New type of trailer to help prevent damage to potatoes

This year it is fifty years since Henk van der Peet Sr. devised his first belt trailer. In 1967, the Institute for the Storage of Agricultural Products (IBVL) asked Van der Peet whether he could develop a vehicle that would reduce damage to potatoes during transportation. The outcome, was the belt trailer.

There have been many developments since that first belt trailer. H.W. van der Peet & Zn. is passionate about developing and producing extremely stable belt trailers using the very best insulation materials. Preventing fall damage is still the central theme.

The Kolibri: the first self-supporting belt trailer
Now, the Nieuwkoop company has developed their first self-supporting belt trailer: the Kolibri. Self-supporting means that the belt trailer does not have a complete chassis. The use of special profiles and insulated panels make the Kolibri 11 to 17 percent lighter than a standard belt trailer in a similar model, they claim.

"The Kolibri is the first belt trailer ever to be developed and produced in an entirely self-supporting version. It is named after the lightest bird in the world, the humming bird," the company said in a press release.

Since the first belt trailer
After fifty years of belt trailer production a lot has changed since the vehicles that formed the beginnings of this great product. The first belt trailer had 1-engine range. The side panels were manufactured from multiplex. Both side panels and steel were painted by hand. Drivers had to pull the tarpaulin from front to rear by hand: a tiring job.

Low weight was not so important as long as the vehicle was sturdy. A little extra carton was good enough for the insulation. Nobody had even considered lockable valves. Loading took place in crates or on the floor because the factories still didn’t have bunkers. And products certainly were not processed straight from the lorries.

For more information:
Henk van der Peet
H.W. van der Peet & Zn
Tel: +31 0 172-579318