“Decades Stack on Landoll, BRADEN Collaboration, Contributions to Industry” appeared in Crane & Transport Briefing, cranebriefing.com—and through the World Crane Week eNewsletter—in June 2024. Here’s our recap.
Known for innovation and customer-centric design, Landoll Company revolutionized the trailer industry in 1969 with the world’s first traveling axle trailer simplifying single-person operations.
With a customer base ranging from common carriers to owner-operators, including many who have grown up over the past decade in the fleet industry, Landoll Company’s diverse line up of trailers are today used in various segments, from farm equipment to the rental space. This includes hauling products from the store location to the field, towing and recovery of wrecked or disabled vehicles, shipping and storage containers, shelter houses and more.
As Landoll Company expanded its trailer offerings, the need for a robust and versatile provider of winch solutions became integral. For over 40 years, BRADEN has provided winches matching Landoll Company’s high standards of performance, reliability, and durability that define their trailers.
Founded by Don Landoll, Landoll Company is a global leader in manufacturing heavy-duty machinery and trailer equipment. Headquartered in Marysville, Kansas, with more than 850 employees, the company spans over 1 million square feet of production space.
Landoll Company’s trailers require winches capable of handling a wide range of loads. Their customers depend on winches with combined pulling power, compact design, and operational efficiency. Additionally, winches must be durable enough to endure tough environments while maintaining ease of use for operators.
With the diverse needs of customers in towing and recovery, construction, and other heavy-duty sectors, Landoll Company also requires winches with increased line pull capacities, faster line speeds, and greater versatility in mounting options.
BRADEN provides a range of winch solutions tailored to Landoll’s growing requirements. Since 1984, BRADEN’s 12,000-pound worm gear winch has been the standard model for Landoll trailers. Over the years, this partnership has evolved to include a broader range of winches with capacities of 12,000, 15,000, 20,000, and 30,000 pounds.
Worm gear winches were initially selected for their simple operation, reliability, and ease of maintenance—qualities that align well with the industry’s demands. These winches feature high-strength aluminum bronze worm gears, cast ductile iron drums, and heat-treated steel shafts for maximum durability and power.
The frames of Landoll Company’s trailers are designed to support customer choices. As Landoll Company’s customer base grew, so did their needs for higher cable capacities, faster line speeds and more efficient loading processes. The introduction of BRADEN’s TR Series planetary winches offered faster line speeds, precise control, and compact designs, as well as features like manual or air-actuated freespool clutches, oil bath lubrication for extended service life, and low-friction ball bearing drums that enhance operating efficiency.
This adaptability allows the trailer manufacturer to provide its customers with winches that can be mounted in various configurations—whether upright, low-mount, overwound, or underwound—offering maximum flexibility for different applications. For more complex loading scenarios, Landoll Company equips some trailers with multiple winches, further increasing pulling power and operational control.
Landoll’s partnership with BRADEN has resulted in winch systems that seamlessly integrate with their trailers, enhancing both performance and safety. The inclusion of the BRADEN TR Series winches, with the advanced hydraulic planetary technology, has allowed for meeting the growing demand for faster and more efficient loading and unloading processes.
These winches provide the power and precision needed for hauling a wide range of loads, from buses and construction equipment to storage containers. By working closely with BRADEN’s engineering team, Landoll Company is able to ensure that their winch equipment is not only robust and durable—but aligned with the needs of their customers, who demand equipment that is both high-performing and easy to operate.
The collaboration between Landoll Company and BRADEN has proven highly successful, contributing to the production of over 40,000 winch-equipped trailers across the United States, Canada, and international markets. Thousands of Landoll Company trailers roll out annually, fitted with one or more BRADEN winches, offering superior load-handling capabilities and long-term reliability.
Jim Ladner, Sales Manager, Landoll Company:
“We are intimately involved with our customers, vendors and employees. That’s important to all of us. With hydraulic trailers, it’s natural to have a hydraulic winch. BRADEN is one of Landoll’s oldest, longest-running vendors. It’s the same quality message. They’ve remained committed to the industries over the years.”
“We’re seeing more trailers equipped with the TR Series, these larger capacities, and advanced hydraulic planetary winches. BRADEN has the brand name and engineering power. They are providing the right solutions …. The bottom line is that the (TR Series) is safe and more efficient.”
Don Landoll, Founder, Owner & President, Landoll Company:
“We don’t sell on dollars; we sell on quality. This has worked very well for us. We have customers with over 1,000 trailers. Companies like BRADEN can meet the customers’ needs so others can upgrade their products. It’s the same quality message. In this business, time and speed are money.”
Landoll Company’s dedication to quality and innovation has made them a pioneer—with a reputation for quality and innovation that has cemented their standing in the trailer manufacturing industry.
Commonly referred to as a “Landoll,” the company’s iconic traveling axle semi-trailer is a flatbed with the power of hydraulic tilt technology—a traveling axle undercarriage that is hydraulically controlled provides the ability to seamlessly adjust the axle position along the trailer’s length. Then it’s tilted down to the ground. Even greater versatility is added by auxiliary dock level hydraulic cylinders that can selectively elevate the rear of the trailer to a loading dock.
The Landoll Company and BRADEN connection is built on trust, performance, and a shared commitment to quality and performance engineering, which is a driving force behind the evolution of trailer and winch technology now and in the decades to come.
“Time is money, more than ever before,” Don Landoll said. “There weren’t many winches available in 1969 when I started. There is quite a bit of competitiveness now. It all comes back to efficiency. Planetary winches are faster and that’s what many of our customers seek.”
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