Trail-Eze Inc., a Mitchell, South Dakota-based manufacturer of heavy equipment trailers, has put two 13-ton capacity Straightpoint (SP) Radiolink plus load cells at the heart of material handling operations at its new, state-of-the-art facility.
Trail-Eze specializes in production of sliding axle, hydraulic tail, and detach trailers to assist customers in efficiently and safely moving equipment on the road. The third generation, family-owned business recently opened the new site at headquarters, which is now one of three central South Dakota facilities—in Mitchell, Corsica, and Platte—where it fabricates trailers from start to finish.
Nate Tapio, operations manager at Trail-Eze, said: “Opening the new facility marks the culmination of years of research and development into the latest painting and finishing technology. The site allows us to consolidate the final stages of our production under one roof. The dynamometers are integral to a technologically-advanced operating environment; the software is easily customized to our needs, the products are user-friendly, and they save us time on every trailer.”
The new, 41,000 sq. ft. building has been custom-designed for the final stages of trailer manufacture; blasting, painting, wood decking, and final inspection are principle tasks. Two 7.5-ton capacity overhead cranes with a 92-ft. span cover most of the 100 ft.-wide, free span building, while a single 15-ton, double-hoist crane has a span of 60 ft. The remote-controlled cranes, fitted with Stahl CraneSystems hoists, were fabricated by Global Crane and installed by Orion Rigging. They lift loads in a variety of sizes and weights, which are now accurately monitored by SP’s equipment.
Tapio said: “We actually discovered the SP solutions through our local lifting and rigging equipment supplier, Dakota Riggers. They knew we were seeking a method to generate an accurate weight of pieces and whole trailers we produce; this is important for our manufacturing processes and our customers.”
He added: “This is the first time we have utilized any of their products but we’ve been impressed. Previously our methods were inconsistent and time-consuming. Now, we can quickly and accurately get a weight on every trailer.”
The Radiolink plus is SP’s best-selling dynamometer, designed to be rigged with Crosby standard shackles. The wireless tension load cell is capable of weighing and dynamic load monitoring in capacities from 1t to 500t, from stock. It is available in a long range, 2.4GHz version, providing 700m or 2,300 ft. range to the manufacturer’s SW-HHP handheld or wireless software, or in Bluetooth that can be connected to any smart phone running SP’s free HHP app on iOS or Android at ranges up to 100m or 328ft.
