Trailerbodybuilders 11936 Trail Eze Straightpoint Trailer
Trailerbodybuilders 11936 Trail Eze Straightpoint Trailer
Trailerbodybuilders 11936 Trail Eze Straightpoint Trailer
Trailerbodybuilders 11936 Trail Eze Straightpoint Trailer
Trailerbodybuilders 11936 Trail Eze Straightpoint Trailer

Trail-Eze installs Straightpoint load cells at Mitchell SD facility

April 30, 2019
Trail-Eze recently installed two 13-ton capacity Straightpoint (SP) Radiolink plus load cells at its facility in Mitchell SD.

Heavy-equipment trailer manufacturer Trail-Eze recently installed two 13-ton capacity Straightpoint (SP) Radiolink plus load cells in its material handling operations at its new state-of-the-art facility in Mitchell SD.

StraightPoint, headquartered in Havant, England, is an international manufacturing company specializing in the production and calibration of load cell equipment for multiple applications, including force measurement, load monitoring, suspended load weighing and compression force sensing.

The company’s Radiolink plus, which is designed for rigging with standard Crosby shackles, is a wireless tension load cell capable of weighing and dynamic load monitoring in capacities from 1 ton to 500 tons.

Trail-Eze, a third-generation, family-owned business that specializes in the production of sliding axle, hydraulic tail and detach trailers, recently opened a new site at its headquarters, which is now one of three central South Dakota facilities—in Mitchell, Corsica and Platte—where it fabricates trailers from start to finish.

“Opening the new facility marks the culmination of years of research and development into the latest painting and finishing technology,” said Nate Tapio, operations manager at Trail-Eze. “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 manufacturer’s new 41,000-square-foot building was custom-designed for the final stages of trailer manufacture, including blasting, painting, wood decking and final inspection. It boasts two 7.5-ton-capacity overhead cranes with a 92-foot span that covers most of the 100-foot-wide, free-span building; and one 15-ton, double-hoist crane with a span of 60 feet.

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.

“We actually discovered the SP solutions through our local lifting and rigging equipment supplier, Dakota Riggers,” Tapio said. “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.”

The Radiolink plus is SP’s best-selling dynamometer, the company said. It’s available in a long range, 2.4GHz version, providing 2,300 feet of 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 328 feet.

“This is the first time we have utilized any of their products but we’ve been impressed,” Tapio said. “Previously our methods were inconsistent and time-consuming. Now, we can quickly and accurately get a weight on every trailer.”

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TBB Staff