Bruce Rock Engineering manufactures a range of trailers to suit the demanding requirements of transport operators around the country. Meeting the company’s need for durable components, Fuwa K-Hitch supplies a large quantity of axles, suspensions and other key trailer constituents to the company.
Bruce Rock Engineering (BRE) provides a complete range of trailer solutions to the agricultural, mining, construction and general freight industries nationwide. Products include low loaders, side tippers, end tippers, drop decks and fridge vans.
The company says it uses innovative construction techniques along with some of the lightest and strongest materials and components available to produce trailers with extraordinarily low tare weights.
These components include Fuwa K-Hitch (FKH) axles and suspension, ball-races, turntables, landing legs and king-pins.
In addition to building trailers, BRE provides a number of support services to its customers including comprehensive truck and trailer repairs and maintenance as well as a tyre service.
According to BRE Managing Director, Damion Verhoogt, the company has a long-standing relationship with FKH, having used its products for more than 15 years.
“We’ve been using FKH components since they first came to Australia in 2003,” Damion says. “Over the years the products have proven to be reliable and long lasting in our harsh operating conditions, prompting us to incorporate them into an increasing number of our trailer builds.
“We now specify the FKH products on most of our trailers, and because every application is different, we use a range of configurations to suit each customer’s unique requirements. Nearly every trailer we build incorporates at least one FKH component.”
He goes on to explain that because mechanical spring suspension is widely used in Western Australia, the FKH 11.5t, 13t, 17t and 20t versions are popular choices for different applications including on
and off-road.
The 11.5t FKH mechanical spring suspension is said to be a tried and proven design. With the main components made from cast steel, this suspension can be used with a wide range of axles in various applications.
The 17t capacity unit is made from high-grade fabricated steel with special hard-chromed rocker pins and Vesconite bushes. The springs can be fitted to the axle in either underslung or overslung configurations.
BRE also fits FKH air suspension including KI, KT and Weweler variants.
The KT suspension package is adaptable to a range of drum and disc brake axles. It features fabricated box-section trailing arms designed and manufactured for rugged Australian conditions.
The underslung KT250U and overslung KT250T both have an 11t capacity with multiple ride height options. The former has a total axle weight of between 156 and 176kg while the latter weighs between 148 and 159kg, due to different specifications.
Meanwhile, the FKH KI25 fabricated axle and air suspension module is designed for the tare weight conscious on-highway operator.
The KI25 modules are manufactured with the suspension trailing arms permanently attached to an axle tube with a 146mm outside diameter. This coupled with the ConMet alloy wheel-end system is claimed to offer durable performance with low tare weight and ease of maintenance. KI25 trailing arms are fitted with wide pivot bushes as standard.
As for the Weweler air suspension, it comes in a range of sizes starting with the Ultra Lite 9t and Euro 9t and moving up to the Heavy Duty 11t and 13t units.
These designs feature the latest in weld-free clamp-to-the-axle technology. The trailing arms are made from flexible, high-strength forged spring steel and innovative bolt-on air bag mounting seats are adaptable for different ride heights and offsets.
For BRE’s Damion Verhoogt , using FKH axles and suspension for the last 15 years has meant the products are well and truly proven in a wide range of applications.
“The FKH components are very competitively priced in a lot of sectors – in value-for-money terms I don’t think you can go past them,” he states.
Damion goes on to outline an interesting joint venture BRE has with North American Wabash Trailers, which has recently culminated in BRE importing Wabash fridge vans in flat-pack form which are subsequently assembled and fitted to BRE’s own chassis. This means that FKH components are also used in the build. One of the first examples of this new build process was on display at BRE’s stand at the Brisbane Truck Show.
“We have been the sole Australian distributor for Wabash for the last five years but up until now we have imported the trailers as fully built-up units,” Damion explains. “Now we are importing the box in kit form and building them up locally using our own chassis. This enables us to have greater flexibility and more control which leads to superior build quality.”
As for the retail aspect of BRE, Damion says the company has four sites of its own in the west while on the eastern side of the country it relies on the sales and service outlets of other trailer dealers.
In conclusion, Damion says the team at FKH in WA is fantastic to work with and maintains a well-stocked warehouse, meaning BRE always has access to the necessary components when they are required.
Fast Fact: Western Australian trailer manufacturer Bruce Rock Engineering has been using Fuwa K-Hitch components – including axles and suspension, ball-races, turntables, landing legs and king-pins – for the past 15 years. The company says the products have proven to be reliable and long lasting under harsh Australian operating conditions.