Ford-Werke, the German subsidiary of Ford Europe, has recently taken delivery of 72 Kögel trailers: 52 ‘Mega’ trailers, and 20 ‘Cargo’ trailers. The trailers are the maximum permissable height of four metres.
The Kögel trailers are tailored to Ford’s vehicle fleet and will be used primarily in procurement logistics for automotive suppliers to Ford’s factories, and for just-in-time material transport between the various Ford factories across Europe.
The new trailers will be fitted with ro-ro equipment consisting of four pairs of heavy-duty lashing rings, and an 8mm-thick compact slide plate for unaccompanied ship and ferry transport. In the external frame there are 13 pairs of lashing rings, which help with optimum load-securing, and are reinforced with a tensile strength of 4,000kg each.
The trailers are also fitted with a reverse warning signal to reduce accidents and a rear monitoring and automatic braking function for use when the trailers are approaching ramps. The system lets the driver know the distance to objects behind the trailers, and can control the programmed EBS (electronic braking system) and suspension functions.
To comply with the legal maximum axle weight limits, and to prevent any damage to the axles caused by overloading, the Ford trailers are fitted with wheelbase regulation. This uses the trailer’s EBS to measure the axle load, and automatically elevates the last trailer axle if the trailer is not fully loaded, or has been partially unloaded. This automatically displaces part of the weight from the king pin on the tractor unit, to the first and second axles on the trailer.
