Johnson & Young Cranes (JYC) were pleased as punch with their latest low loader from The Drake Group: an eye-catching 5×8 Swingwide Extendable, featured in July’s issue of Trailer Magazine.
JYC offers adaptable and innovative Crane Solutions in Victoria and beyond. The team were looking for a beast of a low loader that could transport their biggest crane: the 800-tonne capacity Liebherr LTM1750. They needed trailer that could balance this heft and deftly manoeuvre through tight, busy city worksites.
Drake built this punch-coloured extendable low loader to fit the bill.
Swingwide Extendable Low Loader Features
The Swingwide packs more than a punch when it comes to top notch features.
This model differs from Drake’s signature Swingwing as it has a parameter style gooseneck, which allows the Swingwide to open up into a V shape so it can haul all types of unique loads – such as JYC’s all-terrain cranes – or agricultural equipment such as tractors. The unique gooseneck also enables extra wide pontoons because there is no spine.
The Swingwide unit widens in seven increments – from fully closed at 2.5 metres, through 2.61m ,2.9m ,3.2m ,3.7m, 4.05m, all the way to a fully opened 4.27 metre width. When closed, JYC’s model measures at 13.5 m deck-length, and stretches out to 18 metres when fully extended to accommodate different sized equipment (although Drake can make even longer versions, if needed).
Drake’s Swingwide low loader hauls in almost any terrain
The Swingwide’s sliding turntable helps with optimal weight distribution, which helps when hauling heavy loads. The pressure gauges on the suspension and gooseneck mean you can work out roughly what weight you’ve got on both.
Drivers can tackle almost any terrain with this low loader. The hydraulic gooseneck and suspension mean you can lift the whole trailer up, if drivers ever get stuck in a tough spot. The trailer is particularly well placed for tight urban settings such JYC’s metropolitan Melbourne construction sites. Self-tracking and remote-control steering of the rear two rows means smoother navigation of narrow spaces and easy loading and unloading.
You can radio remote control just about everything on the Swingwide. This includes starting up the power pack, widening the trailer, releasing the locking pins, adjusting the hydraulic gooseneck and suspension, right down to steering. However, the manual controls are easily accessible on the body of the trailer if ever they’re needed.
What’s the verdict?
The Swingwide’s a real winner, according to JYC’s Director, Brent Young:
“All up, it’s the ideal unit for moving all of our equipment. We need to get into a lot of tight access areas around Melbourne worksites and the steerable axles simply makes the job of unloading cranes and crane bodies so much easier. Since we took delivery of our new Swingwide, we have found it extremely useful for delivering equipment around Metropolitan Melbourne.”
To Brent and the JYC team, thank you for choosing The Drake Group and wish you well with your new low loader.
You can feast your eyes on the finished product in the video below. It’s truly a showstopper, with powder-coated black rims and a body dipped head to toe in a mouth-watering shade of orange. A great match for JYC’s vibrant brand.
Swingwide, Sweet Chariot indeed.
The Drake Group’s Swingwide comes in the 3×8, 4×8 and 5×8, extendable and non-extendable, and there are multiple ways we can configure the design to suit different loads and uses. Give The Drake Group team a call to talk about how our Swingwide trailer can be made to fit your unique custom trailer needs.
