Q Crane & Plant Hire fits Wheely-Safe Connect
Q Crane & Plant Hire has fitted its six-axle Faymonville step-frame pendle axle trailer with Wheely-Safe Connect technology, using 72 cloud-connected sensors – believed to be the highest number installed on a single vehicle in the UK.
The Oldham-based crane and plant hire specialist operates the trailer with a Volvo FH16 8×4 tractor unit to transport heavy plant machinery and specialist loads. The company selected Wheely-Safe Connect to monitor all 24 wheels and tyres on the trailer, helping ensure they remain at the correct pressures and identifying potential safety issues before they develop.
The system combines tyre pressure monitoring with wheel loss and hub temperature monitoring. Each wheel is equipped with two wheel loss brackets and a tyre pressure sensor, which replaces the conventional valve cap.
For Q Crane & Plant Hire, preventing tyre-related incidents is particularly important given the trailer’s large number of wheels and the heavy loads it carries.
Rhys Mullins, Plant & Transport Director at Q Crane & Plant Hire, explains: “When you have that number of wheels in operation, often if you have a puncture you don’t even feel it due to the sheer volume of rubber on the road. But leaving that to develop into a blowout can be so damaging.
“The wheel loss protection element of the system was also particularly important. A few years ago, we had an incident where the nuts on a wheel had been torqued too tightly after a routine service by an external organisation. The wheel then came off as we were heading back to the depot. Thankfully no one was hurt but the trailer was out of action for a week, and it ended up costing us something in the region of £12,000 in repairs and off-road time. If we’d had Wheely-Safe installed it could have prevented that incident from happening.”
Real-time tyre pressure monitoring
The 72 Wheely-Safe sensors continuously monitor the trailer’s tyres and wheels, providing Q Crane & Plant Hire with real-time information about tyre pressures, wheel nut movement and hub temperatures.
The latest generation of Wheely-Safe Connect transmits information to both the driver in the cab and the transport team at the company’s depot. This means potential problems can be identified more quickly, allowing action to be taken before they result in vehicle downtime or a more serious safety incident.
For a heavy-haulage operation, monitoring tyre pressures is particularly important because the trailer’s tyres operate at high pressures.
“Due to the size of the loads we are carrying, we set our tyres at 141 psi, in line with the manufacturers’ recommendations. With them being so highly inflated, every time you go over a kerb or a pot-hole you can lose a bit of air. But with this system, we can keep a close eye on every tyre and make sure we act before the pressure becomes too low,” adds Mullins.
Maintaining the correct tyre pressure can help reduce the risk of tyre failure while supporting operational efficiency and vehicle safety. For operators carrying heavy or specialist loads, avoiding an unexpected tyre problem can also prevent potentially costly disruption.
Connected technology for fleet safety
The Q Crane & Plant Hire installation demonstrates how connected fleet technology is increasingly being used to move tyre maintenance from a reactive to a preventative approach.
Rather than relying solely on routine inspections or drivers detecting a problem, connected sensors can provide continuous information on the condition of individual wheels and tyres. Transport teams can then respond to developing issues before they lead to a roadside breakdown or vehicle being taken out of service.
The wheel loss monitoring capability is also designed to identify movement in wheel nuts, providing an additional layer of protection against wheel detachment.
For Q Crane & Plant Hire, the technology is particularly relevant because the Faymonville trailer forms part of an operation transporting heavy plant and specialist loads where reliability and safety are critical.
The combination of the six-axle trailer, 24 wheels and tyres, and 72 connected sensors makes the installation a substantial application of tyre and wheel monitoring technology.
Supporting heavy plant operations
Established in 1972, Q Crane & Plant Hire provides crawler crane hire, heavy haulage, contract lifting and crane-specific training.
The company works across a wide range of sectors and project requirements, making the ability to transport specialist equipment safely and reliably an important part of its operation.
By combining the Faymonville trailer with Wheely-Safe Connect, the company can monitor tyre pressures, wheel security and hub temperatures continuously while providing information to both the driver and transport team.
For operators running heavy-haulage and specialist transport fleets, the installation highlights the potential of connected tyre monitoring to improve safety, reduce unplanned downtime and provide greater visibility of vehicle condition.
