Category: Storage Trailers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-trailer

Different types of semi-trailers are designed to haul different cargoes.

Common widths are 8 feet (2.44 m), and 2.6 metres (8 ft 6.4 in).

Box
The most common type of trailer. Also called a van trailer.
Standard lengths in North America are 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m), 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m), 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m), 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m), 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m), 45 ft 0 in (13.72 m), 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m) and 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m).

Bus
A bus bodied trailer hitched to a tractor unit to form a trailer bus, a simple alternative to building a rigid bus.

Car-carrying trailer
Carries multiple cars; usually new cars from the manufacturer. In the U.S., car carriers often carry used vehicles, as well.

Curtain sider
A curtain sider is similar to a box trailer except that the sides are movable curtains made of reinforced fabric coated with a waterproof coating. The purpose of a curtain sider is to allow the security and weather resistance of a box trailer with the ease of loading of a flatbed.

Drop-deck trailer
A drop-deck trailer is a trailer on which the floor drops down a level once clear of the tractor unit; the most common types of drop-deck trailer are flatbeds and curtain siders.

Double decker
Double deckers or deckers are trailers with either a fixed, hinged or moveable second floor to enable them to carry more palletised goods. In general a double decker can carry 40 pallets, as opposed to 26 for a standard trailer. Double deck trailers are generally a stepped box or curtain siders, with box trailers having either a fixed or movable (floating) deck, and curtain sides having either a fixed or hinged second deck; this hinged second deck generally swings into a position down the length of the trailer, and can be divided into 2 or 3 sections to allow greater load flexibility.

Dry Bulk
Resembles a big tanker, but is used for sugar, flour, and other dry powder materials.

Flatbed
Consists of just a load floor and removable side rails and a bulkhead in front to protect the tractor in the event of a load shift. Can haul almost anything that can be stacked on and strapped down.

Lowboy
Type of flatbed in which the load floor is as close to the ground as possible. Most commonly used to haul heavy equipment, cranes, bulldozers, etc.

Reefer – see Refrigerator truck
Box trailer with a heating/cooling unit (reefer) attached. Used for hauling produce, ice cream, etc.

Sidelifter
Semi-trailer with hydraulic cranes mounted at both ends of the chassis allowing for the loading and unloading of shipping containers without the need of a forklift or other container handling equipment.

Tanker – see Tank truck
Used for hauling liquids such as gasoline, milk, orange juice, and alcohol.

Frac
A type of tank trailer with a single and fixed axle, typically used during hydraulic fracturing at oil wells.

Travel trailers have been in existence for some time. They have grown in popularity recently. They are units that towed behind vehicles such as RVs, SUVs, minivans, buses, and trucks. There are smaller units that towed by cars.

Most manufacturers of travel trailers design the units for size, weight, and fuel economy. The sizes range from 10 to 26 feet length. The weight of the trailers range 400 to 2,000 pounds.

People buying the travel trailers can purchase the right trailer based on their needs. The best thing about the trailers is the do not need gas to be enjoyed. They rely on the vehicle towing them for transportation to the different locations. They are designed to travel smoothly down the road behind the vehicles.

For the traveler, the travel trailer is a great option for enjoying the life on the road. They provide the kitchen, bathroom, dining area, as well as an optional work area. The person who likes to travel will save money on the costs of the hotel accommodations since they can stay in the travel trailer on their trips.

The people who purchase the trailer will have all the comforts of home while away from home. The trailers offer many of the amenities of home on the road making the traveling experience more pleasant as well as very affordable. They have found the life with the trailer to be an experience they enjoy immensely.

The costs of the travel trailers are lower than the cost of buying a car. The option of buying either a new trailer or a used trailer is available also. Most new owners of travel trailers will purchase a used travel trailer that fits their budget. They will later trade the old trailer for a new once after getting to experience the life on the road with the older trailer.

If you cannot find a travel trailer or rv that you are satisfied with at your local rv retailer, then check out sites like ebay. You may be able to get a travel trailer that is thirty to fifty percent off of what you would buy at your local rv store. This will save you a bundle, but unfortunately, you will not be able to see it until you actually receive it. That is a disadvantage if the trailer is in bad condition. So contact the seller and see if there is some way that a third party company can inspect the trailer and send the findings over to you. That would be enough to give you a peace of mind when getting your trailer.

About the Author

Ron tells people about RVs for sale and travel trailers for sale.

For a company that only ships small parcels that weigh less than 100lbs, the number of options that you have to worry about when shipping your goods are relatively small. Everything should be fairly straight forward and it should be fairly easy for you to decide how to ship your goods.

Usually, the biggest decisions will be about how fast the delivery will be made, usually which will cost more with increasing speed. However, when you start shipping larger loads of cargo with a Chicago courier service, there are many more options to deal with. As you approach 10000lbs of shipping weight you will have to choose to either rent a portion of a truck load (LTL) or a full trailer (FTL).

Once you start shipping FTL there will be more options again to deal with, such as whether you require flatbed trailers or refrigerated trailers for moving your shipments. To avoid ordering something you in no way need, it is important to understand these terms before having to place shipping orders of this magnitude.

Trailers which can be refrigerated are generally going to be fairly more expensive than a regular trailer, and are not something that you need to worry about unless you ship goods which could be damaged by the heat. This is typically something that is a worry for companies who are shipping medical material, pharmaceuticals, or perishable food products which need to be kept cool.

Food is the largest user of refrigerated units as it much be transported quickly and coolly if it is to keep from spoiling and still be able to be sold in the supermarkets in its destination cities.

Flatbed trailers are used for more specialized hauling applications than refrigerated trailers. A flatbed trailer is a large, open trailer that is simply one large platform on wheels to be hauled by a semi. These are used primarily for hauling goods which are too large to be stored inside a storage container type trailer.

Quite often you will see vehicles or large machinery being hauled on flatbed trailers, as well as extremely wide loads which could not fit in a regular trailer. The widest of these loads are sometimes large industrial components for oil platforms or manufacturing facilities, as well as houses and other structures which are sometimes moved. These exceptionally wide loads are also slow moving and require pilot vehicles to mark their progress, increasing the cost a great deal if they are required.

About the Author

Scott Gallagher is an International Consultant for Chicago Courier Service. With exceptional knowledge of the Chicago Delivery Service, Scott is also becoming an expert with Local Internet Marketing.