SLIREJ history

SLIREJ gravel spreader has it origin way back in the 50´s, when Harald Vestlund hade a trucking company. He´s both sons Folke and Jan-Erik started to drive the truck as soon as they got their driving license, yes even befor that. But around 1970 they both have their own trucks and spend long hours in the woods on narrow, slippery winter roads with lots of trouble. They tried to find out a way to make a product to put gravel on the ice, so they didn't have to put snow chains on. With their big experience and creativity they finally came up with an solution how to make this product.They took help from Tage "weldman" Jansson from a nearby village and they made the first prototype of SLIREJ gravel spreader. The prototype of SLIREJ Gravelspreader was mounted on Folkes Volvo F88, wich you can se in the picture above.

The prototype of SLIREJ became a success right from the start and it didn´t take long before the rumors among the truckers started to spread about strange tracks of sand on the snow and iceroads. A litle anecdote is when Folke and Jan-Erik was driving on a road full of snow and ice with a famous upphill comning up. At the fot of the hill there were a trucker that was putting his snow chains on and the brothers took the chance to drive up the hill with just using the SLIREJ gravel spreader and managed to make it. So when they came home, the driver already had called and asked if he could buy a set of SLIREJ gravel spreader.

So the prototype that only was ment to be used by them selfs, started to be a requested produkt in the area of Dalarna in Sweden. That’s how the sales started, and the succes of SLIREJ. Among the first sold SLIREJ was to a trucker in Swardsjo, Hans Erik Sandgren that in the early 70´s bought a SLIREJ to his Volvo G 89, but also to his Volvo articulated truck that hi used in the woods and drove timber to the sawmills. You can see a picture of his tractor abouve.

Today the company is owned by Jan-Erik's sons, Christer and Tommy Vestlund. The company has 5 employees and sells SLIREJ gravel spreaders throughout the Nordic region and also in the Baltic countries.