It was last August when Kianna Farms, a wheat and sheep farm in Burracoppin, Western Australia, was on the hunt for a new set of grain tippers. The business had two specific goals in mind – increasing tare weights and achieving higher payloads – and by investing in Bruce Rock Engineering (BRE) it went on to reap the rewards.
Kianna Farms owner, Jeremy Dean, and his wife, Anthea, first took over the home farm in 2021. It had already been operational by Anthea’s father since 1980 when he first purchased the farm himself. Since then, the whole operation has been fairly steady.
“We do crop and sheep work out here and hope that it rains,” Jeremy says.
Kianna Farms has been running a small fleet including two prime movers and one grain tipper combination to transport bulk agricultural products for quite some time. But when the need for another combination arose, Jeremy identified BRE as the most suitable candidate and pulled the trigger. The result is a 27.5m tri-axle pocket road train set which, boasting an impressive low tare weight, is maximising payload capacity without compromising strength or durability.
“I bought these grain tippers because BRE is a local company that isn’t far from us,” he says. “I like things that are Australian-made, and their trailers are made in Perth. That’s why I got them. We’re a local business and we like to support local companies.”
The road train’s standard specs include Fuwa K Hitch KT suspension and PAN 19 disc brake axles, Alcoa wheels, driver monitoring systems and Right Weigh scales which have been essential to the business’ objective of getting as much freight on board as possible.
“The Right Weigh scales are a big plus for us because we can maximise our weights while making sure that we’re doing the right thing,” Jeremy says.
Designed with the agricultural sector specifically in mind, BRE’s grain tippers offer superior payload efficiency, durability and ease of operation. The tipper bodies are manufactured with 3mm high-tensile Hardox steel which allows them to withstand the demands of harvest seasons while providing smooth unloading capabilities. Additionally, the trailers are manufactured with advanced designs which ensure structural integrity, optimal weight distribution and reduced maintenance needs.
Available in lengths from 9.1m to 10.5m and various suspension spreads to suit axle spacing requirements, the standard body height of each grain tipper is 2.0m. This allows for cubic capacities of 42 to 52 cubic metres.
Jeremy’s grain tipper combination has been deployed to transport grain, gypsum and lime from the farm to paddocks and CBH Group’s depot in Merredin. He has been extremely satisfied with its performance in these operations.
“The road train travels between Merredin and Perth and it’s been spot-on,” he says. “They’re really good trailers. I believe BRE has a pretty good product which is built really strong.”
Its on-road performance has been nothing short of spectacular.
“It handles fantastically on the road,” Jeremy says. “It doesn’t move side to side or sway, it just sits there. The dolly is a spring setup with disc brakes and I spec’d it like that for that reason. It makes the back trailer sit nice and straight, so it’s a really good setup.”
The increase in productivity and efficiency has been a major advantage for Kianna Farms. As Jeremy explains, the higher payload has allowed him to transport more grain in less trips.
“I’m averaging probably five to six tonnes more than my last set,” he says. “I know how much to fill the trailers with the Right Weigh scales, and I know how much I can maximise them.
“The productivity has been a big benefit for us. If we do eight loads a day, we get 45 tonnes extra over the other set. That’s basically one less load that we’d have to do each day.”
The grain tippers also excel in their tipping tasks by unloading all products thrown at them with ease.
“They’re great at unloading, especially with gypsum,” Jeremy says. “I carted a little bit gypsum at the start of the year and it came straight out which was fantastic. Gypsum can be a bit wet, but it slid out perfectly.
“So, the trailers are going really well. I haven’t experienced any product hang-up and they don’t sway or move when they’re up in the air either. They just lift straight up and the product comes out.”
BRE’s close proximity to Kianna Farms has also proved to be advantageous. For Jeremy, it meant that the order, delivery and aftersales support of the unit has been flawless.
“BRE has been great to work with,” he says. “They got back to me straight away when I first approached them, and that was something that stood out to me. I deal with Mitch Lang. He’s been fantastic.
“The quality of the product itself is no different. I’ve had no problems at all, I can’t fault it.”
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