Byrne looks to durable stainless steel crate trailers

In an effort to extend the life of cattle and sheep crate trailers, Byrne Trailers is looking to expand the use of stainless steel in its newest designs

 

Along with needing to withstand rough terrain and long distances, animal transporters suffer wear and tear from stock physically, their waste, and the subsequent hosing down after delivery.

To combat this, David Byrne, from Byrne Trailers in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, is designing more durable and lighter trailers with stainless steel for 2016.

“The main point of difference will be the material that the trailers are to be constructed out of, which is effectively stainless steel,” Byrne explains to ABC Rural.

“The point of the material is to combat rust and fatigue, and increase the life of the equipment.”

While Byrne concedes the cost of the new designs will rise, he says the lightweight and durable nature will outweigh any initial cost.

“Because of the high strength stainless that we’re using, it’ll be a lot lighter in different areas of the trailer,” he says.

“It is considerably more expensive, but we believe with the deals we’ve done with certain companies from overseas, especially with the quantity we’ve had to commit to, we’ve been able to work with and get a reasonable price at the end of the day.

“The big savings will come with less amount of money spent on maintenance and, most importantly, less time off the road having that maintenance done.

“It’s all about return on investment and the increased cost of the equipment… is only marginal compared to the benefits it will pick up over time.”

Frasers Livestock Transport director and former ATA chairman Ross Fraser says his business in southern Queensland is looking to take advantage of the new designs.    

“From a maintenance point of view and longevity for the trailers, I think there’s some huge advantages,” Fraser says, speaking with ABC Rural.

“I guess it’ll take a while for us to find out what that advantage is, but given the rust we’ve had in our trailers over the last five or six years – new trailers – we had to do something.”

 

Send this to a friend