder prime movers continue to be in such high demand.

The market has a variety of models—and combinations for transporting goods. How do you ensure that you choose the right one?

KEE Group offers the best transport solutions, using the most reliable prime movers available on the market, paired with an experienced and dedicated team of operators.

Here are just some of the Prime-Mover combinations we have on offer here at KEE Transport:

The Prime Mover Towing A Semi-Trailer: This mover works with a twin steer axle group, along with a tandem axle drive group. All these are hauled with a semi-trailer, which usually contains two or three axles.

The Prime Mover With Semi-Trailer Towing A Pig Trailer: This mover operates on either a single steer or a twin steer axle group, supported by a semi-trailer towing a pig trailer. This trailer boasts of two wheels holding the entire weight of your load, and the tow vehicles are connected via the drawbar.

The B-Double: This mover has been designed with a total of six-axle groups, also supported by two semi-trailers linked together. This mover is best suited for shipments carrying large items, as it can also tow one or two dog trailers, making it one of the largest prime movers available on the market.

The B-Triples: Out of the four types of movers, the B-triples are designed to house a total of seven axle groups. It can also support three semi-trailers, which is perfect for shipping bulky items in large quantities.

Choosing The Best Prime Movers For Transportation

From everything said and gathered, we can deduce that prime movers indeed play a significant part in the success of transporting heavy goods. They can carry bulky consumer goods from one place to another, be it heavy plant machinery, electronic equipment, or mining equipment.

Businesses are empowered to ship items across the country thanks to these trucks and their operators. KEE Transport can offer you the latest Volvo and Mercedes Prime Movers, all guaranteed to offer safe, fast, and quality transportation. Our prime mover operators are trained to the highest of standards, and their years of experience make them true experts in their fields.

For the best plant transportation in Perth, KEE Transport are the team to call. Allow us to handle your transportation needs—our expert fleet has you covered. For questions and quotations, reach out to us today to learn more!