TRT’s 4×8 low loader: A quality build from start to finish
16 July 2025
Designed to tackle some of the country’s toughest outback roads, TRT’s 4×8 swing wing widening low loader ticks all the boxes.
In stock and available to purchase, this trailer is built using the highest quality components including high tensile steel from SSAB in Sweden.
Being fully manufactured in-house by TRT means the manufacturer has complete control over the end product, ensuring every step of the build process is completed to the highest quality standards.
TRT’s 4×8 swing wing low loader widens from 2.5 to 4.25 metres.
“The 4×8 low loader is a pretty well-known trailer throughout Australia, especially out west where they’re widely referred to as the ‘100-tonner’. At TRT, we’ve been producing these trailers since the early 90’s,” said Jeremy Carden, Trailer Sales at TRT.
“These trailers do still operate on the east coast, but we send a lot of them to Western Australia and the Northern Territory – so it has been designed with hard terrain and the Aussie outback in mind.”
Among the trailer’s key features is TRT’s innovative compensating hydraulic gooseneck.
“A lot of other manufacturers use a hydraulic gooseneck which allows it to be lifted and lowered. Ours does that, but it can also be left unlocked to compensate for different terrain,” explained Jeremy.
What does that mean exactly? “It’s a bit like suspension that adjusts to the terrain. As the truck’s chassis goes up and over a steep rise, like exiting a watercourse, TRT’s compensating gooseneck will keep a consistent load down through the kingpin and avoid the truck’s drive axles losing traction.”
Designed for versatility, Jeremey describes the 4×8 swing wing widening low loader as a “real all-rounder”.
“It can be used to move cranes, earthmoving gear, large steel coils, some of the heavy conveyer belts that come out of Melbourne for the gas plants and mine sites, standard 40 ft shipping containers and more. It also has inner ship locks positioned at 3.7m ground contact width for heavy mine site flat racks,” Jeremy said.
Being a widening trailer, it goes from 2.5 metres anywhere up to 4.25 metres wide. At maximum width, the trailer deck will also gain about 1100mm in length. However maximum payload can be achieved when widened to 3.7m ground contact width.
“Being a swing wing design, when you widen the trailer, the front arms open up and curve backwards so that’s how you gain the deck length,” added Jeremy.
“There’s a lot less wear and tear on the trailer’s tyres because when you widen the trailer, the tyres are rolling backwards.
“Our trailers have a different set-up to many other low loaders. They don’t have any deck locks or widening pins. We have what’s called pilot check counterbalance valves on all the widening cylinders. That means you can widen the trailer to any width from open to close, rather than having preset widths.”
For a smooth ride, whether you’re on the bitumen or the red dust roads, the trailer is fitted with TRT’s double acting hydraulic suspension with suspension accumulators, which act like an airbag on top of each suspension cylinder.
“Hydraulic rams can only move at a certain speed. What the accumulator does is, it acts as an airbag to keep consistent pressure on the double acting ram system to minimise the impact on the trailer,” Jeremy said.
Though TRT has one of these innovative trailers in stock and available to purchase, customers still have the opportunity to customise it or build their own. “We’ve built this trailer, but the customer can decide on their own ramps to suit their needs, which is a major component on any low loader. They can also choose their own colour scheme – including multi-colour, metallics, solids and pin striping. And there are various deck cover options too such as a heavy-duty conveyer belt that’s laid down on the deck or laminate fibre coverings such as Transtex 220 which is compressed under force,” explained Jeremy.
What truly sets TRT apart is its commitment to long-term support. Customers across Australia benefit from a nationwide dealer network, including six agents, with two based in Western Australia, providing access to expert advice, service, and parts when it’s needed most.
As Shane McDonald, Owner of McDonald Contracting, explained, “The ability to ring them, often at odd hours, with an issue or a question and have them submit help or information quickly has always been there.”
It’s this level of reliable, responsive support that continues to make TRT the trusted trailer partner for businesses across New Zealand and Australia.
For more information, visit trtaustralia.com.au or call 1800 878 287.