The modular trailer’s self-steering capabilities were
used to navigate the curving roads

Vanguard recently completed a project for BDS Logistics involving the transportation of a new 135 ton, 30 metre long kiln to a chrome smelter in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga. The kiln was transported from the manufacturer in Meyerton using Vanguard’s modular trailer.

Vanguard used a two 12 axle trailer system with two Mercedes Titan horses in a push/pull configuration. Due to the challenging landscape on the route, an operator was used to use the trailer’s self-steering capabilities to navigate the curving roads.

 
“The main challenge of this project was the transportation around the tight curves on the escarpment’s roads and through the towns. A few of the bridges along the route were assessed and we determined that a normal trailer configuration would not be suitable due to the weight,” says James Robinson, Project Engineer, Vanguard.

To ensure better weight distributing of the load during the five day trip, especially on the bridges, the trailer was split into a two 12 axle configuration, using more axles than necessary.

The 135 ton, 30 metre long kiln was transported using Vanguard’s
modular trailer in a 12 axle configuration

“Although the eastern escarpment provided us with new challenges, including crossing the highest tarred road in South Africa, we relied on our experience from long load trips to ensure the success of the project.”