To remedy a Texas hospital’s flat-lining trailers, Hamilton prescribed a heavy dose of aluminum and crafty engineering.
Two custom all-aluminum trailers tote food-service carts around the institution’s campus. They replace crumbling rigs you’d expect to find at a dilapidated theme park.
Each trailer features five parking spots to lock the food carts in place during travel, two drop-down loading ramps, and a roof to protect against the elements.
Why aluminum? According to truck designer Jake Eichold, it’s all about mobility and sparing added expenses.
“These trailers travel 15 mph,” said Eichold. “Aluminum is significantly lighter than steel, so they didn’t need to purchase more powerful towing equipment.”
Low deck. Tall order.
Meeting the customer’s demand for a 13-inch deck height presented a unique challenge.
“Anything over 13 inches, and the ramps would be too steep for workers to push the food carts up onto the trailer,” he said. “The issue here was that if we mounted the wheels in line with the deck, they would increase the trailer’s height.”
Instead, Jake and his team built two upper decks to house the 16-inch pneumatic wheels.
“This kept the deck low,” he said. “And we avoided the engineering nightmare of mounting the wheels outside the frame, and trying to link them with the steering system.”
Tech specs
- Capacity: 2,500 lbs.
- Deck size: 79" wide by 164"
- Deck material: Aluminum diamond plate
- Deck height: 13"
- Steering type: four-wheel auto style - drop deck
- Running gear: solid pneumatic with tapered bearings - 15 mph max
- Superstructure: 40" tall aluminum sides with aluminum floor on drop deck frame; five individual parking spots separated by partial panels for positioning food service carts; two 33" wide ramps on 1 side; limited storage areas over the front and rear wheel areas; full-coverage roof
- Couplers: front ball