Return of the Swinglift

In 2019 BoXLoader acquired the Swinglift brand which enabled The Drake Group to offer two quality side loader options in the name of O’Phee to the Australian market. Since then, the Swinglift and BoXLoader ranges have taken a different shape. O’Phee Trailers now manufacture a new and improved design chassis at its facility in Wacol, Queensland, which features a low profile, high tensile and lightweight build.

“We designed a new chassis that is legal with high cube containers,” says Mick O’Phee of The Drake Group.

“It also has a low-profile neck which legally allows you to put a nine-foot-six container on it with a 4.3m overall height.

“It’s still very light tare with our standard removable engine oil tank fuel carrier, so that during fit out we can build a whole engine and oil tank on the bench and then fit it up into the trailer and then vice versa – if there’s ever an issue, we can just unbolt it and the whole cradle comes out.”

Compared to other models, the Swinglift Inline is very different in design. Mick explains that the stabiliser legs are in line with the crane, which is where the name Inline comes from. In simple terms, as you’re unfolding the legs to the container, the crane comes along with it simultaneously. Whereas other side loaders in the market are built with the legs on the outside and the crane on the inside, meaning that it has a dual function which requires you to put the legs down first and then put the crane out onto the container.

“So, you can imagine that there’s a delay by a couple of minutes by the time you get the leg on the ground and hit the other button for the crane to come out,” he says. “That’s where the speed of the Inline comes in. It’s quicker because the more containers you can cart in a day, the more money you’re going to make. If you can get another two, three or four trips a day saving three minutes every container, that’s what it’s all about.”

The Swinglift and BoXLoader models are manufactured in France because, according to Mick, there isn’t a crane manufacturer in Australia that can compete with the same level of exceptional quality.

“France is a very high-tech country in manufacturing, from fabrication through to hydraulic cylinders and valves,” Mick says. “The European manufacturer of the arms and the fabrication is very high level, and their hydraulic valving and cylinder manufacturing is second to none. That transpires in longevity, and it’s just a higher quality product. No one can manufacture hydraulic cranes to that level here in Australia.”

With its dedication to improving productivity and payloads at the forefront of its builds, O’Phee has established itself as one of the first pioneers of Performance-Based Standards (PBS) throughout the last decade, and now half of its builds are standard and the other half is PBS.

“We’re continually looking at different ways through the PBS system to benefit the customer, and the customer may come to us with a particular freight task or a higher container and different way that they want things done,” Mick says. “Under the prescriptive standard models that are available, it’s impossible. So, you’ve only got one choice, which is to become a little bit innovative and create a trailer that can do that task, and that’s where PBS comes in and that’s what we do.”

PBS is a very important factor to consider, which Mick says not too many people are prepared to do as it is a big risk to take.

“It’s very important but not too many people are prepared to do that, because they want to see whether it’s going to work before they invest in it,” he says. “We have a different mindset and we’ve always had that mindset. Even with our standard type trailers we try and push the boundary with our customers rather than building the same old thing. It’s worked well for us, and it’s helped us become the leader in the industry, and I’m pretty proud of that.”