Everyone appreciates a fresh coat of paint. The difference is that most paint jobs don't weigh 8,000 pounds or require a custom-engineered trailer to get the job done.
At a leading truck body manufacturer’s newest Kentucky facility, concrete mixer drums are painted before they're mounted on trucks and shipped out. Sounds simple—until you remember that these drums come in different sizes, have awkward tapered shapes and aren't exactly easy to maneuver through a busy manufacturing plant.
That's where Hamilton's custom XT3735 Drum Cart comes in.
Developed as one of five custom solutions for the manufacturer, the XT3735 helps workers move, support, rotate and paint the massive drums that eventually become concrete mixer trucks. The trucks may get the spotlight, but this cart does the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
Its design solves problems most people would never think about. A fixed mounting point carries the drum's rotational load, while an adjustable roller system supports drums of varying sizes with minimal contact. Fewer contact points mean more surface area is accessible for painting.
The cart's angled front section tackles another challenge: mixer drums aren't perfectly cylindrical—they taper. By opening up access around those tapered surfaces, painters can reach more of the drum without performing a balancing act worthy of a circus performer.
Mobility matters, too. Loop-style towing tongues on both ends give operators flexibility when moving carts into and out of the paint area. Combined with caster steering and swivel polyurethane casters, the XT3735 can be positioned precisely where it's needed without turning every move into a three-point turn. Best of all, a single cart accommodates multiple drum sizes, helping the new facility stay efficient as production ramps up.
Because great engineering doesn't steal the show—it makes sure everyone else can.
XT3735 Drum Cart
Capacity: 8,000 lbs.
Deck Size: 96" Wide x 192" Long
Deck Material: Open Frame
Steering Type: Caster Steer
Running Gear: Swivel Polyurethane Casters
Superstructure: 1 internal & 2 external rollers in order to support various drums
Superstructure: Lashings evenly spaced around perimeter for load retention
Couplers: Loop-Type Towing Tongue
Finish: Safety Yellow