To remain at the forefront of lightweight fifth wheel and sensor development for more than 15 years, a company not only requires constant innovation, but also a consistent approach to how it treats important markets and tailored customer needs.
For instance, Jost, expertly recognises that all markets present unique operating environments, so in the Australian market, the company ensures all its fifth wheels are re-tested here to ensure they provide optimum performance in these well defined conditions.
Manufacturing and assembling each of its products at its own customised facilities has proved to be another edge as customers are given an assurance that they are purchasing a genuine article that can be fully supported by Jost’s Australia-wide network of company owned branches and over 300 distributors.
A Component Registration Number (CRN) is applied to all Jost fifth wheels to guarantee that the assembly – including pedestals and base plates – have been successfully tested.
Another plus is the company’s wide range – further recognition that tailored solutions coupled with innovation – provide the most cost-effective choices for the marketplace. The range includes fifth wheels on flat plates or ripple plates, stabilised units and others mounted on ball race assemblies – including low profile, double row and single row versions.
Jost has manufactured a range of lightweight fifth wheels for over a decade. The company’s products are ideal for use with imposed loads of 3 to 50 tonnes, but a vital add-on is that the designs are easy to use while avoiding coupling errors with a proven locking mechanism.
The unique features of Jost’s fifth wheels are the wear rings and lock jaws that take only minutes to replace with simple hand tools. Unlike many models, these parts can be replaced without having to remove the fifth wheel from the truck chassis – a considerable downtime saving.
The models that have proved to be the most popular include the lightweight JSK 36 DVI pressed fifth wheel rated at 170kN. Jost also offers its low maintenance greaseless fifth wheels in a number of configurations to suit all applications, including greaseless versions of the JSK 37 and the JSK 37 CZW, plus models with the Lubetronic Sensor System.
For more arduous conditions, the JSK 38 C model and JSK 38 G double oscillating model are ideal. Both of these are available in 2 inch, 3 inch and 3.5 inch versions, however they are completely convertible to other king pin size configurations. For applications including mining, the JSK 50 suits.
The JSK 42 Series is a more recently released range of lightweight fifth wheels. Available in both standard and greaseless options with a variety of pedestal heights, it offers around a 20 per cent weight saving. It is also available with a wide variety of sensor systems including three point sensors – a mechanism that ensures the fifth wheel is coupled and uncoupled correctly.
But again, Jost has thought outside the square by acknowledging that while lightweight fifth wheels and sensor systems are a perfect fit for some applications, they are not suited to others where a more conventional system will prove the best solution. To this end, the company will always insist on clearly determining the application prior to recommending a lightweight fifth wheel in order to provide the best possible customer service and satisfaction.
Also developed by Jost is its own ball race slider assembly, which has proved to be a popular addition to its product offering. A wide range of sliders is available in both manual and pneumatic in standard and lightweight models with various height options. These are manufactured in the production facilities in Sydney and Melbourne.
Across its range, the company places a great deal of emphasis on after sales service and back-up and its products have remained competitively priced. Whatever the requirement, whether it be single trailer application, B-doubles, B-triples, road trains or mining applications – Jost has a fifth wheel product to suit.
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