Silage Trailer

Overview

A silage trailer is a high-sided tipping trailer built to haul chopped forage from the field to the clamp or pit during silage harvest. Chopped grass and maize are bulky and light, so the body is tall to hold enough tonnage per load, and the whole operation is a relay: a forage harvester fills trailers on the move, tractors shuttle them to the clamp, and each tips its load for a buckrake or loader to push up and consolidate. Throughput is everything in the short silage window, so the trailer is built around fast filling, fast tipping and stable high-speed road running between field and farm.

The design balances large volume against road stability and tipping safety. A tall body raises the centre of gravity, which matters most at the moment of tipping with a full load, so the chassis, ram geometry and suspension are sized for that case.

Trailer Chassis

The Trailer Chassis is a welded frame of two heavy Main Beam members tied by Cross Member units, with a rear Tipping Pivot the body rotates about and a Body Subframe locating the body on the chassis and ram. Joints carry a Fastener Set where bolted. The chassis has to take the full payload spread along its length when loaded and the concentrated reaction at the pivot and ram mount when tipping.

High-Sided Body

The High-Sided Body gives the volume. A smooth Body Floor lets forage slide cleanly when tipped, ribbed Side Panel walls and a Front Headboard headboard form the high sides from Sheet Metal Panel sections, and bolt-on Side Extension panels raise the sides further for very low-density silage. A Grain Chute in the rear lets the same trailer haul grain at harvest, and a Rollover Sheet covers the load for road transport so forage does not blow off. Steel bodies are tough and cheap; aluminium bodies cut tare weight so more of the axle rating is payload.

Tipping Gear

The Tipping Gear raises the body to dump. A multi-stage telescopic Tipping Ram sits on a Ram Mount cradle that spreads its load into the chassis, controlled by a Tipping Valve with a lowering restrictor so the body descends under control. A Safety Stay safety stay locks the raised body for service, and a Hydraulic Cylinder assists the tailgate. Tipping a tall loaded body is the trailer's least stable moment, so the operator tips only on firm level ground, and the ram and pivot geometry keep the load over the wheels as long as possible.

Axle Group

The Axle Group is the running gear. Two Axle beams ride on a Bogie Suspension bogie that equalizes load, a self-steering Steering Axle at the rear reduces tire scrub and turf tearing in turns, and wide Wheel Assembly flotation tires limit field rutting. Each wheel mounts on a Wheel Hub running on a Ball Bearing pair. Suspension and steering both serve the same goal: carry heavy loads at road speed without damaging the field or the trailer.

Braking System

The Braking System system stops the loaded trailer. A Brake Chamber applies the Brake Drum at each wheel from the tractor's brake signal through a Brake Line, and a Parking Brake holds the parked trailer. Braked trailers are required for loaded road running at silage speeds, and the brakes are sized for the full payload on a downgrade.

Tailgate, Drawbar and Electrics

The Hydraulic Tailgate is a top-hinged door: a Tailgate Panel on Tailgate Hinge hinges swings up clear of the load as the body rises, driven by a Tailgate Cylinder pair and held shut for transport by a Tailgate Latch pair. The Drawbar & Hitch couples the trailer to the tractor through a Drawbar Beam and Hitch Eye, cushioned by a Drawbar Suspension and a Coil Spring against draft shock, with a Support Leg for parking. The Electrical System system carries a Tail Light pair, Marker Light units and rear Work Light units fed by a Wire Bundle through a standard Connector to the tractor.

Use and Variants

Silage trailers run in fleets sized to keep the forage harvester moving without waiting, often two to four trailers per machine depending on haul distance. Variants include push-off trailers that eject the load with a moving headboard rather than tipping, useful under low sheds or on soft ground where tipping is risky, and hooklift or chaser bodies for specialist work. Common options are hydraulic side extensions, weigh systems for load records, sprung or hydraulic drawbar suspension for road comfort, and commercial axles with disc brakes for high-speed transport on long road hauls.