These were a cheaper way of running at 32 tons when the increase in artic weight came in the 1960s.
I don’t recall pulling any of these but then didn’t start on artics until ‘76, when 32t was ok on 4 axles, interestingly where i started the tandems were generally still on 900 x 20’ (or 10 x 22,5)and if pulled by a fast tractor fully freighted were prone to the odd blow out during hot weather, those on 1000 x 20 (11 x 22.5 equvalent) didn’t.
Was the trailer chassis of lighter construction than the tandem models, bearing in mind just how little of the trailer length was unsupported by axles?
Tyre scrub wouldn’t have been the issue it is today because drivers generally didn’t perform unecessary U turns, instead performing 3 point turns or blind siding in, which was much easier with cab rear windows being standard fitment.
Remember too, many wagons of the era (i didn’t get powered steering till about '79) didn’t have power steering so driver’s didn’t perform any more tight turns than needed and no power steering sharpend your maneuvering skills up pdq anyway 
The 33’ triaxle trailers ran on single 900x20 or 1000x20
The 33’ triaxle trailers ran on single 900x20 or 1000x20
I remember my Father pulling DFDS tri-axles out of North Shields with his C Reg Seddon 30:4:6LX rated for 32 Ton before the 1968 C&U regs change, it looked quite an outfit back then and when the 40ft trailers arrived many deliveries were met with ‘Ooh we haven’t had anything that big in here before, don’t think you’ll do it driver’ then being pleasantly surprised when it did. Franky.
The first company I remember running tri-axle were Sealand District transport out of Shotton, as the trailer on single tyres they could specify wider chassis rails to enable a wide coil well in the trailer, a couple of these trailers lasted until the early 1990’s when Merlin did the transport for British Steel.
Perhaps a couple of lads on the steel remember these trailers? Wide but not very deep well.
pete smith:
The first company I remember running tri-axle were Sealand District transport out of Shotton, as the trailer on single tyres they could specify wider chassis rails to enable a wide coil well in the trailer, a couple of these trailers lasted until the early 1990’s when Merlin did the transport for British Steel.
Perhaps a couple of lads on the steel remember these trailers? Wide but not very deep well.
Hi Pete,yes I remember them,and they were still using them on internal work in Shotton well into 70s and probably much later,I was on tankers then and loaded crude benzene out of their by-products plant.
Dixons of Scholar Green were regulars in John Summers and they ran tri-axles for coils.I’m not sure who to credit the photo to,looks like it’s out of a book. I also remember T H Brown from Grimsby running tri-axles in late 60s.
From my recollection I think these early tri axles had a lot of tyre probs although like 4 in lines the idea was spot on in theory to enable 32 ton gvw to be achieved but also the ones I recall were on narrow track axles using centre knave wheels. I also recall that I saw some with twin wheel centre axles which was supposed to help with the tyre probs. However I will have declare an interest as the first trailer I bought in late '69 was a single wheeled tandem 4 but it was on wide track axles and we never experienced any adverse tyre probs not even a punture. Oh! and IIRC Harris Road Services ran some tri axle coilers out of Shotton as I was Pals with one of their night men who ran to Iver 5 nights a week with coil and returned empty. Cheers Bewick
Bewick:
From my recollection I think these early tri axles had a lot of tyre probs although like 4 in lines the idea was spot on in theory to enable 32 ton gvw to be achieved but also the ones I recall were on narrow track axles using centre knave wheels. I also recall that I saw some with twin wheel centre axles which was supposed to help with the tyre probs. However I will have declare an interest as the first trailer I bought in late '69 was a single wheeled tandem 4 but it was on wide track axles and we never experienced any adverse tyre probs not even a punture. Oh! and IIRC Harris Road Services ran some tri axle coilers out of Shotton as I was Pals with one of their night men who ran to Iver 5 nights a week with coil and returned empty. Cheers Bewick
Hey Bewick,
We pulled some Reeve trailers of '30ft, with the tandem so far as possible at the back, gave that an avantage to reach the 32 ton limit.
Later they had he normal '33 and afterwards de wide spreads '36 and '40 ft’s, already it was Hammond by that time.
Eric,
Not the best photo, but Pete, yes they ran a lot of these from Shotton, before moving to CF coil trailers in the late 80s that were a special build
The early tri-axle coilers that Shotton fleet ran were built in the mid 60s by Task. They only ran them on the road until 38tonne finished their useful life on the road (a bit ironic) but they used them internally and down to their wharf, which didn’t involve public roads, they were used to the mid 90s at least running at 50tonnes(ish) I seem to recall but may be wrong that they put 10t springs on them.
