Truck & Trailer Section

Trucks & Trailers S E C T I O N

Pages 37-41

To view our current comparison trailer specification charts visit www.constructionequipmentguide.com Logging Operation Features W990 in Fleet of Kenworths

In the small town of Laurens, S.C. — population less than 10,000 — business has been good for Walker and Walker Logging during the past several years.

“Actually, it was better than usual for us,” said Tyler Walker, co-owner of Walker and Walker Logging, along with his dad Robert, his Uncle Billy and his son Ryan. “We stayed healthy, and our logging and chip business has grown. We didn’t miss a beat. The combination of more demand for wood products and the opportunity to log areas formerly closed due to a lot of rain has kept us busy.”

In operation since 1978, the logging company, started by Robert and Billy, expanded its operation in 1998 by investing in a chipping business, hauling chips from the woods to area paper mills. Along with the logging operation, the company runs 17 trucks — all Kenworths. The latest models are eight Kenworth W990s purchased through Worldwide Equipment in Spartanburg, S.C.

Walker and Walker’s logging operation is turnkey. It contracts with private landowners and harvests about 70 percent hardwood and 30 percent pine trees, and then transports the logs to area mills for processing.

“Typically, the land is within a 50-mile radius of our operation,” said Tyler. “The mills can be up to 100 miles for transport. We’ll normally make two or three runs with each truck to the mills, so we put on a lot of miles — around 130,000 miles annually per truck.

“For the chipping side of our business, we chip mainly hardwood in the woods, and then take those to a paper mill located in Eastover — about 110 miles from our shop. We also take pine chips to Catawba, which is 75 miles away, and then residue chips for pellets, to a mill in Greenwood.”

The company has been running Kenworths since 2004.

“I was graduating from high school when we bought them, so I’ve grown up having Kenworths in our fleet,” Tyler said. “We just sold off three of those original trucks, and we still have one in operation — so that tells you how good they’ve been.”

According to Tyler, one of the company’s keys to success is reliability.

“And that goes all the way to our trucks,” he said. “We can’t afford to be down in the woods, so we need great parts and service support, which we’ve received that from Worldwide Equipment.”

When the company was ready to order new trucks, it decided on the Kenworth W990.

“We have a couple of W900s in our fleet and those have been great. I really like the looks of the traditional truck. The new W990 has more comfort features, along with a longer frame, and our drivers and mechanics really like that. It’s not like driving an old school truck — it drives more like a car. It’s so quiet, and the ride is smooth. It’s spacious and comfortable. Our drivers like them.”

Since the trucks operate in the woods with lots of differing terrain, altitude gains and mud, the W990s are equipped with 550 hp engines and 13-speed manual transmissions. A wide track front axle also was spec’d to provide a tighter wheel cut.

Tyler said the new W990s are rolling billboards for the company.

“We had the W990 painted all the same color and put our name on the door in reflective vinyl to be noticeable and stand out over the average truck,” he said. “The trucks are the face of our business — that is what the public sees all the time, so we wanted to have a respectable image. It’s resulted in more people calling looking for a job or calling with timber to sell because they saw the truck.”

Going forward, Tyler said the company sees plenty of work in the forecast.

“We have plenty of work lined up,” he said. “There is a lot of growth in our area with housing and commercial building. In the last two years, about 40 percent of the tracts that we have harvested have been for building projects. We’re also looking at different markets within the timber industry to sustain our growth — so we plan to add more trucks once we find qualified drivers.”

For more information, visit www.kenworth.com. 

In operation since 1978, the logging company expanded its operation in 1998 by investing in a chipping business, hauling chips from the woods to area paper mills. Along with the logging operation, the company runs 17 trucks — all Kenworths.

NO THE J BO EV YER !YDA R

O er a CEN ev Y of buUR UT g tildin he er ev y best a he vy-dut - y t arailer os r s f g neour haulin oy eds!

Richmond Machinery

1701 Roseneath Road Richmond, VA 23230 804-359-4048 www.richmondmachinery.com

Felling’s Pan Tilt Trailers Undergo Design Modifications

The Felling Trailers’ drop-deck Pan Tilt model has undergone design modifications to increase operator ease of use and safety.

The Pan Tilt is a gravity tilt trailer, using gravity and a center pivot point for tilting the trailer bed. Felling’s Engineering team recently reviewed the Pan Tilt’s design looking for ways to improve operator ease of use along with production efficiencies. Modifications have been made to the Pan Tilt’s locking mechanism, lighting, license plate mount position and location.

