Customer case
Meeting vehicle weight limits, exceeding customer expectations
June 22, 2022 6 min read
![A sleek semitrailer tipper body with the Hardox® In My Body sign of quality.](/-/media/images/hardox/customer-cases/takahashi-body/web1.jpg?m=20220622120635)
Case details
Higher payload plus tougher vehicle weight limits is an equation that doesn’t seem to add up. But with Hardox® 500 Tuf, Takahashi could lightweight its trailer bodies and take more payload.
How to save weight with Hardox® 500 Tuf in tipper trailers
The Japanese truck and trailer body builder Takahashi Body has been relying on Hardox® wear plate for over two decades in semitrailer bodies and containers. So when SSAB launched Hardox® 500 Tuf, they were eager to see what a switch from Hardox® 450 to the new tougher steel could bring. Their goal? To increase load capacity by 100 kg (220.5 lbs.) for its semi-trailer tippers measuring 7,500 mm (24.6 ft.) long.
“When we calculated the weight of a semi-trailer tipper we could reduce the weight by as much as 130 kg (286.6 lbs.) by replacing 6 mm (0.236”) thick Hardox® 450 with 5 mm (0.197”) thick Hardox® 500 Tuf in the bottom plate. This allowed for more payload, which is a big benefit for the customer,” says Masataka Takahashi, sales director at the company.
In the end, higher hardness for longer service life in combination with a toughness equal to Hardox® 450 opened up for lighter products.
![A semi-trailer tipper in Hardox® 500 Tuf steel made by Takahashi Body bodybuilders.](/-/media/images/hardox/customer-cases/takahashi-body/web2.jpg?m=20220622120636)
Takahashi Body’s new semi-trailer tipper in Hardox® 500 Tuf is 130 kg (309 lbs.) lighter than the previous design.