Road transport equipment manufacturer, Howard Porter (HP), recently built a number of new Performance-Based Standards (PBS) road train combinations for Qube’s bulk transport operations in Western Australia.
The combinations are 42m PBS level 3B triple road train specification with Gross Combination Mass (GCM) of 148 tonnes with a payload of 109 tonnes. The new road trains features Fuwa K Hitch unitised hub disc brake axles, 11.5-tonne capacity Fuwa K Hitch mechanical spring suspension, Fuwa K Hitch fifth wheel range, and Fuwa K Hitch landing legs.
“K Hitch have been a key supplier of semi-trailer components to Howard Porter for more than 30 years,” says Roy Lombardi, CEO of Howard Porter. “The relationship continued when FUWA purchased K Hitch and entered the Australian market.”
The new road trains, which are expected to move concentrates into Geraldton, is one of the many standard and custom-made combinations built by HP for Qube’s WA operations in the last 10 years. Established in Fremantle in 1936, HP is one of the most trusted semi-trailer manufacturers in Australia, with manufacturing and service centres located in Perth, Brisbane, Asia, Malaysia and New Zealand.
“HP prides in the ability to design and build high-productivity transport equipment such as PBS combinations that result in less truck movements for the transport task,” Roy says. “We work closely with customers and suppliers to make sure the right equipment is supplied to suit the working environment that the equipment is operating in.”
HP has been using a number of Fuwa K Hitch components, including axles, suspensions, kingpins, and landing legs, extensively across its wide-ranging road transport equipment manufacturing.
“Fuwa K Hitch has been an established brand in the market for a long time, offering components that have proven their quality and reliability,” Roy says. “They make good products, and their technical support and back-up is excellent. Their spare parts are readily available, which minimises downtime for us and our customers. In case a component is not available off-the-shelf, they are able to arrange supply for us within a reasonable lead time.”
According to Roy, a big advantage of putting the Fuwa K Hitch axles into service is the ability to use unitised disc wheel bearings. Not only do unitised wheel bearings allow pre-adjustment of the bearings, the unitised bearings are a sealed, and since they can also be pre-lubricated there is no need to grease or adjust them unlike adjustable bearings.
“The continuous product development of the unitised cartridge style bearing has seen it become one of the most popular choices of axles amongst the range of Fuwa K Hitch products,” says Ryan Ussher, State Manager WA/NT, Fuwa K Hitch. “The advantages fleets have with this application, is the significant reduction in downtime. With the bearings assembled and set to a precise factory setting, this enables our fleets to significantly reduce maintenance costs by eliminating the need to remove, replace, re-lubricate and reset bearings and seals.”
Mechanical suspensions are a common choice for heavy-duty off-road combinations. With its tried and proven suspension design, the Fuwa K Hitch mechanical spring suspension was an easy pick for this new HP road train. Its main components are made from cast steel and can be fitted to a wide range of axles and applications.
The Fuwa K Hitch ROADBOSS fifth wheel is a non-adjustable two-piece jaw design, fully fabricated from high-quality steel. The simple and positive connecting ability of the two-piece jaw design is renowned for its robustness in tough applications. It is available in four basic tops.
The other Fuwa K Hitch product featuring in the new road train combination, are the Fuwa K Hitch landing legs. Built to the latest standards and manufacturing processes, the K Hitch landing legs are all of a two-speed design and available with different feet and different travel.
“Fuwa K Hitch make a broad range of both on-highway and heavy-duty off-road equipment for mining applications,” Roy says. “The HP patented PBS roll coupled drawbar system helps improve stability and handling of the combination, particularly in tough road conditions.”
Fuwa K Hitch has expanded to become a leading supplier of trailing equipment in Australia. FUWA is continuously working to improve its designs and manufacturing techniques. Currently, its global manufacturing facility produces nearly 800,000 axles, 200,000 landing gear sets, 40,000 suspensions, along with fifth wheels, kingpins, slack adjusters and other components per annum. Fuwa K Hitch incorporates the national sales and distribution of the entire product offering across Australia, as well as the final assembly of the Fuwa K Hitch range of axles, suspensions and fifth wheel assemblies – all of which are designed and tested for the Australian market and transportation needs.
