Latest upgrades on popular Contractor Trailer

Tramspread’s latest purpose-built Contractor Trailer benefits from considerable development, 25 years after the first model.

Tramspread had been producing slurry spreading booms for a decade when it begun contracting with an umbilical spreading system in 1998. For this task company founder Terry Baker designed the first purpose-built Contractor Trailer engine driven pump unit (EDPU).

It was 24ft long and fitted with a used Iveco six-cylinder turbocharged engine driving a Bauer SM3500 pump via a Comer gearbox. It was controlled by a Murphy control panel. Remarkably, this original engine is still working for Tramspread Contracting with over 25,000 hours on the clock.

The contracting enterprise expanded rapidly, and a second Contractor Trailer was soon produced. These early single-axle versions used commercial trailer axles without suspension and carried a tractor-mounted 1,200m or 1,400m hose reel.

The second-generation Contractor Trailer was introduced in 2013 having been redesigned using first-hand contracting experience. It was new from the ground up, with a longer 8.6m chassis, twin-axle running gear, suspension, 435/50R19.5 wheels and tyres and hydraulic brakes.

The front section was reconfigured to carry two 1,000m random wrap hose spools. A larger fuel tank placed between the axles more than doubled capacity to 900-litres. A compressor was placed above the front axle, with room for a work platform and two large tool boxes over the second. The EDPU sat at the rear and was skid-mounted for easy removal if required.

These purpose-built units carried everything needed by a slurry spreading contractor with a self-contained engine-driven pump, compressor for blowing out the drag hose, hose spool carrying locations and storage for oils, tools, couplings and anything else needed. No straps were needed, saving time during loading and unloading, with the spools secured by locking pins.

Field testing of the prototype by Tramspread Contracting identified the need for a longer drawbar and greater rear ground clearance when reversing up lagoon banks, and these features were incorporated into production versions which proved to be very successful.

Further modifications in 2022 saw the Contractor Trailer widened by 200mm to accommodate Doda and Cri-man pumps specified by some customers and higher-output compressors.

Current standard specification includes a six-cylinder FPT engine and air-brakes. Compressors of 140 CFM, 180 CFM, 260 CFM and 425 CFM outputs can be fitted, and a suction hose transport kit is optional. Remote control options include a Tramspread Teletram 2020 GSM system or Tramspread SIL Vision IV radio remote control.

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