Modular trailer, also called as multi axle trailer and hydraulic platform trailer is used for long distance road transport of oversized and abnormal cargo.
Manufacturers rely on the equipment they have to make high-end products. Technology is now defining how the manufacturing business gets done.
However, the best equipment tends to be bulky in most cases and heavy as well. companies are always desiring to make investment in the best manufacturing technology but transportation becomes a major setback.
The transportation of 5,000-ton equipment from one point to another is a big challenge. It is impossible to move it with the use of normal trucks and conventional semi-trailers.
For that reason, the use of a heavy transport modular trailer is needed for the transportation of such heavy loads.
Self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) have provided the requisite solution to the lifting and movement of such heavy cargo. The need is not to lift and move the equipment but also do it safely without causing any damage to it.
- Why Use a Modular Trailer?
It is all because of the way its built to manage weight of this magnitude. A common self-propelled modular trailer is built with axles running along and across its main loading frame.
The axles are controlled with the help of a computer and are placed side by side to create an axle line. The capacity that an SPMT can carry is based on the structure and the brand. They are particularly meant to take heavy cargo and transport it.
Some have not many axle lines while the biggest modular transporters will have as many as 300 axle lines. This is one of the things that define the use of a modular trailer.
The modular trailer capacity makes the lifting and transportation of the heaviest loads a possibility. A self-propelled modular trailer is therefore the best for use in the transportation of a 5000-ton equipment.
Based on the size of your job and how frequent you need such services, you can choose to buy a modular trailer or hire one. Modular trailers can easily transport such seemingly impossible-to-carry loads.
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1. Advantages of the Modular Trailer
Modular trailers perform functions that other conventional trailers cannot do. Ideally, a modular trailer has a number of apparatus embodied onto it.
It may have a bed coupled onto a frame with a certain desired width and length. Other apparatus includes a transportation conveyance reaching the ground surface and another for doing the same but attached to the opposite sides of the main frame.
The apparatus of the modular trailers may also have a towing arm with a bed element freely coupled to a tow element.
The bed may be attached to the trailer frame and the tow element could be attached to a coupler on the trailer configured to securely attached to ball hitches or on any other hitch of the tow.
The tow element may for further embodiments be freely attached to the trailer bed between a retracted position and extended position.
All these apparatuses make a modular trailer useful in the transportation of large-sized, extra-long and super heavy cargo particularly in the construction, electromotive force, metallurgy chemical, and logistics industry.
The suspension hydraulic trailer loading platform type is kept balanced while on transit to safely secure the load in position on a rough and bumpy road. Ideally, it offers excellent damping properties that ensures a smooth transportation of cargo.
The brace kit of the trailer can attain 3-4 points brace to ensure that the load for each of the points is the same and get rid of partial set.
The steering system uses a hydraulic planar pitman drive by way of making adjustments to the hydraulic steering system and various rational pitman layout. Additionally, the vehicle can attain a normal drive and the minimum desired turning diameter.
The key supporting elements of the trailer are adopted solid box beam framework. The key frame longitudinal girder, trailer platform, steering arm and bogie frame are made of high-performance welding steel.
Series modular trailer can also have the double modes such as the full-trailer towing as well as semi-trailer towing.
Under the full-trailer towing mode, the maximum speed could go up to 40Kph and in such a state, this towing format can get the maximum tractive force and it is particularly applicable in heavy duty cargo transportation that requires low speed.
For the semi-trailer towing, the full length of the vehicle is reduced as well as the minimum turning dimeter. However, this mode upgrades the effective load and the speed at which the modular trailer travels going to as a high as 80Kph.
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2. Different Bogie of Modular Trailer
To further enhance the capabilities of the Modular trailer, there are two kinds of bogie structure designed to meet different demands:
- Ball Bearing Type: it has a higher load capacity than any other type in the market. Ideally, it can take up to 45 tons per axles although it has only 55° steering angle. The steering system is useful in determining the different operation types and the type of terrain that can be handled by the modular transporter.
Ball Bearing Bogie
These modular transporters built with ball bearing ring systems for steering are meant for off-road operations. This type can take heavy loads in a site.
The structure is well-built for safety and ensuring high performance when doing the heavy-duty operations.
- Pivot Bearing Type: it has a larger steering angle of up to 60° not only 55°. The hydraulically controlled modular trailers installed with pivot bearings are meant for heavy-duty on-road application. The trailers have reinforced frames that give them the ability to take axle loads. This type of modular trailer is most suitable for in-plant operations.
Pivot Bearing Bogie
The steering mechanism uses two different steering approaches for the axles:
Self-Steering: During steering by the truck or tractor, the gooseneck or the drawbar provides a signal that causes the axle also begin steering at the same time.
Then, there is the option of a valve switch or a remote control that is used to manually control for axle steering.
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3. Modular Trailer Application in Different Industries
There are different modular trailer configurations meant for use in different utility purposes. Despite the different arrangements, all these trailers get to be towed through the use of such vehicles as tractors, cars, trucks, all-terrain vehicles and so on.
