Trailer Talk
James and Mandy Stewart started Stewart Trailers in 1988, nestled in the productive, fertile lowlands of Aberdeenshire County. And while this is ostensibly the opposite site of the globe to New Zealand, a close working partnership has been forged between this prestigious Scottish company and Kiwi farmers and contractors.
The Stewart name has forged a reputation for exceptional build quality and bespoke trailer design, and better still, strong relationships with New Zealand distributors mean that the trailers can be uniquely tailored to meet specific demands of the NZ market.
It’s very cool to see European manufacturers half a world away in the Scottish midlands designing and building trailers based on end-user feedback from New Zealand.
EDGE Series
First up, we check out the EDGE (not the radio station, nor the guitarist from U2) – the EDGE 10 specifically and I can’t see why it won’t be as popular as the aforementioned pop culture namesakes.
With its load capacity of 10 tonnes, the EDGE 10 trailer sits bang in the middle of the range, with the 8 and 12 on either side. This particular model is ideal for the Kiwi farmer and contractor, and for carting silage, metal, hay, etc., – you name it, it will cart it.
Chassis
The pressed down scalloped and re-welded sloping drawbar means you don’t end up with any structural loss and can maintain a narrow drawbar. This is great for tight turning.
The main chassis on the Stewart EDGE 10 was a real revelation too. The large box section chassis isn’t a new feature on tip trailers, but I was impressed that the tipping chassis is tucked inside the main chassis rails. There are two great benefits I can see here; it keeps a low overall height that keeps the centre of gravity down, which in turn aids massively in the stability of the trailer on hills. It also made it excellent for loading and despite the EDGE 10 being on large 500/50R17 tyres, the trailer sat nice and low. Secondly, because it makes the trailer tilt slightly backwards, the initial push from the twin, chrome-plated tipping rams is much easier, along with dropping the overall tipping height and significantly reducing the risk of tipping over or chassis twisting.
Axles, Tyres, and Brakes
The ADR 8 stud commercial axles come with 420×180 brakes on both axles, in either air or hydraulic configuration (or both). These are yoked to four large leaf springs for better ride comfort and stability than a traditional walking beam, ensuring a smooth ride, even on rough terrain.
The large 500mm-wide tyres provide low ground compaction and easier pulling characteristics in comparison to the 400mm-wide tyres found on most of the competition.
Main Deck
The entire main deck is HARDOX. Of course, the HARDOX name speaks for itself; it’s one of the most durable metals on the market and given that these things get a hiding from diggers and large chunks of metal being dropped, this toughness and durability is an important feature.
Also of note is that the cross members under the deck are closely spaced, so if a hard rock does hit the deck, the HARDOX will firstly protect, and secondly because there’s a lot of strength underneath the steel, you don’t end up with those dents and waving in the deck, which is something that holds the water, and looks nasty.
Fold Down Sides
The single piece removable gravel sides are also HARDOX and are easy to remove with two people (due to size more so than weight). Clever little notches keep them tucked nice and close to the trailer if you just wanted to quickly move some bales, logs etc., without taking them off completely.
When things get serious and you want to opt for a full flatbed, the heavy-duty headboard is also completely removable. The tail gate is a similar situation; two easy to remove corner posts keep the tailgate and sides in place. It can also be completely removed if that’s what your heart desires.
Our test trailer that we worked with at our Trailer Showcase was kitted out with the swinging and folding tailgate, as well as spreading chains and auto trips – again great for flexibility around the ranch.
Other Trailers in the Range
Stewart Trailers offers a diverse range of products, including bulk metal and grain trailers, silage trailers, high speed transport trailers, livestock trailers, and specialised models like the New Zealand series designed and built specifically to suit the challenges of our terrain and farming operations. Each trailer is available in multiple configurations and specifications tailored to the New Zealand market.
The story behind the NZ5500 and 6100 series trailers
George Andrews from IKON Machinery and Aaron Meurk and his team at TRC Tractors in Fielding made the effort to sit down with some large contracting clients and ask them what they needed in their ultimate trailer design.
The response was a long deck, a fixed headboard, the ability to add a hay extension, plus gravel sides and a silage bin. Those inclusions were what they identified to make a trailer versatile for New Zealand particularly.
Unlike our European counterparts with a separate machine for each job, Kiwi farmers and contractors love the ability to have one piece of machinery that can be used for a multitude of jobs – a true multi-tasker.
So, in turn Aaron and George sat down for a brainstorming session with James Stewart across the water in Scotland, and thanks to some seamless collaboration, the Stewart NZ 5500 was born.
The name is directly linked to the length of the trailer, which is 5.5m long. The Stewart BZ 6100 is 6.1m long. This New Zealand trailer also needed to be a little wider to comfortably fit two bales side by side, which is why the deck is 2.7m wide.
There is plenty of renowned Stewart features in these bad boys too; the low centre of gravity for stability, being constructed from high-grade steel with HARDOX, Flexi-Paint, commercial axles and the list goes on. It’s a perfect combination of Kiwi ingenuity and European build quality.
Summary
This is a truly elite machine that has a beautiful finish, and the small details add to the overall appeal. Hose holders keep the hoses high and away from any risk of being caught in linkage arms, while the drop hitch stand and safety chain holders, LED lights and tie rails complete the total package. To top it all off, the impressive Flexi-Paint finish makes these trailers look new for years.