Bailey Trailers in Norway: how Trøgstad Maskinhandel became number one for large agricultural trailers

From two farms to an agricultural machinery business

Jon Torger and Vidar started Trøgstad Maskinhandel in 1994. At that time, they were both farming grain and servicing farm machinery, they are fully-qualified mechanical engineers. With relatively small farms, they wanted to develop an additional income stream, something common among Norwegian farmers.

Jon Torger takes up the story.

“Vidar and I have neighbouring farms. Back in 1994, we both farmed grain, repaired machinery and also kept a few pigs. Our farms are not that big, so we both wanted to earn more money away from farming. It’s very common for farmers in Norway to have another job outside of the farm. Instead of finding other jobs, we decided to start an agricultural machinery business.”

Trøgstad Maskinhandel, which translates as Trogstad Machinery Business, initially sold quality used tractors imported from the UK. As word spread, tractor sales grew rapidly. The business expanded into tyres, front loaders and eventually agricultural trailers.

It was during their regular visits to the UK to source tractors that Jon Torger and Vidar first became familiar with Bailey.

How the Bailey Trailers partnership began in 2007

While travelling around the UK, Jon Torger and Vidar repeatedly encountered Bailey’s distinctive green agricultural trailers. The positive feedback they received from farmers helped convince them that Bailey would be a strong addition to their business.

Vidar recalls their first meeting with Michael Bailey at the Bailey factory.

“Everywhere we went, we’d see green trailers called Bailey. Whenever we asked about them, we were told how good they were.

“We knew there was already a Bailey distributor in Norway, but they were at the other end of the country, so we decided to approach Bailey and spoke to Michael Bailey, who agreed to meet with us. At that time, in 2007, the factory was in Aunsby. Our meeting took place in the caravan on the grass, and by the time we left, we’d agreed an order for some trailers.”

That informal meeting marked the beginning of a successful long-term partnership between Bailey Trailers and Trøgstad Maskinhandel. As Norwegian farmers increasingly recognised the benefits of Bailey trailers, the dealership continued to grow and became Bailey’s sole distributor in Norway in 2015.

Why Norwegian farmers choose Bailey agricultural trailers

Norway’s agricultural sector has changed considerably over the past two decades. Farms have become larger and the distances between fields and farms have increased. These changes have driven demand for higher-capacity agricultural trailers that can operate reliably over longer distances.

For Jon Torger, Bailey’s road stability, suspension, braking performance and build quality are key reasons for the brand’s success in Norway.

“The market has changed a lot in Norway over the last twenty years. Farms are getting bigger and haulage distances have also increased. Therefore, trailer capacity has increased too. Bailey trailers are very stable on the road, the suspension is excellent, and the air brakes work very well with larger, faster tractors.

“Bailey is a professional trailer. When you look at the strength of the chassis, the quality of the paint finish and the list of options, such as the hydraulic rollover sheet, which is first class, you know that these are trailers built to withstand harsh working conditions for many years.”

For farmers working in demanding conditions, these features make Bailey a practical choice for transporting agricultural loads safely and reliably.

Bailey dump trailers adapted for Norway

A recent trend has seen Bailey TB and Root trailers increase in popularity as farms move towards larger capacity trailers. However, dump trailers and bale trailers with clamps are still among the most popular Bailey products in Norway. However, local working conditions and market requirements mean that certain specifications need to be adapted.

Bailey worked directly with Trøgstad Maskinhandel to develop a dump trailer specifically configured for the Norwegian market. The trailer features a hydraulic fold-down rear door to meet the maximum width of 2.5 metres required on Norway’s roads.

For Vidar, these trailers address the both legal and operational demands.

“In Norway it is a requirement that we must have a rear door that folds down, in the same way a tailgate works on a truck. We worked with the design team at Bailey to develop a hydraulic fold-down door that fits flush to the inside of the trailer body.

“In addition, our dump trailers are built with Hardox 450 as standard. In Norway, we have very hard rocks and stones which are loaded by excavators, therefore, our customers need ‘rock solid’ trailers”

All Bailey TB trailers destined for Norway are manufactured to a narrower width. This partnership demonstrates how Bailey works with dealerships to adapt trailer specifications to the requirements of a particular market.

A new facility to support Bailey Trailers across Norway

There are currently around 2,500 Bailey trailers in Norway, and Trøgstad Maskinhandel expects this number to increase.

In May 2026, the dealership moved its entire operation from Vidar’s farm to a purpose-built site designed to support their growing business and customer base across Norway.

The new facility includes a 925-square-metre building, complete with a showroom and a 300-square-metre workshop. It also provides additional space to stock more Bailey trailers and hold an extensive range of the most commonly required Bailey parts.

The investment reflects a change in the Norwegian trailer market. As demand shifts away from all-round trailers towards larger, more specialised models, the dealership needs more room to handle and maintain these bigger machines.

Jon Torger sees the new site as an opportunity to expand the business further.

“The trailer market in Norway has declined, but Bailey has managed to increase its share of the market. We sell around 120 trailers a year and think we can increase this to 140–150 per year. We now have the space to stock more trailers, which helps as we would like to increase the number of construction trailers that we sell.

“Supporting as many trailers as we do means that we carry extensive stock of the most common Bailey parts. The extra space in our workshop will help us to work on the larger, more specialised trailers that are more popular today.”

Growing together: the future of Bailey in Norway

During their visit to the Bailey factory, Jon Torger and Vidar also had the opportunity to see the further extension of the production facility currently under construction.

The visit reminded Jon Torger of an earlier conversation with Tom Bailey about the ambition to move to a bigger factory.

“I remember talking to Tom and he told me of his plans to move to a bigger factory. ‘Everything will be good,’ he said. The factory in Sleaford was his dream that came true.

“We want to do as good a job as possible for Bailey in Norway, to keep our position in the market and our growing customer base happy. We’re proud to be number one in Norway for large trailers and we want to build on this in partnership with the team here at Bailey.”

From a meeting in a caravan outside the factory in Aunsby in 2007 to becoming Bailey’s sole Norwegian dealership in 2015, the partnership between Bailey Trailers and Trøgstad Maskinhandel has developed alongside the changing needs of Norwegian agriculture.

With around 2,500 Bailey trailers already operating in Norway, a new purpose-built dealership facility and ambitions to increase annual sales, Trøgstad Maskinhandel is focused on strengthening Bailey’s position in the Norwegian market.