Transdek UK Ltd. is a Yorkshire-based manufacturer of double-deck trailers and associated loading bay solutions. A member of the Sustainable Road Freight group, the company is focused on generating cost savings and improving sustainability in the retail supply chain through the development of innovative, solutions-oriented products. For example, its double-deck trailers offer increased payload capacity of 40-100% compared to conventional heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Transdek recently extended its relationship with Germany-based adhesives and sealants manufacturer H.B. Fuller-Kömmerling by using a selection of the company’s products on 10 refrigerated wedge trailers. The 4.95-m-high trailers offer a 90 roll cage (850 x 753 mm) capacity and are based on a fifth wheel height of 1,160 mm, which provides sufficient internal height clearance to fully load each deck over the neck.

“Transport efficiency is key, and achieving the highest performance for each and every vehicle starts with the design and construction,” said Tony Sturgess, director of Trailer Design for Transdek. “We’ve worked with H.B. Fuller-Kömmerling to produce a fully bonded body construction on these latest trailers in our range of innovative, high-volume double deckers. The trailers don’t require any mechanical fasteners to hold the body together. Even the second deck support angles are bonded to the side panels. High-performance structural bonding products ensure a robust structure for the trailer with bonds that are flexible but also resistant to water ingress.”

Adhesive bonding is being used increasingly in the UK to replace traditional mechanical fasteners. Transdek’s wedge trailers provide a good example of this trend, as bonding the trucks’ load restraint tracks to the side panels gives far greater strength due to the adhesives’ ability to spread the load along the track length. The three bonding products used for the trailers included:

• Korapur 666—a two-component polyurethane used for sealing and bonding in the manufacture of vehicle body work, providing good adhesion to a variety of substrates, including primed and varnished metals, glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), aluminum, and duroplastics
• Korapur 140—single-component elastic, moisture-curing polyurethane adhesive for bonding and sealing of primered and varnished metals, aluminum, wooden materials, and duroplastics
• Korapop 235—seam sealant and light-duty bonding for applications where a key requirement is excellent dynamic stress tolerance and UV stability

“We have worked with Transdek over several years and are delighted that they continue to use our products on both dry and refrigerated multi-temperature trailers,” said Ian Little, key account manager for Engineering Adhesives, EIMEA at H.B. Fuller-Kömmerling. “It is not just about supplying bonding solutions; our technicians have collaborated with Tony and his team on the design and development of this fully bonded trailer body.”