Are All Dry Vans Essentially the Same?

Wabash and Hyundai trailer are made pretty cheap. That must be cheap vs Utility or Great Dane.

 

Wabash is a popular brand , I have owned 2 and they were solid .

 

I always thought Great Dane seemed better built then Utility. Wabash and Hyundai seemed cheaper built. You can probably spec them both the same today. Great Dane has these little triangles on back top corner of the trailer frame. It help keeps trailer more stiff I think and that help when closeing the back doors on uneven ground.

If I remember Hyundai had trouble with D.O.T bumpers. Because all they did was bolt then to back of trailer. They were not strong enough. If you look at were the bolt to back of trailer. You see if they Bumper get hit some. It bends the back of the trailer metal were it bolted to trailer. I seen a lot of that almost looks like trailer dock locks bends the bumper just and inch or two. My guess is they are lighter weight trailers and cheaper to buy

 

Why do some dry vans have two lock bars and some have four?

 

It really comes down to how it's specd out. In our fleet we have wabash, great dane, hyundai, and staughton. They're pretty much all specd out similarly, so there is not a lot of difference.

The ultralight Hyundai tend to have door issues, but not the "normal" ones.

I prefer the solid door latches as opposed to the two pronged ones.

I prefer jost landing gear to holland.

If you need to nail stuff down I prefer real wood floors, otherwise the composite flooring is much better.

A cheap dot bumper (each manufacturer has several options to choose from) is going to cause issues after a few years.

For me it all comes down to how the trailer was specd out and then how well it was taken care of.

 

I really like Wabash trailers myself. Duraplate skirts, inflation system, skylights, smooth inside walls with 48” Logistics posts, sureloc handles, etc.

 

I like the Wabash,they’re a product of the now defunct Fruehauf. Fruehauf was the largest and probably the best Trailers at one time. They make a strong Trailer. Stoughton, Great Dane, in that order. I’ve got a Trailmobile, it’s very similar to a Wabash.Utility, is made very cheap. Differences to look for, are cross beam spacing, interior linings, # of hinges on doors, suspension differences. I think the Stoughtons are a good value, and well built, better than the over rated Great Dane.Utility is the only one, I would not buy.

 

Just don't buy Hyundai with this design of rear bumpers. See where bumpers placed on the most Hyundai trailers? Whoever designed the rear doesn't know nothing about how loading docks plate opens. Those rubber bumpers supposed to be placed on the corners of trailers but they designed them closer to the middle which always causing issues with docking plate won't open because it's movement blocked by those 2 rubber bumpers. And there is no way to relocate those rubber bumpers to the corners because will block the trailer lights. I saw all other brand of trailers designed right only Hyundai has this stupid design.
It causes workers often tell me move truck about 2 inch forward so they can open and extend dock plate and then back it to the place again, pain in the neck.