A lifetime connection

Experience has taught family-owned towing equipment provider, Bartlett, that safety is the highest priority in commercial Road transport. That’s why the company places a premium on Supplying oh&s-friendly equipment.

To say Bartlett Equipment is just another towing equipment brand would be an understatement. The company has established a reputation as one of the safest equipment suppliers in Australia, boasting more than half a century of experience, a quality product and ample willingness to innovative in order to continously improve both truck and trailer equipment.
Based in Hallam, Victoria, the family-owned company also enjoys a solid repute for achieving a high level of customer satisfaction, which is based to a deep understanding of industry needs. Only by being close to the market, the Bartlett team is able to specialise its heavy-duty truck and trailer towing equipment. The foundations of this company’s expertise and current range of products was laid in 1946, when Norman Bartlett started a business
designing and building a variety of trailer and heavy vehicle components including axles, suspension systems, trailer couplings and towbars. In the early 1960s, Norm and his son, Geoffrey Bartlett, began developing the ‘Bartlett Ball’ trailer coupling in response to a customer’s demand for a coupling that would last and avoid the backlash inherent in pin or hook type eye couplings. The highly regarded Bartlett 127mm ball coupling was born, followed later by the Bartlett 95mm ball coupling. Since then, the proud family business, under the lead of Norm’s grandson Allan Bartlett, has developed a “whole system” approach to the design, engineering and supply of the
innovative Bartlett range of towing equipment and support services.

Allan says that Bartlett’s Integrated Towing Solutions brings together a comprehensive package of products and services that safely and legally connects trucks and trailers in the most cost efficient way. “Our product range consists of Towbar Kits for all types of trucks, Bartlett Ball Couplings for trailers and Safety Chain Systems, all created to help inject compliance, safety and reliability into heavy vehicle fleet operations. These products and associated value-added services have been crafted to achieve the best possible towing outcome for our customers, regardless of their organisation’s size or operational activity. “Bartlett Towbars for Trucks, as an example, use the modular Bartlett side-plate designs that enable straightforward and rapid installation to the truck chassis. The hallmark of our products has always been strength with mass efficiency and the towbar cross-member designs are no exception. When correctly installed, they provide safety, functionality and total regulatory compliance that all guarantee a whole-of-life performance under Australia’s unique road transport conditions. “Part of our ‘whole system approach’ is the inclusion of a detailed towbar rating report, supplied with the towbar rating plate, which summarises the history of installation and the vehicle’s towing capability. “Truck body and trailer builders can also confidently specify our towbars as a reliable plug in to eliminate guesswork from their build and enhance their own reputation as a towbar fitter through real compliance, traceability and performance,” Allan says. Bartlett’s patented Autowbar range of towbars for the light to medium truck market features swappable solid coupling mounts that allow operators to simply and rapidly switch between the most common trailer coupling types without the use of tools.
Allan says this system answers the call for fast and flexible trailer interchangeability – making it popular when productivity and adaptability is required. To add weight to the ‘Integrated Towing Solutions’ theme, Allan explains that the company’s Safe-T-Chain systems have been designed to keep trucks and trailers connected in the event of accidental coupling separation. “The compact high-tensile attachment design of our safety chain systems enables the direct fit of the specified high tensile safety chains. Through our experience, we’ve observed that all coupling types are exposed to in-service damage or neglect and this may prove to be terminal; safety chains are therefore a real lifesaver. Safety chains are relatively inexpensive to retrofit and can be welded by any suitably qualified tradesman,” he says. “Operators can be assured that if the Bartlett safety chain system is correctly fitted, they will have the best protection available in the event of a major incident occurring. Kits are available for light through to heavy vehicle combinations.” Bartlett’s total Integrated Towing Solutions model includes customised engineering, towing specification advice, ADR approved installation, rating plate and towing capability reports, the necessary certification information, product training, plus much more, all to help meet their customers’ legal and safety obligations. “The complete Bartlett integrated package of quality products and services translates into true towing performance with strength, reliability and safety,” says Allan. “We have the experience and the industry knowhow to offer a product that won’t let the customer down.”