Upgrading to hydraulic self-levelling suspension has led to a radical overhaul of the running gear on K-Two’s Roadeo trailers. It’s a sophisticated set-up that takes a little bit of explaining, so, to get an idea of how the system works, Nick Fone worked his way around a prototype unit on silage-carting duties
Two years ago K-Two decided that it wanted to offer something a little different from the rest of the trailer competition on the UK market. So the Bucks-based firm turned to its European counterparts for some inspiration on the issues of safety and stability on the road when towing larger trailers at higher speeds.
While K-Two was already on top of the job in terms of its brakes and steering axles, the firm’s suspension system hadn’t radically changed in line with the rest of the trailer design. Enter Dutch firm Tridec, along
with its hydraulic suspension technology.
Part of the commercial vehicle parts giant, Jost World, the Netherlands-based outfit specialises in steering and suspension for trailers. Tridec’s off-road division has been developing systems for forestry and farming kit for a number of years, with its hydraulic set-up already adopted by Dutch and German trailer makers Beco and Krampe.
K-Two was keen to be the first to bring it to the UK so got to work to see how much the existing Roadeo chassis design would have to change to accommodate the Tridec system. It soon became obvious that the chassis would have to be narrowed to accommodate the suspension cylinders in-board of the wheels. A narrower ladder frame meant the main tipping rams would be close together, which increased the likelihood of twisting as the Roadeo’s body was hoisted into the air, but this could be solved by shifting the three-stage cylinders to the outside of the chassis.
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