Fencing, gates and panels
Long, light loads split across both beds so nothing overhangs and nothing has to be double-handled.
7 units · 44 tonnes gross
Wagon and drag hiab hire
Two loading beds behind one cab, with a 51.2 tm HIAB 658 EP-6 that loads and unloads both. The biggest single group in our fleet, and the most flexible thing we run.
7Wagon & drag units
44tGross combination weight
17 mHydraulic outreach
20ftDraw-bar trailer
What it is
One crane, two beds, one driver / operator
A wagon and drag is a rigid eight-wheeler towing a two-axle draw-bar trailer, running at 44 tonnes gross. The crane sits on the wagon and reaches both beds, so a full load can be delivered in two drops without a second vehicle or a second driver.
Several of our lorries are set up this way, all Volvo eight-wheelers with the HIAB 658 EP-6 HiPro loader crane, and we run 20-foot draw-bar trailers behind them.
The advantage over an artic is that the two halves can be separated. Where a site entrance will take a rigid but not a full outfit, the trailer stays outside and the wagon goes in on its own — then comes back out for the rest.
On the job
Where two beds earn their keep
Two drops, one journey
Deliver the trailer load at the first site and the wagon load at the second, without a return trip.
Containers and cabins
A 20ft container fits the drag trailer exactly, and the 658 lifts it straight off onto its bearers.
Restricted site access
Drop the trailer outside, take the wagon in alone, come back for the rest.
Loaded across both beds
The crane sits on the wagon and reaches back over the headboard onto the drag, so both beds are loaded and stripped without a forklift at either end.
Distance work at 44 tonnes
The outfit runs at the same weight as an artic, so a long run costs no more than it would on a single trailer and arrives able to unload itself.
The crane
The same 658 as on the artic
Our wagon-and-drag lorries carry the identical loader crane, so whichever one turns up the lifting figures are the same.
HIAB 658 EP-6 HiPro
51.2 tm lifting moment 55.5 tm with ADC 17 m hydraulic outreach 19.5 m lifting height 8 boom sections
| Radius | 5.1 m | 6.7 m | 8.6 m | 10.6 m | 12.7 m | 14.7 m | 16.9 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 10,900 kg | 8,000 kg | 6,000 kg | 4,750 kg | 3,850 kg | 3,250 kg | 2,820 kg |
Source: manufacturer data sheet
658EP-6HiPro.pdf. Crane weight 5,545 kg without support legs. Full charts for every crane are on the
lifting capacity page.
In practice
When this is the vehicle we would send
It is not the obvious choice for most jobs, and that is exactly why it is useful for some.
Two beds instead of one
A rigid pulling a drawbar trailer gives you two separate load platforms rather than one long one. That matters when a consignment splits naturally in two, when one half is going to a different address, or when the total is comfortably inside 44 tonnes but the shape of it does not suit a single trailer.
The trailer can be left behind
Drop the trailer at the gate and the rigid goes in on its own, with the lifting gear still on it. On a site with no turning room, a tight entrance or an overhead restriction, that is often the difference between the job happening and the job being rescheduled. An articulated unit has no equivalent trick.
What it will handle
Up to fourteen tonnes carried, lifting over eight tonnes, reaching to sixteen metres. In practical terms that covers most building materials, most site accommodation, most plant that is not oversized, and a great deal of steel.
How to ask for one
You do not have to. Tell us what needs moving and where, and if this combination is the right answer that is what we will quote. People sometimes ask for a specific vehicle because a previous supplier sent one; it is worth describing the job instead and letting us pick, because the right choice often changes with the access rather than the load.
Common questions
Wagon and drag hire, answered
What is a wagon and drag?
A rigid lorry towing a draw-bar trailer. You get two separate loading beds behind one cab, and the crane on the wagon can load and unload both. It runs at 44 tonnes gross, the same as an artic, but the two shorter beds behave very differently on site.
Why is that better than an artic?
For multi-drop work it usually is. You can drop the trailer, deliver from the wagon alone into a tight site, then come back and re-couple. An artic is one long vehicle that has to go everywhere in one piece.
Which crane is on them?
They all carry the HIAB 658 EP-6 HiPro: 51.2 tonne-metres, 55.5 with ADC, 10,900 kg at 5.1 metres and 17 metres of hydraulic outreach. That is the same crane as on our 658 artic, so the lifting capability is identical — only the beds differ.
How long are the trailers?
Twenty feet and two axles, and we run several of them. The wagon bed sits in front of it, so a long load can be split across the two rather than overhanging.
Do you need somewhere to leave the trailer?
If we are dropping it, yes — somewhere flat and safe on or near the site. Tell us at the quote stage and we will plan the delivery around it.
What is a wagon and drag lorry?
A wagon and drag lorry is a rigid lorry pulling a drawbar trailer, so you get two separate load beds instead of one long one. Ours run at 44 tonnes with a 658 Hiab on the wagon. The advantage over an artic is that the trailer can be dropped and the wagon worked on its own, which matters on a site with no room to turn.
When would you send a wagon and drag vehicle rather than an artic?
When the load splits naturally into two, when one end of the job has tight access and the other does not, or when the total weight suits 44 tonnes but the length does not suit a single trailer. A wagon and drag vehicle carries up to 14 tonnes with the crane on board and reaches 16 metres.
One journey or two?
Tell us the drops and the load and we will work out whether a wagon and drag saves you a vehicle.
