This truck pulling a set of Wilson A-trains loaded with wheat seed veered off a South Dakota road and into a field ditch. The lead trailer, with its suspension still half on the road, is under extreme stress because of the uneven position and the weight of the 50,000 lb. load. The trailer’s owner feared his trailer would be totaled because the “twist”.

Note the front to back twisting and the stress being put on the side rail. Also note the ripples in the side and front skins.

Bending of curbside side rail. Note: Because of the twisting, the rear of the trailer cannot be seen.

The King Pin area remains unaffected even though it is under high stress.

The truck and the trailer are clearly not on the same plain. Illustrates how much stress is on the King Pin area.

Under pressure from the load, the suspension and tires are forced into the ditch.

A swing auger was brought to the scene to offload the trailer and relieve the stress.

Note how the side rail is bending under the stress.

Tires and suspension back to normal after unloading trailer.

Trailer has returned to normal. Side rail shows no signs of being bent.

Driver’s side rail and side skin show no signs of distress after being unloaded and taken out of the ditch.

Curbside rail and side skin show no signs of distress after being unloaded and taken out of the ditch.

The wheat seed was loaded back onto the trailer and the customer continues to use it today without any problems. This example plainly shows how resilient Wilson Trailer’s side rail design is. It also shows how Wilson’s full length one-piece inside and outside skins help in fortifying the trailer’s strength. A steel trailer would not have faired as well.