The collaboration between TRC Tractors and Stewart Trailers has knocked it out of the park when it comes to the NZ6100 trailer
Having a versatile trailer that can be used for more than one task is key, as is investing in a quality durable build. The NZ6100 by Stewart Trailers offers all of this and more.
While the trailer is Scottish-built, there’s plenty of Kiwi DNA in the NZ6100, the newest offering from the global brand, with significant input into every aspect of the design and features to ensure it meets the demands of the New Zealand terrain.
The mighty NZ6100 has spent the last few months travelling the country as part of a TRC Tractors/Stewart Trailers road show, and the initiative has been a huge success, allowing farmers and contractors to see the trailer at work first-hand.
Building on the success of the NZ5500 trailers, the NZ6100 is another collaboration between Scottish-owned family business Stewart Trailers and importer TRC Tractors, along with South Island distributor IKON Machinery.
Following on from the outstanding reputation of the NZ5500, the 6100 stretches the body to 6100mm long, while keeping the useful 2700mm bed width but increasing load capacity to 20,000kg. The beauty of the meticulous design that has gone into this trailer means that it still remains manoeuvrable and stable while allowing for a solid workload.
Quick-release hydraulic fittings on the silage bin and also the 750mm high dirt sides allow minimal downtime changing between jobs, if need be. Both the silage bin and dirt sides can be lifted off in one piece and the dirt sides can be removed individually if you find that easier. Set up to take a bale extension, you can increase your bale capacity on the deck from 10 to 12 in no time.
Trailer time
Officially launched at Northland Field Days earlier this year, where it proved a crowd-pleaser, the NZ6100 then made its way up to Northland Fieldays, before kicking off an ongoing road show. The NZ6100 is heading to New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays® next and then back to TRC Tractors in Feilding.
With Logan Berg from TRC Tractors behind the wheel of a Valtra T175 Versu (with airbags), and the Stewart NZ6100 trailer also using airbags, the combo is perfectly set up to maximise comfort for long hours on the road.
With base horsepower sitting at 175, the Valtra handles the large trailer well. Of course, this is partly due to the air suspension of both machines smoothing out the bumps, as well as the sprung drawbar.
Having caught up with Logan and his road convoy in the Waikato, where the Valtra and NZ6100 were strutting their stuff helping shift loads of maize for the Klaus Ag team, it only took a few minutes to discover what a pleasure this set-up is
to drive, without the trailer feeling like it’s pushing you around at all.
Working for the day on a smaller property, with maize grown on the farm, the downside was tight races and gateways and hedges around 10 feet high. However, I soon discovered there was no need to worry, with the steering axle more than proving its worth.
Designed with a step-in at the rear to give a greater steering angle, without it, I don’t think we would have got around some of the tight spaces. Once in the paddock, we were still carting twice as much per load out as smaller trailers, plus, we only needed to get in and out the gate half as many times.
For the task at hand (short draw paddock to pit), we were one of three trailers. While the two smaller trailers were not enough for the job, two NZ6100s would have been enough to drop a tractor and trailer unit out, saving labour and tractor hours for the contractor and for a small increase in hourly charge-out rate for the greater capacity trailers, saving the farmer money on the crop harvesting — win-win.
Trailer build
Designed as a multi-purpose trailer, the NZ6100 has close deck cross members, which allow you to cart an excavator should you choose to do so. The rope rails are rated for use to secure loads rather than just being added as an afterthought.
With the custom-built nature of these trailers, if you didn’t plan to use them for rubble, you could opt for a 6100 designed specifically as a dedicated silage trailer. This can help reduce the weight by a few kilogrammes, saving fuel with each load of silage. However, we all know Kiwis love a multi-use trailer and it just makes sense.
In terms of the rest of the construction, that renowned Stewart Trailers quality includes HARDOX steel in the deck and
the sides and colour-coded hydraulic couplers for the dump, tail door, and steering axle functions.
If fitted with a roll-top cover, this adds a fourth hydraulic function. The beauty of this system is the bypass valve, which prevents accidentally trying to extend the cover beyond its limit or retracting past the return point. I’m sure many painful lessons have been learned in the past.
In terms of operation, the demo machine set-up requires four rear remotes, which took me a moment to familiarise myself with. Auto steering lock for reversing would be handy, although, this would probably add quite a bit of extra cost, and you still have to remember to manually lock it on hillsides, for example, anyway.
Another feature of the Stewart Trailer is the dual tipping rams, which offer excellent strength, with the deck pivot point down between the chassis rails.
Quality paint finish starts with steel shot blasting to provide an effective base for the paint to adhere to (plus, it ensures a
dust-free process for a perfect finish). Containing plastic polymers to result in a ‘Flexi-paint’ finish, the end result is a hard-wearing paint that resists impact damage and surface penetration.
While chatting during work, Logan mentioned a Manawatu contractor who’s running several Stewart Trailers purchased over the last few years. He remarked that the build quality was exceptional, stating that he would expect to get 10 to 20 years of use out of them, compared to the five to 10 years he had experienced with trailers in the past, which justifies the initial purchase price.
Safety
Maybe not your first consideration when buying a trailer, but when you’re looking at a machine as a 10-plus-year investment, it’s probably wise to think about future-proofing it in terms of regulations.
Fitted with 10 stud Granning commercial axles and 420×180 brakes, you can have air brakes and ABS for the ultimate in safe stopping power. Lighting includes five marker lights per side along with two flashing rear LED lights.
For efficiency at nighttime, four LED work lights illuminate beneath the deck and at the rear of the trailer, providing the operator with a clear view of their surroundings. A simple finger switch turns on lights, with the deck lifted just slightly. Safety chains are standard with a swivel eye coupling.
Summary
This collaboration between TRC Tractors and Stewart Trailers has knocked it out of the park when it comes to the NZ6100 trailer. Packed with features and boasting top-notch build quality and specs to see you right for years to come, it’s a great example of what can be created when manufacturers work in harmony with the end user.
Key features
- Heavy-duty air suspension
- Air brakes and ABS
- High-angle steering axle
- Hardox steel deck and sides
- Hydraulic cover system with safety valve
- Central grease line
- Full LED road lights
(five marker lights per side, two rear flashing lights) - Four LED work lights that illuminate when the deck is lifted
- Lockable toolbox
- Colour-coded hydraulic couplers
- Sprung drawbar
- Swivel eye
- Heavy-duty rope rail
(can be used to be chained from) - Locking hydraulic rear door
- Bale extension ready
- Granning 10 stud axles
- with 420×180 brakes
Stewart Trailers NZ6100 specifications
| Width | 2.7m |
| Length | 6.1m |
| Silage bin | 2.2m high (quick-change fittings and bin can be lifted off as one) |
| Dirt sides | 750mm high (quick-change fittings and bin can be lifted off as one and also individual sides) |
| Tyres | 650/50R22.5 |
Images by Mark Fouhy
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