Trailer feature: Agrilife trailers

Agrilife recognises the growing demand around specifics when it comes to trailer purchasing, so have covered all the bases by offering a trio of highly respected trailer brands

Everybody has different needs, wants, and requirements when it comes to trailer purchasing. The list of must-haves, configuration, capability, and capacity are hugely important and uniquely tailored to the requirements of the individual farmer or contractor. 

Waikato-based business Agrilife recognises the growing demand around specifics when it comes to trailer purchasing, so have covered all the bases by offering a trio of highly respected trailer brands, with Redrock, M4 Trailers, and McKee Trailers ensuring the full cross-section of needs are met.

Red Rock Machinery

The latest addition to the Agrilife trailer range is from Northern Ireland, manufactured by Redrock Machinery. If you’ve spent any time driving tractors across the UK, this name will be immediately familiar. Designed and built to operate in the most demanding conditions, Redrock is a solid performer and one of the most respected UK brands. The extensive range spans a full product offering of bale trailers, silage trailers, dump trailers, and slurry tankers through to multi-purpose trailers and low loaders up to 33 tonnes.

Particularly popular from the Redrock range is the 27-tonne short beavertail low loader. Running a tri-axle with 10 stud, high-speed commercial axles, and single-leaf parabolic springs, this trailer is built to last through the generations. I have a friend who recently purchased one to transport his 16-tonne digger between farms. Factors influncing the buying decision included the build quality, price, and the hydraulic brakes to provide stopping power and not having to rely solely on the tractor to pull it up.

Coming standard with hydraulic jack, tail ramps, and plenty of lashing points to secure your load, there’s a lot to like about this well-built Red Rock transporter. Also, whatever your requirements are, there are plenty of options available to order from the factory, among them the choice of steel or wooden deck, outriggers for wider loads, strap boxes, and wheel and tyre options, etc.

For me personally, the star of the show is the Redrock 16-tonne multi-purpose trailer. When I say multi-purpose, it really is. Guided by Agrilife and the New Zealand market, Redrock was tasked with building a trailer strong enough to handle life as a rock/dumper trailer (16- to 20-tonne capacity), along with 6mm double folded sides (12mm total) and 8mm deck, providing plenty of strength and with 700mm height to achieve maximum capacity. The sides are easily removed, with hooks for lifting, and a clever plate system holds them in tight, so there won’t rattle all day long. The rear hydraulic up and over tailgate can be removed on its own if you want to load machinery or if you’re looking to change or remove sides.

Hydraulic quick-release couplings allow this to be done in next to no time. With the sides off, you can cart bales (and fit up to 24 rounds with the galvanised bale extension option). With grain sides added, capacity is upped to around the 16- to 20-tonne mark and topped up with silage extensions to give 38 cubic-metre capacity.

With ramps stored under the deck, it can double as a digger transporter
(8- to 10-tonne load capacity). Beneath the deck is the goods to handle the wide variety of tasks, which may be asked of it.

For starters, there are twin chrome hydraulic tipping rams and a sprung drawbar to decrease the shock loads on the tractor drawbar and tractor itself and improve ride quality. It’s a similar set-up to the low loader, using commercial, 10 stud, high-speed axles, on 24-tonne, single-leaf parabolic suspension. It also runs on large floatation BKT 560/45 R22.5 tyres with hydraulic braking on all wheels. I think for what you’re getting for your money (a considerable amount of steel – 6.3-tonne tare weight – which is worth moonbeams now) and the versatility offered in its different forms, it’s very well priced and would be an asset to most contractor’s fleets running behind a 180 plus horsepower tractor.

Along with trailers, Redrock Machinery produces a range of other farm machinery/attachments, which includes mixer wagons, straw blowers, silage block cutters, and push-off buck rakes and slurry tankers.

M4 Trailers

There’s a long and strong history between M4 Trailers and Agrilife. This is the original trailer supplier Agrilife started its business with and was, in fact, the original import brand of the business back in 2013. So, it’s fair to say the Agrilife team knows the M4 Trailer brand incredibly well, having delivered in excess of 250 M4 trailers to the New Zealand market over the years, of all shapes and sizes and spanning across bale trailers, low loaders, drop side and dump trailers.

Many of these have been bespoke trailers for individual customer requirements. M4 is renowned for producing a strong product, which represents excellent value for money. Agrilife has worked with M4 over the years to refine specifics to suit the demands of the New Zealand market.

Standouts in the M4 range are the 10-tonne payload low loader and a range of drop-side trailers from 10 through to 14 tonnes. The drop side trailers are fully spec’d and all come standard with sprung drawbars, all-wheel braking, hydraulic jacks, swivel hitch, and also hydraulic tailgates, combining to maximise efficiency and designed to perform.

This trailer range has always represented value for money for New Zealand farmers and contractors, with many of the original M4 trailers sold by Agrilife from 10 years ago still going strong.

McKee Trailers

McKee Trailers round up the impressive selection available from Agrilife. Backed by more than 40 years experience in farm machinery, the McKee offering of trailers is particularly popular in New Zealand in terms of supplying the market with a range of low loaders.

Ranging from the ever-popular 16-tonne payload (hydraulic beaver tail) low loader to 19-tonne payload machines, the McKee low loader range is designed, engineered, and manufactured in Co.Tyrone, Ireland, and offers a reliable and high-performing trailer for the demanding New Zealand conditions.

Agrilife: Machinery for a better life

Redrock, M4 Trailers, and McKee Trailers all form part of the line-up of Hamilton-based Agrilife, which is a dedicated one-stop shop for a wide selection of agricultural and commercial machinery. With a dedicated parts department and service centre, Agrilife proudly offers its services throughout New Zealand. 

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