The wide well trailers that Pete Smith mentions used by Merlin were much newer, 84/85 or there abouts, the drivers hated them, trying to sheet a big 7’ tall coil from a well 3’ deep with a side walkway about 9" wide was for the circus. As with all other Shotton fleet trailers after those Tasks they were designed in house and built by Crane Fruehauf, they were all weird in one way or another, the head honchos were very proud of those wide well trailers, but only ever one batch was delivered. Most coil hauliers used M&G/AHP subframe coilers to achieve a wider well although the flex between the stepframe chassis and the well subframe did mean replacing the well lining every few years due to cracking, but they were much more versatile.
I notice Bewick makes particular mention of a Harris nightman always returning empty. Well, you’d better sit down for this Dennis, the hauliers based close to Shotton almost always returned empty from anywhere, a few of them did reload out of South Wales but only straight back into Shotton with raw coil for coating but generally they viewed backloads as a waste of time The hauliers based further away, Lancs, Salop, Stoke, Derbys, Penrith etc on the other hand all backloaded normally as long as it fitted in with getting back.
I agree that there would be little chance of reloading the Harris Coiler around Iver at 11 pm !! 
But you are correct about the ■■■■■■■■ hauliers, mainly from the Penrith area, that were involved in regular steel traffic . Two of them were Pals of mine the first being the great late Curly Cargill who ran mainly AHP coilers and who’s main traffic was refractory bricks out of Scotland to mainly S. Wales and coil & flat steel back into Scotland although Curly would tackle any kind of traffic from any area in the UK when the occasion demanded. My other Pal was Darryl Lee from Shap and he was a regular haulier out of Gartcosh with coil for the south. Cheers Bewick.
My dad ran a couple of triaxle trailers in his fleet in the 60’s and excessive tire wear was a big issue with them.
BRS had load of these 33ft tri axles on the Heinz contract in the mid to late 60’s, they used to come past my house on the corner of Rowley rd Coventry. They changed over with the London lads day and night, units were either Leyland Beavers, Guy BigJ or AEC Mandators, my Brother and I would lay in bed, and guess the make, we were pretty good at it too.
I regularly pulled one of these trailers,a Dyson I think it was when driving for Humber McVeigh’s Salford,loaded with Massey Ferguson spares from Trafford Park,delivering multi drops to London docks and agents throughout the UK.
David
There’s been mention of tyre problems with these early trailers, I did a few months with a local tyre company while I was waiting to start my forces service and we did a lot of ESSO work at their North Shields depot. They were quite a tough tyre to change and sometimes would take two to change one, mainly one guy holding a bar in the required place while the other did the main work and you could get a good sweat on with a few to change at one session, if I recall they were still inner tubed too. Although ESSO tended to have tandem axles on these singles they did seem to suffer wear and tread damage easier than twin 10.00’s. This was where I came across the Allison auto boxes too in the 500 Series Dodge four wheel tankers they had, many of todays drivers think Auto gearboxes are recent innovations but they’ve been around for a while. Franky.
Frankydobo:
There’s been mention of tyre problems with these early trailers, I did a few months with a local tyre company while I was waiting to start my forces service and we did a lot of ESSO work at their North Shields depot. They were quite a tough tyre to change and sometimes would take two to change one, mainly one guy holding a bar in the required place while the other did the main work and you could get a good sweat on with a few to change at one session, if I recall they were still inner tubed too. Although ESSO tended to have tandem axles on these singles they did seem to suffer wear and tread damage easier than twin 10.00’s. This was where I came across the Allison auto boxes too in the 500 Series Dodge four wheel tankers they had, many of todays drivers think Auto gearboxes are recent innovations but they’ve been around for a while. Franky.
Would the tyres your talking about Franky be the “Super Singles” that were the equivalent of a pair of twin 1000x20/1100x22:5 ? Cheers Dennis.
Can remember changing a few super singles on tankers, most of the early ones were cross ply tubeless and were a right ball ache.
Would the tyres your talking about Franky be the “Super Singles” that were the equivalent of a pair of twin 1000x20/1100x22:5 ? Cheers Dennis.
They would be Dennis but I can’t recall the size now, I know they were tough as old boots to change, excuse the pun, the tyre company I worked for Briggs Tyres (still in operation but under National Tyres now), were mainly a Dunlop dealer and I’m sure the tyres were Dunlop makes but could be wrong. It was normally a weekly job to sort Esso’s tyres and had up to a dozen different sizes each visit so they must have had a good sized tyre bill. Franky.