The farming operation of Peter and Tracey Kruger is set to reap the rewards of a one-tonne payload advantage thanks to the purchase of a revolutionary Bulk Transport Equipment (BTE) aluminium chassis tipper.
Based at Croxton East in western Victoria, the Krugers bought the new BTE unit to replace an 18-year-old steel tipper. It is pulled by a 2017 model Kenworth T409.
A visit to the Wimmera Machinery Field Days at Horsham in March this year gave Peter and Tracey their first look at the BTE products. They liked what they saw and are now pleased to be the proud owners of a brand new BTE aluminium chassis tipper.
Peter Kruger said the trailer will be mainly used to haul grain including wheat, canola and barley as well as fertiliser, lime and gypsum to and from the farm, with the lighter tare weight providing a useful payload gain. It will travel close to 70,000km annually.
The trailer runs SAF Intradrum axles with air suspension and JOST landing legs.
“Our previous unit was all-steel construction and a bit heavy so we’re trying to get the payload up,” said Kruger. “The new unit should be a tonne or so lighter than the steel one.”
As for choosing the chassis tipper design rather than a tip-over-axle (TOA), Kruger said the added stability of all wheels remaining on the ground when tipping was preferable for farm work.
“We cart a bit of lime and gypsum and sometimes it gets a bit hairy if the product gets caught up in the front corners when you’re tipping off in the paddock,” he said. “With a TOA unit if the wheels happen to sink on one side due to soft ground it could end up on its side; whereas the chassis tipper has the extra two axles on the ground to keep it stable in these situations.”
While conceding it was a big investment, Kruger said having their own equipment was vital to ensure a smooth workflow on the farm.
“It’s handy having our own gear so that when we want to shift a load we just do it, rather than relying on a contractor to turn up at the right time, or sometimes not turn up at all,” he said.
“We work in with my brother on a neighbouring farm at harvest time – he owns the header and harvests for us and we cart his grain, which works really well.”
Far from being an average trailer, the new BTE unit has striking graphics depicting the Kruger farming operation emblazoned on both sides, applied by Stoneage Signs at Laverton.
“We’re very happy with the whole setup and the brilliant work done by Stoneage Signs really put the icing on the cake,” he said.