Old flat get new curtain
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TALK LOADING to the average transport operator and he will probably say that platform trailers are the most versatile. Ask the driver who's balancing on an uneven load with a face full of flysheet and a handful of knots and those are probably the last words on his lips. The best compromise would seem to be the curtainsider.
Good for access, yet offering full-load protection; strong in design, with a large capacity; more resilient than a tarpaulin and certainly more difficult to lose; and above all a fast turnaround, and that means increased productivity.
The catch, as always, is the price. A new trailer alone can cost anything between E5,000 to £5,500 for a tandem axle unit, while a basic platform tri-axle can go up to £7,000 depending on spec. Add to that the £3,500 to £4,000 cost of curtainsider bodybuilding and the mere £260 or so for two canvas sheets and a pvc flysheet looks very attractive.
One way to overcome that price difference, according to Barking-based Tilt Techniek, is to re-body an old platform.
Tilt Techniek started up in the bodybuilding business six years ago, originally constructing TIR bodywork on trailers as well as carrying out general servicing and repairs. In 1979 it branched out into curtainsider bodybuilding on new and second-hand chassis, and today its curtainsider customers include AC Delco, Tally CobboId, Towmaster and Trailerent.
A curtainsider-conversion on an operator-owned trailer costs £3,500 to £4,000, depending on the bodywork specification, although Tilt Techniek can produce its own refurbished second-hand chassis with new bodywork for around £5,000.
The age and conditions of trailers put in for conversion varies a great deal according to Tilt Techniek, with the average being nine to ten years old. To see how it makes new trailers from old, Brian Weatherley followed some trailers through the transformation.