Building custom trailers to meet our customers’ specific needs is an everyday occurrence for the team at Felling Trailers. Learn more about a Triple Reel Trailer that was customized right on spec for a utility telecom customer.
Utility Telecom Trailer Need
The customer needed to replace an older antiquated fleet asset. The replacement trailer would be used to transport, payout, and install underground conductors without damaging the material. When installing an underground conductor, precautions must be taken to ensure the integrity of the material being paid out. The application the trailer would be used for would require the ability to transport three reels, each equipped with a tensioning brake system that could be operated by one person from a centralized location. The utility telecom trailer would also need to have a fifth-wheel style hitch with air brakes.
A Customized Trailer Solution
Vermeer Southeast Sales & Service, an authorized Felling Trailers, Inc. dealer, worked with Felling’s Utility & Telecom Product Manager, Mark Rapp, to build a custom FT-40-2 Triple Reel trailer to meet the customer’s specifications.
Result (not your typical Triple Reel Trailer)
Through this collaboration, Felling’s team designed and built the FT-40-2 Triple Reel trailer, a custom unit equipped with a one-piece reel rack assembly. The assembly consisted of (3) 86″ diameter x 52″ wide x 7,000 lbs reel bars equipped with hydraulic tensioning brakes. Reels equipped with hydraulic tensioning brakes allow the conductor to be paid out in a controlled manner. It also eliminates over spin of the reels if the pull is stopped abruptly. One operator can control hydraulic tensioning brakes, unlike mechanical tensioning brakes from a single location. Felling Trailers’ hydraulic tensioning brakes are equipped with hydraulic accumulators. These assure smooth operation of the tensioning brakes by absorbing pressure changes that develop due to rotor intolerance and heat buildup. A single, double-acting hand pump can provide hydraulic pressure to all the calipers at the same time. Each brake circuit can be isolated and controlled individually if the need arises. Felling accomplished this by incorporating a control bank on the rear roadside of the trailer. From this control bank, a single operator can manage the hydraulic tensioning brakes of all three reels and access the double-acting hand pump.
To ensure the integrity of the material, the trailer was equipped with two booms; an adjustable overhead boom, with 126″ raised height from deck floor and a retractable rear boom that would extend 36″ beyond the rear of the trailer when deployed. The overhead boom has two positions: a lower position to keep the overall height legal during transport and the raised position, when on-site, the boom is raised and paying out material. The underground conductor is routed through stringing blocks hanging from the boom. This assures the cable can be paid out without coming in to contact with anything that may damage the insulation. From the overhead boom, the conductor then travels to the rear boom. The rear-telescoping boom extends out the back of the trailer; it too is equipped with stringing blocks. This system allows the conductor to travel unobstructed from the reels to the final point of entry into an underground duct, vault, or trench.
To meet the hitch specification, Rapp worked with the Felling’s weld team to design and build a custom H-frame gooseneck hitch with kingpin. The custom set up delivered a 50″ fifth wheel height, 16″ set back, and 62″ swing clearance from the kingpin back to the gooseneck, providing the customer with ample height and clearance for their application. Felling Trailers’ vast experience in trailer manufacturing allows flexibility to meet customer’s precise specifications and requirements.
We’re here for you.
Whether you are looking for a utility cable reel trailer, other utility and telecom trailers, or have custom trailer needs, Felling Trailers and our authorized dealers are here to help you every step of the way. Call Felling Trailers at 1.800.245.2809 or fill out this simple form to take the next step.
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