The Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) Technical and Maintenance Conference (TMC) is an annual two-day event which brings together some of the industry’s most prolific and important personnel. This year’s instalment was hosted last month at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Flemington, Victoria.
Among the companies involved at TMC25 was leading manufacturer, SAF-Holland, which showcased its range of fifth wheels in a comprehensive workshop session. The presentation, led by SAF-Holland Technical Officer, Ross Molloy, provided an in-depth update on SAF-Holland’s fifth wheel operation, serviceability and attractive range.
Ross began the session by explaining that although modern fifth wheels may look familiar, years of refinement have tightened tolerances, improved castings and enhanced sensor reliability.
“All the moving parts underneath are basically the same as 40 years ago,” he said. “What’s changed is how we manufacture and maintain them.”
Despite the foundation of fifth wheels in general being largely unchanged, SAF-Holland has improved its own product range in certain ways.
“There have been a few changes over the years,” Ross continued. “For instance, we’ve upgraded the castings on some of the fifth wheels so that they look a lot more refined, among other small things.”
These changes have specifically been applied on the company’s FW331 and FW351-E models for stronger and more stable coupling capabilities. The Holland FW351 and FW331 models have seen their ratings increased to 210kN, supported by upgraded castings and tighter pin-and-bore tolerances that reduce vertical movement.
“We upgraded the casting for these models, and their pin and bore tolerances are a lot higher, which means there is less vertical movement in the fifth wheels,” Ross explained. “This last upgrade was imperative. For the last seven years or so, we have had some fifth wheel castings experience vertical movement which led to irregular wear in a trailer coupling and had the potential to reduce lifespan. But with all the improvements, fifth wheels are very reliable nowadays.”
SAF-Holland’s presentation also highlighted the ongoing evolution of electronic lock indicator technology – technology that is now easily accessible through SAF-Holland’s own ELI-te system.
The ELI-te’s plug-and-play 12-volt setup provides both visual and optional audible alerts to verify coupling integrity. The visual system conveys an unsuccessful fifth wheel coupling status to operators via red lights. Alternatively, a successful coupling triggers white lights which illuminate the king pin throat for easy inspection.
“ELI-te can now be implemented to both our 331 and 351-E fifth wheels,” Ross said. “Due to the software’s advancements, the current ELI-te system is extremely reliable.
“It comes with two distinct sensors – a flag sensor on the fifth wheel’s jaw and another proximity sensor on the cam plate to show when the cam plate is actually closed. Through the red or white lighting system, the driver is made aware of the coupling’s status.”
Despite the capabilities of ELI-te, Ross urged those in the audience at TMC to check the couplings of their combinations themselves.
“The ELI-te system is there to assist the driver, not replace good practice,” he said. “Drivers still need to get out, look and perform a tug test.”
SAF-Holland’s FW331 and FW351-E models are suited for various applications. While the FW331 was designed for fitment on B-double combinations in particular, the FW351-E model can be used on single, double and road train combinations.
The FW331 and FW351-E models have become very well-known within SAF-Holland’s fifth wheel portfolio. But they are also supported by other fifth wheel types which Ross delved into during his TMC workshop session.
Ross specifically shed light on SAF-Holland’s G36 range of fifth wheels which continues to be prominent in SAF-Holland’s product offering.
“The G36 range of fifth wheels have a different jaw design,” he explained. “These fifth wheels are built with a single swinging jaw as opposed to a twin-jaw system. Apart from that, they feature other similar characteristics like a standard ISO bolt on their feet, D-value rating from 152kN to 200kN and a vertical rating of 22 tonnes.”
Ross’ discussion on the mechanics of fifth wheels was also supplemented by information on how operators can keep their equipment maintained. He covered issues such as improper lubrication, over-tight jaw adjustment or neglecting wear tolerances.
Much of this information was made available to attendees with USB sticks which contained various checklists and materials related to fifth wheel servicing.
“The USBs we have include fifth wheel lubrication and inspection checklists, which we encourage all operators to use when they are servicing our fifth wheels,” Ross said. “It’s a great tool for documenting the maintenance that you can apply to our products.”
SAF-Holland’s display at TMC25 clearly demonstrated a robust, reliable and safe product line.
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