dry van questions
 

is there any real advantage to having a brand new dry van? i've been looking around and it seems they're all around the same price new no matter what brand. does brand mean anything? i personally really like utlity and strick trailers that i've pulled in the past. any insite would be great.

The only advantage in buying new is that you won't have to worry about anyone not loading your trailer. Some shippers won't load a trailer if it is too old, mostly paper. I like Great Dane, but they tend to be a little heavier than some other brands. There is probably not much difference between most brands. You should be able to find a good deal on a used van unless you just want to buy new.

def. a lot of good deals out there. a few months back there was a 2007? left over strick never on the road. they were selling it for 17k. my dad just bought a 2000 great dane for $8300 in great shape.

is there any advantage to the plastic wall covers? the trailer i'm looking for needs logistics posts, alum roof and air ride. also with the air ride, any diffrence in the hendrickson air ride over another?

I don't know any advantage of having plastic on the walls unless it is there for insulation. You could use plywood for that if you want. I would not buy a trailer that didn't have logistics posts. It helps when you need more strength in the walls, such as rolls of carpet. You want to be able to haul anything and the logistics posts will do that. As far as suspension is concerned, I think that it is more a matter of personal preference. I think Hendrickson will do as well as anything.

When buying a used trailer, take a very good look at the floor. For that matter, even on new trailers, the floor can leak and damage the load. But, with a new one, you should be able to get a warrantee on that. If I were buying one today, I'd take the time, spend the money, and coat the floor with that varnish they have for that... Just to make sure it's sealed. On a wet road, tires throw water up at the bottom of the floor, and while the rest of the trailer may be great, the floor can leak. I've pulled brand new Great Danes, Utilitys, and Stoughtons that had that problem. The biggest difference between brands would be the weight. I think Utility is about the lightest out there.

Hey Firebird, try cassone. I bought a nice 2004 dry van from them $7500. E-track, galvanized rear, alum roof, vented. Translusent will keep you from hauling dry produce that can't take the heat from greenhouse effect on clear roof.
Also, run a hose on the roof if you can and check for leaks up there besides the floor like windwalker said.
I posted mine and sold it for $3000. You should have jumped on it. I'm assuming your on the Island like you said the other day.

i'm from the island trying my hardest to get back. i'm in pa now but i'm back on the island a lot. anyway, do you know if the trailer at cassone was wrecked or anything? i'm gonna have to look in to it.

They always have one on Lincoln ave. North of church st. in bohemia. If they sell one they replace it. Side of the road advertising. I'll keep my eyes open for you if your looking.
Also look on long island craigs list, there is an old TRL dry van. 2000. $4500. You can most likely get it for about $3000. Check out that one good. They were beat on, large company. But some are ok. I would offer $1800 for it, depending on what it needs.

The trailer I bought from Cassone was clean. Clear title. Never wrecked. Like I said, I keep a look out for ya.

i'm gonig to keep my eyes open as well.

my dad just picked up a real nice trailer out of mass for 8600 for a 2000 great dane.

We bought 1998 Great Dane for $2,000. Translucent top but not vented. Great floor, water tight. It was raining the day we bought and I ask to drag down road 10 miles and back to see if still dry inside and was completely. Gman is correct, too old they wont load some stuff. I wanted to get paper out of Shreveport LA coming back into KS yesterday but their policy was 10 years or newer. It sucked I had 3 loads that all canceled within 10 minutes, none were great loads but I need to get home so I can get my skateboard hooked back up. I did end up picking up a load though that paid well. Fort Worth & Arlington pickups and Colorado Springs and Avon CO drops for $2,200. It is 915 miles the route my driver is going. 904 if I would have my New Mexico tax permit #. Best thing is only using 35' of trailer and only 13,000 total net weight.

two cheaper trailers and what to look for.
 

If parking is not a problem I would rather have two $6000 trailers. 53' air rides. The single most expensive thing on a trailer to replace is the floor, so as stated before a bad floor would be a deal breaker. With that being said a hole in the floor is an easy and inexpensive repair. If the rest of the floor looks strong, the hole may be just incidental and help to secure a good deal. Pay attention to the glue. When a floor starts to come apart it's usually because the glue is rotting. There might not be any holes but it won't be long. Stay away from it. Why two trailers? If you work the load boards and brokers running local, many times you get a load that delivers the next day. Mean while the last minute hot loads that pop up are usually load and go and pay well, you get to do both. This has worked well for me. If you run long, an inexpensive van and maybe a stepdeck could enable you to choose the best load available. I would not consider anything but air-ride. I would only buy a new dry van if I had a situation that demanded so and paid accordingly. One more thing, if you consistently run high miles you want a good under carriage, so as not to wear tires. Look at the slider holes to see if they're oblong, and the pins for excessive wear. It's hard to have a properly aligned trailer with these problems. These things can be fixed but it all adds up. This is just what works for me, hope it helps.

Here all this time I thought Sid had bagged out of the trucking industry! Instead he dropped the International he had and instead is showing a decent looking Classic!

In his profile pic its a 9900.

actually i'd like to buy 2 trailers being i really do need 2. i really like the duraplate trailers the more i look at them. seems the old jb hunt trailers seem to be holding up nice.

if I buy another trailer it will be air ride,metal roof,produce door vented,with duraplate walls and logistics posts and maybe insulated.
I have seen freight that could not be loaded with plywood walls,or fiberglass roofs.
Also on the leaky floors,be careful,water can and will wet your load if you have a bad floor.