UK-based infrastructure services company, FM Conway, has taken delivery of a specially designed centre-balanced drawbar trailer from Andover Trailers to support its growing road construction and maintenance operation.
The unique trailer has been developed by Andover Trailers to help speed up the transport of FM Conway’s range of asphalt chip spreaders to site.
While the chip spreaders are vital to FM Conway’s highway surfacing and maintenance operation, they are supplied with standard trailers that, due to a lack of powered braking, cannot be used on EU roads – forcing the company to transport each unit, together with its trailer, on the back of a step frame.
“Moving our chip spreaders in the past has always been an arduous procedure that took up time, money and manpower,” explains John Tobin, Asset Manager at FM Conway.
“We’re always looking for new ways to improve the way we work and deliver efficiencies for customers so we asked the team at Andover Trailers to help us design a more suitable solution.”
Andover Trailers’ design team were given the measurements for two different sized chip spreaders and access to one of the existing trailers to assist with the design process.
From there, they developed a road-legal, nine-tonne tandem-axle drawbar trailer capable of carrying either of the two chip spreader variants.
The finished product is equipped with Gigant axles on steel-spring suspension, and running on 235/75 R17.5 tyres. It features a full air braking system, LED lighting and aluminium loading ramps that allow loading and unloading from either side.
The new trailer means either size of chip spreader can be now towed to site using the company’s Volvo FE320 4×2 rigid.
Based in Sevenoaks, Kent, FM Conway has more than 50 years’ experience supplying the services required to keep the UK’s infrastructure and public spaces operating effectively and efficiently.