Trailer manufacturer Hammar has re-launched its lightweight 160S sideloader.
Hammar Australia re-launched the 160S sideloader as its “star attraction” at the recent 2014 Melbourne International Truck, Trailer & Equipment Show, resulting in pre-sales of several units.
The 160S sideloader traces its ancestry back to 1974 and the original Hammar SL30. Design focus back then was, and still remains, centered on simplicity, reliability and, importantly for today’s operators, tare weight.
The company claims the 160S is the lightest sideloader in world, spec for spec. With a tare weight of just under 8.5 tonnes, including on board power pack, nothing else comes close, Hammar contends.
The 160S was also the first sideloader in the world to achieve a lifting capacity of 33 tons as a standard feature, the company believes.
“It’s simple and rugged construction makes the 160 the most service-friendly model in our sideloader offering,” Hammar Australia Managing Director Peter Levison says.
In the market for an additional couple of sideloaders, Scott Wettenhall of Dandenong-based Wettenhall Logistics ordered two of the 160S units, ahead of the model’s official launch at the truck show.
According to Wettenhall, a Hammar customer going back to 2004, “we wanted a low tare weight to provide us with the capability to carry more container tonnage, so we went for the Hammar 160S. The low weight made it a winner. The simplicity of the machine’s design and operation, fast cycle time (3.5 minutes) and being based on the proven technology we are familiar with was just icing on the cake”.
Hammar Australia draws many more models from the extensive range available out of Sweden.
“We put a lot of effort and investment into product research and development, all of which is targeted at sideloaders, the only product we manufacture,” Levison says.
“The lightweight of the 160S sideloader is in stark contrast to the machine’s rugged construction. Note that the chassis made using only high-grade Swedish steel, fully MIG-welded all round to ensure maximum strength. Unlike some manufacturers, our I-beam frames are welded both inside and outside the beam for greater ruggedness.”
In Australia, the company claims a 50 percent share of the sideloader market, and the 160S is set to increase that share further.
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