New American Carrier Equipment bottom dump trailer model

US company American Carrier Equipment (ACE) is now offering an “ultra-high-tensile-strength” steel bottom dump trailer model.

“The all-steel, tandem-axle, semi-bottom-dump trailer is the culmination of a two-year research, development and field-testing program aimed at producing a tough, lightweight, super breed of trailer for severe-duty applications,” the company said.

According to ACE, the new model is 30 per cent lighter, has 300 per cent greater structural integrity and accommodates 12.5 per cent greater load capacity than competitive offerings.

“My new trailer virtually pays for itself and then some,” said Don Reeve, president of Reeve Trucking in Stockton, California. “Its lightweight design saves me fuel, and its 24-cubic-yard, 28-ton load capacity allows me to haul three extra cubic yards of material with each load, or the equivalent of a ‘free’ load over the course of an average seven-load day.”

Careful attention has also been paid to the new trailer’s off-road performance and handling characteristics. American Carrier Equipment (ACE) employed advanced design techniques, including finite element analysis esting, allowing its engineers to simulate a wide variety of dynamic stresses, from extreme heavy-haul loads to punishing off-road conditions and accelerated aging.

Towing properties have also been enhanced through the addition of a unique, fully oscillating kingpin. The interior bed slope, meanwhile, has been engineered to promote optimum load release flow when the gate is opened. “The design promotes complete emptying and reduces the potential for load material, such as asphalt, to “bridge” or form into non-flowing masses that remain in the trailer bed,” ACE said.