MAKEOVER 11
Page 34
Page 35
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
WITH MARGINS PINCHED TIGHTER as each week passes, revitalising existing equipment where possible rather than
acquiring new is an option more and more hauliers are considering. And trailer manufacturers are finding that their refurbishment workshops are busier than ever as transport operators seek to extend the life of tired-looking tackle. The practice of refurbishing trailers every so often is nothing new, and it's a policy pursued by many hauliers even when times are good. There's no hard and fast rule governing just when a trailer should receive a facelift— much depends on the type of trailer and the nature of the work it does—but Mike Johnson, technical support manager at Fruehauf, reckons a spruce-up every five to seven years usually makes sense.
S DC's UK sales manager Brendan Mcllvanna agrees that hauliers seem to favour a five to seven-year cycle, although a livery change might prompt them to send trailers in earlier. He says that with a well-looked-after curtainsider, all the workshop will usually need to do is remove and replace the curtains, sandblast the chassis, prime it, and repaint it.
SDC will do all that for around 13,50u0, usually at its Mansfield, Nottinghamshire site. Some refurbishing is also done at its premises in Northern Ireland.
Attention
Don-Bur Services undertakes similar work, and general manager Mick Bromley says other areas of the trailer may require attention as part of the refurbishment.
For example, if the sideguards are badly damaged and need replacing, then the Stoke-onTrent-based firm will fit a new set for £350. This compares with f800 to igoo for a set of side skirts on a boxvan trailer impregnated with the colour of your choice.
A new rear underrun bar will set you back a further £50.
But perhaps all you want is a new set of curtains. They can start to look very tired after seven years on the road, and the straps and buckles may have become badly worn.
Bromley and his colleagues will replace the old set for L7oo goo, and will install a ratchetoperated bucldeless system for an extra £550. If you fancy DonBur's new air-operated curtains, they'll add E95o to the bill.
"Decking lasts for a long time these days, and doesn't usually need changing," says Fruehauf's Mike Johnson. "What you can do, however, is seal any odd cracks and holes with a bonded ply overlay, and cap it around the edges to keep the water out."
Refurbishing reefer trailers can be more expensive than dealing with curtainsiders or boxvans, and rather more time-consuming, says Bromley.
"You have to look for water ingress," he explains. "If a panel has been damaged, and water gets in, then the insulation will soak it up, and it cannot be dried out."
Replacing the panel may be the only option. "Remember that if a fridge box is six years old its ATP certification will have run out, and problems such as water ingress will have to be dealt with before it can be re-certificated," says Steve Jermy, business unit manager at Montracon's Sheffield site, which specialises in refurbishment and accident damage repairs.
The fridge units rarely have to be replaced, says Mick Bromley. When they are, it's usually because the operator wants something more modern, he adds; not because the unit has worn out.
It's always possible to refurbish trailer running gear too, but in Bromley's experience this is rarely necessary if it has been regularly maintained.
Thompson Heil is familiar with what usually needs doing to breathe new life into a petrol tanker semi-trailer once it has reached its eighth birthday.
"The bottom loading equipment will require refurbishment, and we'll need to look at the valve gear, hose trays, sideguards, and rear bumper," explains general sales manager Paul Pearson. "We'll also check for leaks between the compartments, even though this is done annually."
Makeover
An extensive makeover on a tanker trailer can cost from g,000 to Do,000. Expensive, but not compared with the price of a new one.
Some operators have their tankers refurbished again and again, Pearson says. "I know of one major fleet which includes tankers that are 16 to 17 years old, and there are plenty running around that are zo years old."
Adding axles is proving popular at present given the recent changes in gross weights and their Vehicle Excise Duty treatment, says Fruehauf's Mike Johnson, although the majority of trailers he sees presented for refurbishment are already triaxles. Transamerica believes it can be worth lengthening a 12metre trailer to 53.6m if it is in good condition, and there are still some operators who want mechanical suspension replaced with air.
More drastic alterations to take full advantage of higher weights and greater lengths may not always be cost-effective, however, which is why some otherwise-sound trailers often meet a premature end.
"lf you want to stretch a 36,000-litre tank to 41,000 litres, and remount it, it's going to cost you L20,000," Paul Pearson says. Operators who decide they need the extra capacity and investigate the cost of stretching often elect to buy new, usually to replace trailers at about the 2-year mark.
Significant alterations don't always give you all the advantages of major changes to trailer technology. "Over the past seven years we've been building monocoque tankers, which are much better where weight, overall height, and stability are concerned than previous designs," he comments.
There's also the point that the more you have done to a trailer, the longer it will be off the road. Even a basic shotblast, prime, and repaint on a curtainsider, plus replacing the curtains, can take one-and-a-half to two weeks, says Mike Johnson.
Deal with a major trailer builder, however, and you won't have to send your trailer too far. Fruehauf has refurbishment workshops at Southampton, Pontypool, Tamworth, Immingham, Dereham in Norfolk, and Ossett in West Yorkshire. The last two specialise in tankers.
Catalogue retailer Argos gives its trailers a minor once-over at the five-year mark, but at so years they receive a major overhaul, including repainting and redecalling. After 15 years it's another minor once-over, and thereafter the old-stagers are used only for the Christmas rush. "We hope to get 20 years out of them," says fleet engineer Roy McCrudden. "We tend to run at 28 tonnes, so higher gross weights aren't an issue, and 5o% of our trailers are less than 12 metres long."
Hill Hire is one of the UK's largest independent truck and trailer hire specialists, with a fleet of more than 5,500 trailers. Eighty per cent are less than four years old, so it will be a little while before they need refurbishing; the company gives its spot rental trailers a thorough refit every five years, and disposes of them at so years.
Refurbishment
A major operator such as Hill Hire can use its bulk-buying muscle to good effect when it comes to purchasing services as well as products. As a consequence it can keep its refurbishment costs per curtainsider trailer at around £2,500, and get a thorough job done.
Refurbishment expenditure can be controlled by thinking carefully about the specification of your trailers when you first order them, says Chris Bull, Transamerica's UK technical manager.
"We're focusing on making our trailers as maintenance-free as possible," he explains. "That's why we're going for colourimpregnated doors and bulkheads, galvanised frames, and galvanised bolt-on uncle= bars. That way, all that you need to repaint is the chassis."