A cable drum trailer lifts, carries and pays out a reel of cable or fibre under control. The high-grade steel frame takes drums up to 3,000 kg on a universal adjustable spindle, with a drum locking system, stabilising jacks and hydraulic braking across both axles.
Handling a loaded drum is the dangerous part of a cabling job. A three-tonne reel that starts turning when tension comes off does not stop because somebody shouts. The locking system is the primary safety feature on this trailer, and the reason to buy a purpose-built unit rather than improvising with a flat deck and a bar.
The spindle is universal and adjustable, so one trailer takes a range of drum widths and bore sizes rather than being matched to a single supplier’s reel. That is what makes it useful to a contractor working across utilities, telecoms and municipal jobs in the same month.
Stabilising jacks take the load off the axles and suspension while you are paying out. Without them, the trailer moves as the drum unwinds and the tension changes, which pulls the run out of line and puts load into the tow vehicle that should not be there. With them, the trailer stands still and does its job.
Braking is hydraulic on both axles, which is the correct specification for a load this concentrated. Reflective markings and LED lighting are fitted for road use.
Electrical contractors, fibre installers, utilities and municipal departments buy these. Drums outside the standard range are handled as a custom build, and the frame is regularly cut to a customer’s own drum dimensions rather than the standard capacity.