PRODUCTS USED IN THIS PROJECT
CLIENT BACKGROUND
The Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC) was formed in 2008 by the amalgamation of the shire and island councils of Bamaga, Injinoo, New Mapoon, Seisia and Umagico in QLD.
NPARC is responsible for providing water and sewerage services to residential, commercial and community customers in the Northern Peninsula Area.
A key focus of their Community Liveability Plan for 2010-2020 is updating the antiquated sewage system; an essential service to ensure a healthy community.
PROJECT REQUIREMENT
The majority of dwellings in the Northern Peninsula Area have sewage connections; however, a small proportion use septic tanks. Usually, septic pump-outs would be carried out by large specialist trucks with vacuum pumps and high-volume tanks. Trucks entering private properties with tight spaces will find it difficult for the vehicles to manoeuvre to empty the tanks.
NPARC knew the exact pump required for this task and approached Polymaster to have it specially ordered and fitted to a Water Cartage trailer. This would allow the waste to be pumped into the trailer for transport and away from the site.
A significant requirement for the trailers is their need to be towed by a standard dual-cab ute, such as the Council vehicles, with a 2.5t gross weight loading. The trailer and full tank must be able to move safely from the collection site back to the treatment plant.
SOLUTION PROVIDED
Once again, the Polymaster engineers had their work cut out with how to meet the exact requirements of the client.
Basing the new design on a standard FTRT2000, the engineers reinforced the dual axle trailer to ensure structural integrity for the additional weight of both the tank contents and large 260kg suction pump with Yanmar engine.
The custom configuration required the Gorman-Rupp T2A60 engine-driven pump at the front of the tray with the tank positioned behind, to enable precise weight distribution to reduce pressure on the towing point.
Taking into account the towing capacity of the Council vehicles, the trailer with the pump would weigh over 2.8t when filled to the top creating another problem The solution was to incorporate a fill limit with sight tube into the tank so there would be no overload risk when towing back to the waste treatment plant.
Overall, the modified trailer is a durable unit that shows yet more out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to a Polymaster-made solution, exceeding client requirements.
SCOPE OF WORK
- Engineering
- Product Manufacture
