One noticeable feature that stands out on the BT300 Piranha Chipper is the twin axle trailer design, which is different to what the majority of the American-made wood chippers in the 12” size do so let’s unpack some the benefits of a single axle trailer compared to a twin axle design.
The main benefit with a single axle trailer design is when turning tight (especially reversing), a single axle can turn tighter without damaging the ground surface because a twin axle design skids the wheels as you turn sharply and on soft / unsealed surfaces this can cause damage to the ground.
With a tandem axle with load-sharing suspension design (as the Piranha is), the load of the trailer is shared between both axles making for several advantages:
· Twice the floatation over soft ground meaning less chance of getting bogged or stuck in soft ground conditions
· Twice the braking performance (Piranha Chippers have electric brakes on all axles) which is especially noticeable in wet and slippery conditions, and a key safety feature.
· Far less tow ball weight loading as the load-sharing suspension equals out the chipper weight to the wheels rather than pivoting it onto the drawer bar. This also means the tow vehicle (chipper truck) can still be rated to its full GVM as the chipper is adding minimal weight to the rear axle load.
· Superior towing experience as the tandem suspension absorbs the bumps and potholes, rather than sending the shock down the drawer bar and into the tow vehicle
So while there is an advantage in having a single axle trailer design, from a safety and durability perspective a tandem axle trailer design is far superior to a single axle version.
Comments