4000 for Hardox
Hamilton’s Transport Trailers has manufactured New Zealand’s 4000th Hardox bin, a truck body for Fulton Hogan in Auckland. T&G has built more than 500 of the 4000 Hardox units, 58 of which have been built for Fulton Hogan since 2013.
Hardox has been available since 2012 in New Zealand, imported, processed and supplied to approved builders and engineers around the country by Wellington-based Real Steel.
Real Steel managing director Luke Mathieson says Hardox is the best steel available for tipper bodies and trailers as it is highly wearresistant, very tough, and is resistant to cracks and dents.
“Because Hardox is so hard and strong, you can make the truck body out of thinner steel and make it lighter.
This improves payload with increased strength and less maintenance, which saves the customer time and money down the road. Real Steel forms tipper sides and floors from one piece of Hardox steel up to 8.2m long. We have Hardox plates up to 11m in length, which means no seams or laser welds and no weaknesses,” he says.
To prove the point, the 4000th bin is 4.9m long and has a floor thickness of 6mm, side thickness of 5mm, and a headboard thickness of only 4mm. An added benefit of the seamless, single-piece sides and floors is a better-looking bin.
T&G director Greg
Cornes adds that Hardox is five times stronger than conventional mild steel. It’s generally used in the toughest of applications, such as refuse bodies, scrap steel, demolition, quarry products and mining. It does not workharden, has a reduced risk of fatigue and cracking, and requires less maintenance. The 12-man design team at Real Steel works directly with truck body/trailer manufacturers on the design and specifications required by the end user. Real Steel then supplies the Hardox kitset as a flat-pack ready to be assembled.
For T&G (Transport Trailers), being one of only five licensed Hardox in My Body (HIMB) members in New Zealand means it’s part of an exclusive club. HMIB certification is granted by SSAB (Swedish Steel), which produces
Hardox for world markets, and means the trailer builder’s processes are in line with best practice as recommended by SSAB. “Each application with the Hardox in My Body sign attached has passed strict quality control and is approved as a premium product by the SSAB board. When you see the HIMB sign you can be sure you are getting a superior steel product manufactured by a qualified programme member,” says Cornes.