HGV Off Road Vehicle Transport
Cost: $79510.
Large enough to transport a bus.
Works off road as the trailer hitch / coupling rotates vertically and the drivers cabin hitch / coupling rotates horizontally, and all the wheels have suspension - does not drive up the sides of mountains!
Fuel capacity: 1625 L.
Range: Drives from the South East corner of the Arid landmass to the North Wast corner of the "green" land mass, and back again.
Can be separated in to two separate vehicles, although the drivers cabin has been specifically designed to work with this trailer, and visa versa.
While driving the vehicle, you will hear the sounds of connectors disconnecting and reconnecting. Don't be concerned, it is just the ground anchors mag alls disconnecting and reconnecting to the side of the trailer when you go over bumps, accelerate quickly, brake suddenly etc. It doesn't make any difference to the operation of the vehicle.
To use:
Reach destination, preferably lined up in front of the vehicle that needs transporting and leaving enough space for the platform to extend and tail gate to lower.
Ensure parking breaks are are activated.
Head to the control panel located on the side of the trailer, the control panels are the same on each side and either can be used at any time during the operation.
Turn on any required lights.
Activate ground anchors.
Deactivate the extend / retract platform lock and the raise / lower platform lock.
Extend and raise platform, there are buttons to do these functions simultaneously or individually.
Lower Tailgate.
Extend necessary winches.
Attach only the ropes to the winches that will pull the vehicle on to the platform, to the necessary rope anchors on the vehicle to be transported.
Once the vehicle to be transported is pulled up to the desired level on the platform (centre of the platform may be preferable), then attach any securing winches. I advise at least x2 to keep the vehicle to be transported stable during transit. The winches that pull the vehicle on to the platform will also keep the vehicle secure, do not detach these ropes until you are offloading.
Retract and lower the platform, there are buttons to do these functions simultaneously or individually.
Activate the extend / retract platform lock and the raise / lower platform lock (these can only be locked when all conditions have been met - platform is retracted and lowered - no platform control buttons are toggled on).
Deactivate the ground anchors.
Deactivate the parking brake (from the drivers cabin, the button on the trailer is only for use if using the trailer on its own, or potentially with an alternative drivers cabin.
Drive to your destination.
Repeat the above steps to off load the vehicle. I am sure that you will realise that the winches will need to be extended rather than retracted, to lower the vehicle and ropes will need to be detached rather than attached, but other than that, the steps are the same.
One issue that can occur. When offloading the vehicle, the platform will not extend as though something is blocking it. I do not know what this is, and with other builds I have, sometimes the sliders get stuck for no apparent reason. The fix is quite simple. If the sliders get stuck and the platform does not extend, at the point where it gets blocked, retract the platform (and lower if you have raised the platform) until it is back to its starting position. Re engage the locks, disengage the locks. Attempt to extend the platform again. it may not work the first time round, and you may have to try again, but eventually the platform will extend. I had to repeat these steps 5 times once before the platform eventually extended. Other times, doing the steps once was enough.