Conventionally, the manufacture of modular trailers is meant for use in a specific operation. In most cases, trailers are mainly built for towing by trucks and cars over relatively even surfaces and for on-road operations.
Some other trailers will be built for towing by all-terrain vehicles and trucks over relatively off-road operations and use in rough surfaces. Additionally, the trailers are usually built around certain cargo sizes and shapes.
Trailers with small walls and beds are usually used for holding cargo such as furniture, lumber, tools, gravel and so on. Those with big walls and beds are usually meant for the transportation of bulky-large cargo.
Here are different areas where the Modular trailer is used:
- Ship Building Industry
Ships and ship sections are normally huge and bulky. You can imagine the how the construction of the big ships you see transporting goods and people across seas is done.
The ships are used for the transport of various vehicles and equipment. Do you know how the ships get to their assembly halls and to the sea ultimately?
Modular trailers become very useful in the movement of ship sections to assembly halls and the entire ship to the sea. Ships are normally very heavy weighing up to thousands of tones.
The biggest ships will need modular trailers with over 200 axle lines. in some occasions, the placement of the axles is done side by side to help in carrying long and wide ship sections.
- Construction Industry
The construction of bridges, large buildings and roads also require the use of modular trailers. Big bridge segments and large girders are placed onto the modular trailers from the construction sites.
Some of these modular trailers will be linked to robotic-like crane arms. These arms move the bridge sections and the huge girder sections from the transporter to the road section under construction.
Some of the construction concrete beans are too heavy to be loaded and transported on a semi-trailer. In that case, modular trailers come in handy to help in the transportation of construction materials, and equipment.
Construction companies usually have projects located in different areas.
Modular trailers help in the transportation of the already built sections to places where they will be installed and at the same time shift materials and equipment from one project to another.
modular trailer for construction
- Wind Energy Industry
Wind energy has been embraced by many countries around the world in order to help in the conservation of the environment and its natural resources.
Wind industry transportation
To make this happen, very large equipment is used to facilitate the tapping of wind in order to generate the energy for transmission.
These wind energy harnessing equipment are likely to be found on mountains where the wind is very string.
Getting them to such locations requires stable off-road modular trailers to safely transport them.
The modular trailer wheels designed for this application are able to navigate the roads all the way up.
The axles are managed and controlled to keep balance when on such terrains.
- Chemical Industry
The transportation of large chemical tanks is also another area where modular trailers can be used. These tanks are normally bulky and weighty when loaded with chemicals.
The use of semi-trailers in handling them is almost impossible and safe. Therefore, the chemical tanks will demand safe transportation modes and that is where the modular trailers come in.
A lot of stability as provided by the modular trailer is needed to keep the chemical tanks in balance during transportation.
Therefore, modular trailers in the chemical industry are primarily used for safety reasons and the bulkiness of the load on transit. The type of modular trailer used is matched with the size of the tank to be carried.
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- Electrical Industry
Electricity generating companies need modular trailers for the transportation of electrical transformers.
The technology used for the generation of power is quite sophisticated and involves large equipment like the said transformers. Power companies depend on these big transformers to ensure power is distributed to all desired areas.
Most of these power stations are located away from where the assembly halls are.
With each station demanding a number of transformers that are usually in thousands of tons, the use of a modular trailer becomes inevitable. The weight is due to heavy metals used in their construction for longevity.
- Offshore Industry
There are various heavy equipment and structures found in the off-shore industry. Modular trailers present the capacity for handling such heavy equipment.
The industry has big metallic structures that need modular trailers that could otherwise not be transported using conventional trailers.
Owing to the size of these offshore structures, the biggest modular trailers are usually used in this application. These trailers normally have many axle lines to support the heavy load.
In some cases, a number of modular trailers can be linked side by side or head-to-tail to facilitate the transportation of a single off-shore structure.
The trailer bed platforms are made of high-strength steel to contain the pressure exerted by the structures. The equipment weight that you need to transport could be somewhere close to the weight of your off-shore structure.
Most of these trailers are designed to excel in one given scenario and therefore, you may find them less ideal for other uses.
Therefore, you need to make a buy or rent decision considering the workload you have and on how often you will use the trailer.
The smaller options won’t require much movement and storage space. However, they will not be able to handle big and bulky loads.
The big modular trailer takes larger loads but will however, need larger movement and storage space.
Still, trailers designed for towing through all-terrain vehicles may not be safely be towed through other means especially through bigger on road vehicles.
You don’t have to buy different types of trailers. Instead, see which ones to buy and rent since buying all of them can be a burden financially and in the need for storage space too.
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Conclusion
There are different uses for the modular trailer as highlighted in here for the various industries. Deciding on the type of trailer to use is a lot easier now considering the capabilities of the modular trailer.
This is the best trailer to use for transporting heavy equipment and structures because of their in-built capacity to take any load. It is unlikely that you will be handling loads that these carries are not able to take.
Modular trailers are designed and built to take the heaviest and bulkiest loads around the world. The durability and capacity for each depends on the brand that you will identify for your application.
It is always recommended that you choose brands from top manufacturers. Whether buying or hiring, this can can be a costly affair. Therefore, go for the best quality you can ever find in the market.