Test: Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

By: Jaiden Drought

Date: 11.07.2014

The inclusion of after-market greedy boards has bolstered the trailer. Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

The rubber seal around the rear makes the tailgate seal as waterproof as you can get from a tip trailer. Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

The high-lift tailgate and steep tipping angle mean the Joskin will dump in tight compact piles without moving forward, which reduces the risk of tipping over. Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

The axle blocks stop the leaf springs from over extending. Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

View from the cab of what a 70-degree tip angle looks like. Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

The five-stage ram can swivel in four directions as well as being fitted with a safety valve, so if a hose was to blow and were under the deck, you would not be crushed. Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer

The inclusion of after-market greedy boards has bolstered the trailer.

The rubber seal around the rear makes the tailgate seal as waterproof as you can get from a tip trailer.

The high-lift tailgate and steep tipping angle mean the Joskin will dump in tight compact piles without moving forward, which reduces the risk of tipping over.

The axle blocks stop the leaf springs from over extending.

View from the cab of what a 70-degree tip angle looks like.

The five-stage ram can swivel in four directions as well as being fitted with a safety valve, so if a hose was to blow and were under the deck, you would not be crushed.

Jaiden Drought tested the mammoth Joskin Trans-KTP 15/45 trailer and, for once, was hard-pressed to find anything wrong with it — except perhaps convincing his wife that he needs one.

Many of you who attended National Fieldays 2014 would have noticed this big yellow beast on the Farmchief stand and you probably had the same thought as I did — she's big, really big. It’s probably a bit big for general farm work but it suits its new job, going toe to toe with Moxy dumpers on the Hamilton ring road construction site.

Like all Joskin gear, the trailer is very well built and there's no stone left unturned when it comes to strength, which is always obvious in the final product. As to the price, let me insert one of my favourite quotes: 'quality remains long after price is forgotten'.

Size and capacity

Now, this particular trailer is the Trans-KTP 15/45, meaning it has a payload of 15 tonnes. However, with this particular machine, the arc welder had come out and added 10m x 2m to the bin, giving an extra two to three cubic metres to the machines capacity.

The KTP 15 is the third largest in Joskin's six trailer 'construction' family, with nine tonnes being the smallest and 27 tonnes the largest. The differentiating point on the construction line is the Hardox 450 steel construction of the tapered monocoque body. Hardox is six times stronger than traditional steel, allowing the body to take the punishment when loading rocks with a digger or loader.

The Hardox steel will actually flex to take the shock of the impact, and then return to its initial shape without deformation. The other big advantage of Hardox construction is that it keeps the overall weight of the trailer down. Often with trailers of this size, tare weight is an issue due to the need to be able to carry such large loads and handle the (often relentless) speed and tipping cycles these machines are subjected to. Joskin _Trans -KTP_5

The whole body is based on two steel sheets, without any linking cross-welds and as a result, lateral reinforcing posts and the cross pieces under the body are not necessary, both making it stronger and reducing the tare weight significantly.

The door is also made of Hardox steel, so it will take the punishment of rocks smashing into it all day, but over time it will wear.

Tipping and stability

The body has a tapered design (front width: 2.18m, rear width: 2.26m) so the material ends up in a nice tidy heap and due to the folded sheet construction, there are no grooves for material to get stuck on.

The five-stage ram requires 27 litres to lift to the full 70-degree tipping angle. The ram is fitted with an anti-drop safety valve, so if a pipe bursts and you are under the machine, it will drop very slowly to give you plenty of time to get out. A safety brace is fitted as standard and allows the trailer to be raised for greasing without the risk of it dropping on you.

The ram swivels in four directions, allowing the body to flex if it is placed under sideways strain. If you are worried it may end up on its side, the rear axle may be fitted with a tipping stabiliser. This has two cylinders mounted on a parallelogram which push down on the axle and make this perfectly aligned.

The tail door lifts very high, right out of the way, which is ideal for those loads that are a little unorthodox. This high lift, along with the steep tipping angle, allows the trailer to dump nice tight piles very close to each other without the need to move forward.

Circular door latches actually pull the door closer to the trailer as it closes fully and this, along with the rubber seal on the rear of the trailer, gets you to as close to being water tight as you are going to get — handy for those messy slurry jobs.

Suspension and axles

The drawbar and axles are both mounted on leaf springs which definitely take the shock out on the road. You can get hydraulic suspension on the machine, as well as steering axle and ball and spoon hitching options, or just about every option you can think of.

An option which you may be curious about is a drive axle. This is a 2x2 gearbox with a clutch fitted with cogs that are directly comparable with the ratios in the tractor gearboxes (can be also adapted to vario). This essentially means the axles of the trailer are driven from the tractors PTO and this significantly reduces the drag on the tractor.

The KTP is mounted on a rollover bogie axle, the best compromise between ground clearance and traction. The spring leaf design allows the axle to move over uneven terrain while keeping all four wheels constantly on the ground. The axle can be set in a variety of positions via the bolted section of the chassis, allowing you to achieve the correct setup for your tractor to get the right weight/traction balance.

A variety of tyre options are available but the test machine was fitted with 560/60 R22.5 tyres, which work very well at keeping it afloat and the large side-wall aids in smoothing out the bumps for the driver.

Joskin _Trans -KTP_7

The verdict

It's hard to find anything wrong with the trailer. It is well built, with a low tare weight compared to capacity, a competitive price, and is made from material six times stronger than steel. Best of all, because it comes in a container, you feel like its truly a gift for hard work done — there literally is no downside.

Thumbs up

High-lifting tail door to keep the load tight and compact
Solid hose-holder keeps them well out of harm's way and provides practical storage when not in use
Narrow drawbar for tight turning circle
Large tyres help keep the machine afloat
Safety valve in tipping ram and deck stopper allow you to grease the machine without risking your life
Very high build quality
Hardox steel both adds strength and reduces tare weight
Suspension of axles and drawbar makes road work comfortable
Large range of options from Joskin to suit your individual requirement
Hydraulic stand is operated via a diverter valve which keeps the number of banks required down