Becoming a Reefer?

Winkjr, the bulk potato loads are loaded via a conveyer belt into the trailer straight onto the floor. Even if the floor is grooved, the weight of the potatoes crushes them into the grooves (as a side note, makes for a really fun job getting the trailer cleaned afterwards). So, there is no air movement around the potatoes other than across the top.

The thing with potatoes done this way are that, generally, they're on and off quickly and potatoes are a very hearty product that can withstand a little abuse in transit. Plus, they're going to be processed the moment they're dumped out of the trailer (and I do mean dumped).

As for a wood floor in a reefer, the biggest issue would be mold and getting water logged from the condensation in the air when the reefer is running.

I bought a used reefer, and honestly, it's not really worth it. I'm already planning on buying a brand new one next year. Too many repairs creep up with older units and you really start risking the integrity of the load.

 

Tell me about it on those old reefers our fleets are close to 7 years old now and the carriers are falling apart. The company we lease them from routinely skips maintenance and it shows. Plus we always haul at -10 that probably doesn't help. But the potatoes I never hauled. Produce on the way home from down south to the northeast.

 

at one time the old produce haulers preferred a wood floor

 

Reefers with Wooden floors and the old batten type insulation , every year the EMPTY weight on the trailer increased as the crud built up , but you could nail timbers to the floor when hauling tin plate or other sheet style steel in them.

 

The good thing about hauling the bulk 'taters is the leftovers! After dumping the load, there was probably 50-100lbs remaining. I took a few and gave the rest to the wash out place (they actually were sick of them, had so many!)...

 

Actually, not all reefers have groved floors, but it is better to have a groved floor, if its not then pallets are needed, no floor loads for you, but I wouldnt try and convert a dry van to a reefer, It probably could be done with a lot of money, probably cheaper to just buy a reefer, as for endorcements?, just a CDL will do nicely