On the trailer trail
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The Cartwright homepage, compact as it is, has not one, but two main menus. On the left, you will find a vertical menu that lists the products in the manufacturer's range.
Click on any of these and the I a • large image in the centre of the page will change to match your selection. Hover over the arrow icon to the right of the image, and a panel of text will pop out to give you a product overview.
Even better, click on the 'Standard Features' option below the photo and it turns into an interactive diagram complete with close-ups of the trailer's landing legs, deck, backframe and so on. This technical wizardry is definitely the hIghlIght of Cartwright's website.
The more conventional second menu can be found along the top of the homepage. This contains links to other parts of the site—including used sales.
Clicking on the Cartwright logo on any page won't, as you might expect, take you back to the homepage. To do that, you need to use the `Home Page/Products link in that top menu,
Product search
By default, Cartwright's 'used sales' page displays all the used trailers it has in stock. You can refine your search by using the drop-down menus to specify the year of manufacture, number of axles, tail-lift and so on — the page automatically refreshes itself as soon as you make a selection. Unfortunately, there is no way to filter the trailers by price or some of the other criteria you might like, such as a keyword.
For each trailer that matches your search, you will see a thumbnail image and be given brief details, such as the quantity in stock and the price. Click on the blue More Details' link to open up a new panel that contains the trailer dimensions and, where available, further images. These are taken from a variety of angles — internal and external — but they are all rather small, And unfortunately, no image at all (not even a thumbnail) is provided for about a third of the trailers.
All used trailers bought from the site are available 'with the option of an approved Cartwright refurbishment programme'.
There is no online form to express your interest in a particular trailer — instead, just phone or email Cartwright using the contact details provided on the used sales page. In addition, a dedicated 'Contact Us' page can be found on the site, which has the usual interactive map.
Other a•es
Towards the bottom of the homepage, you will find a link to the Cartwright parts site (not so easy for Webwatch to say!), which can be accessed directly via www.oartwrightparts.com.
The trailer-maker also has a related rentals site, which can be found at www.cartwrightrentals.com/rentalst Also of interest is Cartwright's online 'video library', where you can watch short but well-produced promotional films about the products and services it offers.