Mr Paul Attwater from Southern Recovery Service recently collected the first Faymonville MultiMAX PA-X step-frame trailer in the UK from Rydam Universal Ltd.

The MultiMAX PA-X trailer is one of the latest developments from the specialist Belgian trailer super-manufacturer, designed for specialist transport, equipped with the award winning pendle-axle configuration. This particular unit being a five axle double-extender with 70ton double-flip hydraulically operated loading ramps and ‘live’ hydraulically operated neck.

The outstanding features of the new PA-X trailer are the pendle-axle steering and the combined exceptionally low loading height and the flexibility of a long-stroke bed height.

Technically the PA-X trailer is quite a complex trailer with five separate hydraulic steering positions for different applications, 60 degrees pendle-axle station steering with remote control steering for exception manoeuvrability and with hydraulic suspension allows for safe loading of any application.

Pauls request was a trailer that had a very low loading angle, stability with high loads, extendibility to load complete loaded artic vehicles, as well as mobile cranes and construction equipment that Southern Recovery Services either transport or recover. This was discussed with John Green of Rydam Universal Ltd some 12 months ago, and over the last 12 months various ideas were discussed and visits to the Faymonville factory to finalise the design and what Paul wanted, with John’s heavy haulage and recovery input, being Rydam were using trailers for recovery of artic vehicles and heavy haulage for some 15 years.

The loading height of the deck is an incredible 790mm, with a permissible running height on good roads of 825mm. The hydraulic suspension has 600mm of travel, allowing loading of equipment by the trailer lifting the load off stands with its suspension, like a trailer on steroids when you see it lifted! Even at 600mm of lift you have the full 60degrees of steering.

The trailer was also finished in the Max protect system, which is blasted, then sprayed with a system called metallisation where the complete trailer is sprayed with hot zinc. Technically the trailer is galvanised before painting in the standard two pack primers and two pack finish to allow a long lasting finish with no corrosion on any part of the trailer in years to come.

When the trailer arrived in the UK, that’s when the second round of work started – Paul wanted hydraulic winching capacity to realise the full potential of the trailer. So Rydam opted for a bespoke twin 30,000lb capacity Come Up winches from Winch Systems of Hull. The reason for this choice was the compact version of the short drum allowed fitment of twin winches in the neck area as you can see. Weldox 700 was used in the construction of the winch fitment to allow full strength with minimal weight as used in the construction of the whole trailer, which is manufactured from very high tensile 690 steel. A Pneumatic free-wheel system and custom Lodar remote control system allows individual winches to be used either in and out, so you can winch a vehicle off with controllability of one winch pulling off and one the other winch restraining the vehicle as it comes off the trailer. Finally another function that also allows both winches to be operated simultaneously either winching in and out to allow both winches to operate together in tandem.

Extra Led work lights, extra winch hook backs, and three camera’s and extra safety indicators along the full length of the trailer to warn other road users of the highly reactive steering trailer.

Finally three sets of Rydam alloy infill’s were supplied to allow the whole deck length to be used for lading vehicles, these fit in the deck area with milled slots to allow a rigid fixing on the deck allowing safe loading and unloading of vehicles (images of these hopefully to follow later).

Paul came for two days training at Rydam upon collection, where we had the Faymonville technical demonstrator from the factory, so that Paul had chance to become fully conversant with the operation of the trailer as well as also receiving training on the technical requirements for service and operational aspects.

Some pictures of the initial jobs the trailer undertook on its return, coach transport, and at the other end of the spectrum, 68 ton crane recovery!

Quite an investment for recovery, but as Paul said, you have to look to the future and be one step ahead of the competition and be very professional with your equipment. Truly this new Faymonville PA-X trailer is innovative and far removed from any recovery trailer on the market, which should be of interest to the professional recovery operators!