INDUSTRY PEOPLE
Traxion is increasingly moving into the supply of Lodar wireless remote controls which offer a robust and reliable range for the remote
operation of commercial vehicle equipment or virtually any dc switched system.
In one scenario, he was a sponsor of the Superwinch
Mainland Challenge. competitive: the advent of a greater range of imports and
the sheer, painful cost of the hobby itself.
“I got involved in that area because quite a few of the
guys who drive trucks or tow trucks who need winches
for commercial reasons, also have their four-wheel-drive
project-cars. The latter, in some ways, drove the former, with cheaper
imports being more attractive to the enthusiast, who
usually had to run such costs past their wives.
“The idea was that in this competition, they wanted
everyone to get stuck and to have to winch themselves
out in the fastest possible time, and so I was initially
approached to advise. And I advised them that battery-
powered winches were not strong enough. After about
a year of this competition, the top dog approached me
again and I suggested they use a hydraulic winch. One
was created to run off the gearbox and this thing was so
fast, it was unbelievable.”
A couple of things happened, though to make the four-
wheel drive scene a little harder in which to remain
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“With four-wheel-drive activity, people have to go home
and ask their wife if they can spend the money. A towie
doesn’t have to ask his wife for a new winch as it’s a
money generator and part of the business, but four-
wheel drivers have to ask, as it’s not a money maker, and
if they are allowed to buy one then it’s all “how much are
they”. And there’s quite a bit of negotiating that needs to
happen.
“So, a lot of these guys end up buying much cheaper
winches, and when cheaper winches came in there was
no way I was going to be able to compete with that.”
That, says Paul, is the overarching theme of this country.
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