Blomenröhr: "Today, BPW is our system supplier"

Anton Blomenröhr laid the foundation in 1963 with the construction of a wide variety of products, ranging from site trailers to spiral staircases, before landing on drawbar trailers for mechanical engineering. Today, his daughter Cordula Wenzel manages Blomenröhr Fahrzeugbau GmbH at two locations in Geseke (Westphalia) and Egeln (Saxony-Anhalt). As a specialist for low loader trailers for transporting machines and bulk material, Blomenröhr focuses primarily on the construction industry, as Cordula Wenzel explains: "Our typical customer is a traditional, medium-sized construction contractor, who drives his construction machine to the construction site with the drawbar trailer, loads the tipper with bulk material, brings it to the landfill and returns the construction machine to his building yard in the evening".

These construction contractors, who are often regular customers, almost always order custom-built individual vehicles. From many years of experience, Wenzel knows why standards do not apply here: "It is very important that the drawbar trailer is suitable for the construction machine that needs to be transported. That's why we have to take a close look at the machine, how long it is and where it needs to be placed. And: can the towing vehicle even pull the drawbar trailer? Are the vertical (V value) and horizontal (DC value) forces acting on the truck's drawbar compatible with each other?".

Other aspects to consider include central axle trailer loads, other loads such as bulk material, load securing, the maximum approach angle and the ramp length. Then the choice falls on the type of trailer – for example, whether an inboard low loader trailer built between the wheels with a low center of gravity and a maximum width of 2.03 metres, or a deck-over low loader trailer built over the wheels with a width of 2.55 metres is the right option. Blomenröhr's range extends from mini low loader trailers with a total weight of 2 tonnes to low loader trailers with a total weight of up to 28 tonnes. Due to the commonly held driver's license category C1E for trucks up to 7.5 tons, which corresponds to the old license category 3, centre axle drawbar trailers with a total weight of 10 to 12 tons are often in demand in such cases. 

Wenzel: "The quality requirements are very high. Drawbar trailers often travel with heavy loads on uneven terrain, sometimes with one wheel in the air. That's why our chassis are fully welded and why we only use rolled IPE beams (double-T beams) as longitudinal beams. The axles are also crucial to the sturdiness of the vehicle. Among other things, the 5.5-tonne BPW axle with a parabolic spring assembly is used, which has an axle centre distance of only 990 mm. And we only use drum brake axle assemblies, which we know from experience to be very robust".

The current trend is towards heavier trailers. New vehicles are usually needed when construction machinery is replaced. As the new machinery is often heavier, a larger drawbar trailer is required. In addition, the old driving licence category 3 is gradually being phased out.

Blomenröhr drawbar trailers have a long life expectancy, up to 30 years despite the harsh operating conditions, "as long as spare parts for the axles are still available. That's the sticking point" says Cordula Wenzel. "That's why my father started working with BPW early on, because the company ensures a reliable supply of spare parts. Today, BPW is our system supplier. In addition to BPW axles and BPW landing legs, we also use lighting from Ermax, mudguards from HBN and sealings from Hestal. Last year, we also started using the tyre pressure monitoring system from idem telematics".