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.

Case details

Product Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country Japan

Company Takahashi Body

Industry Trailers and body builders

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

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.

Takahashi Body’s new semi-trailer tipper in Hardox^® 500 Tuf is 130 kg (309 lbs.) lighter than the previous design.

Case details

Product Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country Japan

Company Takahashi Body

Industry Trailers and body builders

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

No design changes, and easy to cut, bend and weld

Takahashi Body uses the same design as with its dumper bodies in Hardox^® 450. The company had no production issues when switching to Hardox^® 500 Tuf. Cutting, bending and welding could be performed with the same workshop equipment and techniques as for Hardox^® 450.

A white semi-trailer with body made in Hardox® 500 Tuf steel.

More upgrading, more recognition, more business

Takahashi Body plans to upgrade more of its dump trailer bodies and containers to Hardox^® 500 Tuf. To improve the production process, the company is looking to invest in bending equipment capable of handling 12 m (39.4 ft.) long plates. This will reduce the need for welding and result in an even stronger product.

“I feel that Hardox^® 500 Tuf is a promising material for Japanese customers who need to follow stricter road regulations. With the higher hardness of Hardox^® 500 Tuf, we can meet and even exceed our customers’ demands. Hardox^® wear plate is a material that is highly recognized in Japan. And our membership in Hardox^® In My Body really supports our reputation and sales. Customers can trust that we meet their expectations, which creates a very good relationship between us and our customers,”- Takahashi concludes.

Masataka Takahashi, sales director at Japanese Takahashi Body, proudly standing in front of a Hardox® In My Body certified tipper.

A strong yet lighweight green waste container made in Hardox® 500 Tuf steel.

When building the latest containers for transporting iron scrap, Takahashi Body replaced 6 mm (0.236”) Hardox^® 450 with 5 mm (0.197”) Hardox^® 500 Tuf. This reduction in thickness makes the steel plates used 17% lighter.

Takahashi

For more than 50 years, the Japanese company Takahashi Body has been designing and manufacturing truck bodies. Since 2000 it has been using Hardox^® wear plate for its tipper bodies and containers. In 2010, the company became a qualified member of Hardox^® In My Body, SSAB’s quality program for companies that use Hardox^® wear plate in products that are designed and manufactured according to the strictest quality requirements.