Turning heads and axles

Article by Cranes and Lifting

For more than 25 years, TRT and McDonald Contracting have grown alongside each other.

What began in the early 2000s as a conversation between TRT and a small Australian house-moving business has evolved into a long-term partnership built on trust and a shared willingness to push boundaries. Today, that relationship has delivered its latest milestone: a TRT seven-axle ESS modular trailer designed to handle some of the most demanding transport and placement work in Australia.

The trailer represents far more than another addition to McDonald Contracting’s fleet. It demonstrates how specialised transport is evolving, with operators needing greater flexibility and more precise steering in challenging environments.

For McDonald Contracting operator Matt McDonald, the trailer’s capabilities become obvious the moment it leaves the depot.

The partnership between TRT and McDonald Contracting spans more than 25 years. Image: Prime Creative Media.

“With this trailer, we can steer seven axles, we can tilt, we can side shift the front across, we can steer away from poles, and we can miss gutters. It all works on a radius. It’s a pretty amazing machine, and it makes our job a lot easier,” said Matt.

Alongside fellow operator Lachie, Matt recently put the trailer through its paces moving a large prefabricated module destined for Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

The load measured about 30 metres long and weighed approximately 50 tonnes. Combined with the truck and trailer, the overall transport length approached 40 metres. Moving something of that scale through roundabouts, intersections and confined site conditions requires far more than horsepower. It requires precision.

A partnership spanning decades

According to Jeremy Carden, Trailer Sales at TRT New Zealand and Australia, McDonald Contracting has been part of TRT’s story almost from the beginning.

Jeremy said the relationship dates back to around 2000, when McDonald Contracting founder Robert McDonald first approached TRT after hearing about the company’s reputation within the house-moving sector.

“Robert sent Shane over to New Zealand on a bit of a fact-finding mission and to discuss a trailer concept they had in mind. That led to McDonald Contracting purchasing its first TRT trailer and establishing a relationship that has continued to grow ever since,” said Jeremy.

Over the next two decades, both companies expanded.

Shane McDonald, the second-generation owner, grew the business into one of Australia’s most specialised transport operations, while TRT continued developing increasingly sophisticated trailer solutions.

Jeremy estimates TRT has supplied McDonald Contracting with about 13 to 14 trailers and dollies over the course of the relationship.

The seven-axle ESS trailer allows operators to position heavy loads with remarkable accuracy. Image: Prime Creative Media.

While house relocation remains an important part of McDonald Contracting’s work, the business has increasingly focused on transporting large prefabricated switch rooms and electrical infrastructure modules. These units are becoming larger, heavier and more complex as Australia’s infrastructure and utility sectors continue to  expand.

Built for next generation of module transport

The TRT seven-axle ESS modular trailer was developed specifically to meet the changing  requirements.

Configured as a five-row trailer with a two-row clip-on module, the unit can be adapted to suit a wide variety of transport tasks. The ESS, provides automated and manual steering functions that allow operators to manoeuvre large loads through environments that would otherwise be impossible.

On public roads, the steering apparatus automatically coordinates axle movements and follows the truck’s steering inputs.

Once on site, operators can switch into specialised steering modes to position loads with extreme accuracy.

“When it’s on the road, the machine computerises everything and tells itself where it’s going, turning all the axles as we go. It pretty much takes over and follows the steering wheel around corners,” said Matt.

“Once we get to site, we can switch into different modes. We can use site mode, crab mode and move the trailer sideways into position. It lets us get around obstacles and position loads exactly where we need them.”

For Lachie, the biggest advantage is the ability to fine-tune load placement once the trailer reaches its destination.

“Even just the fine details and tuning on site, getting buildings exactly where you want them, it works really well for that sort of stuff,” he said.

The trailer’s hydraulic suspension and lifting capabilities further expand what can be achieved on site.

According to the operators, the trailer can raise modules to around three metres, allowing buildings and switch rooms to be positioned directly onto elevated supports and stanchions.

Jeremy believes that capability is changing the economics of some projects.

“The key with what Shane does, and with that trailer, is that he can actually get on site and position switch rooms onto elevated gantries that might be two metres or more above ground level. In some situations that removes the need for a crane during the final placement process, which can significantly reduce complexity, cost and downtime,” said Jeremy.

Precision under pressure

For operators, the real test of any trailer comes when theory meets reality.

The Wagga Wagga move highlighted exactly why the ESS has become such a valuable tool.

“This load is about 31 metres long. With the truck, we’re nearly over 40 metres overall. To get around these roundabouts, we just couldn’t do it without this trailer. It gives customers confidence to build modules to this length because they know we can get them there without damage,” said Matt. 

The trailer’s manoeuvrability proved equally valuable during loading.

One of the features Matt particularly values is the manual crab steering mode, which allows the entire trailer to move sideways when positioning a load. The trailer also incorporates a quick-connect feature that allows axle groups to be added or removed as required.

“The quick-connect feature lets us take off the extra axle groups and plug them back in easily. We can turn it from a five-row into a seven-row trailer and continue extending it if we need to,” said Matt.

For TRT, the project highlights something that cannot be measured by payload, axle count or steering angles. Jeremy said McDonald Contracting remains one of the most progressive operators in Australia, particularly in the way it embraces new transport technology.

The development process reflected that  commitment.

Jeremy described Shane as highly detail-oriented and heavily involved throughout the build, travelling to New Zealand multiple times during the design and manufacturing stages to ensure every requirement was captured.

For Matt, however, the value of the trailer is perhaps best measured by the reaction it gets on site.

“We do jobs where we back in, lift the building up, move across the posts and within 20 minutes it’s sitting in position. Normally, it would take all day with cranes, but we can come in, lift it up, steer it into place and within half an hour we’re pulling back out again,” said Matt.

“Everyone on site is blown away by it. They can’t believe what this trailer can do.”