The tilt locking mechanism is the most notable of the modifications improving the production process, flexibility to function with optional features, and most importantly, operator ease of use. The previous locking mechanism was a purchased part that required modification and multiple latches dependent upon a trailer build’s selected features, power up/down, or a toolbox, as it was mounted on the front of the trailer.

“The goal was not to have a longer hitch length if they [the end-user] optioned cylinders [power up/down] or an extra latch for a toolbox, making the base design more modular, streamlining the manufacturing process,” said Felling Trailers’ Engineering Team Lead, Cathy Voge.

The new locking mechanism is located on the front roadside of the trailer, operating as a lever that releases a lock bar located under the front deck frame. All the components for this locking system are sourced internally, improving fit and function.

Modifications completed with an emphasis on production efficiencies were lighting and the license plate mount. Lighting modifications reduced the number of weld components needed, replacing the front marker lights and mounting plate with bullet lights that mount into the hitch channel. The bullet light mounted into the hitch channel also provides better wiring protection.

The license plate mount on the pan tilts is utilized across other Felling tilt deck lines. This style mount prominently displays the license plate without obstruction from the taillights or cargo being transported, promoting operator and towing safety.

For more information, visit www.felling.com. 

Felling’s Engineering team recently reviewed the Pan Tilt’s design looking for ways to improve operator ease of use along with production efficiencies. Modifications have been made to the Pan Tilt’s locking mechanism, lighting, license plate mount position and location.

Stellar, an employee-owned and operated manufacturer of mechanic trucks and cranes, tire service trucks, hooklifts, roll-off cable hoists, trailers, and service truck and van accessories, is expanding its FuelMate fuel trailer line with the new multi-tank fuel trailer.

The multi-tank design enables operators to haul diesel fuel without the need for CDL hazmat certification — helping them stay DOT-compliant while saving on equipment and driver costs.

The Stellar multi-tank fuel trailer is an alternative to fuel transfer tanks and dedicated fuel trucks because it does not require a dedicated chassis and frees up CDL hazmat operators.

The fuel trailer is equipped with seven 110-gal. internally baffled fuel tanks with sight gauge, vented cap and tank breather. It also features one 110-gal. stainless steel DEF tank, work lighting and a drawer system. Additional features and benefits include: • A spacious, ergonomically useful 54-in. cabinet with “gull wing” doors. • Tube framing that is stronger than channel iron. • A spring leaf that is more durable and easier to replace. • A primer powder coat for superior salt spray performance, durability and a premium finish.

“Our new multi-tank fuel trailer enables operators to make better use of their time, team and money when transporting fuel,” said Jason Vertin, director of sales, ag and utility trailers at Stellar.

For more information, visit www.stellarindustries.com.  “Our new multi-tank fuel trailer enables operators to make better use of their time, team and money when transporting fuel.”

Jason Vertin

The multi-tank design enables operators to haul diesel fuel without the need for CDL hazmat certification — helping them stay DOT-compliant while saving on equipment and driver costs.

NTEA Lauds Senate Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Legislation

NTEA — The Association for the Work Truck Industry announced support for legislation to combat the rise in catalytic converter theft.

The Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act (Senate Bill 5024) — introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) — is designed to help law enforcement more effectively trace stolen converters and address these thefts.

A companion bill (H.R. 6394) was introduced by U.S. Representative James Baird (R-IN) in the House of Representatives earlier this year.

“Theft of catalytic converters and other precious metals is widespread in our country and is costly to victims of such theft,” said Steve Carey, NTEA president and CEO.

“This legislation is a step in the right direction in addressing this problem. NTEA applauds the efforts of Sen. Klobuchar and Sen. Wyden, as well as Rep. Baird, and encourages industry companies to support this important effort by contacting their legislators.”

NTEA joins the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the American Truck Dealers (ATD) in endorsing S. 5024.

In a press release, Klobuchar noted that catalytic converters are used to reduce the potency of toxic emissions from an internal combustion engine and required for vehicle compliance with the Clean Air Act. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts rose by more than 325 percent from 2019 to 2020. Replacing these parts imposes significant financial costs to vehicle owners, and can even result in a total loss to the vehicle. The PART Act would: • Require new vehicles to have a vehicle identification number (VIN) stamped onto the converter to allow law enforcement officers to link stolen parts to the vehicle from which they originate; • Create a grant program through which entities can stamp VIN numbers onto catalytic converters of existing vehicles; • Improve recordkeeping standards for purchasers of used catalytic converters; and • Establish enforceability of laws around catalytic converter theft by codifying these crimes as a criminal offense.

For more information, visit ntea.com/ partact. 