Reefer models for frozen

The age of the trailer and brand play a big part also. I’d try to find the newest model trailer that you can afford. Preferably Great Dane or utility.
If you have cash to buy, then start checking out the auctions.

 

-10 is not enough.

Reefers maintain whatever temperature the cargo loaded into it is at. Reefers cannot cool hot product down. It's a losing battle. Not even God's Freezer can do it to paraphrase.

Most of my reefers have been Great Dane over the years. Thermoking or Carrier as typical. Several were older reefers not worth talking about here. (Older mechanical units, all or nothing) -20 or so is the bottom for them in ice cream or dough etc.

100 gallon tank. Anything less is cheating yourself and starving the unit. You would understand if the Reefer is in Death Valley in August day it's dealing with closer to 180F outside while trying to hold -20 inside. You would love your 100 gallon fuel tank on the trailer then. (What I mean by the high temps outside is what the unit itself is enduring. Ambient Temp situation between the cab and trailer)

You probably will want to pass word computer unit if possible. People have a bad habit of killing reefers because they cannot stand it while you are asleep.

You will need the usual corner steps on the front to reach the upper front corner vent flap and the rear trailer door also needs a rear vent flap. In the floor corners should be a hole for draining fluids. Or rotten blood etc from spoiled loads.

Tractors today have become Obese. In my time 20 years ago you could probably put 49500 into a great dane and scale it depending on tractor fuel. Today more like 45000 from what I understand (Emissions +1000 pounds etc) You will want aluminum wheels on that great dane. Not for looks but to shave a few pounds off it's tare. I think those things tare at about 14500 empty. Which isnt that bad.

There is no point getting fancy on the body or other things. If you have doors covered in stainless steel and a white body overall then your reefer will do well in sunshine when it's hot. There is a practical defense against heat build up with these things. Again not for looks.

I throw in my stake on the Danes, I have no reason not to rely on a Dane and TK combination provided it has the beef to get to -20 and stay there. Just need a few little things to go with it. I don't need much.

If your trailer comes with ABS? Great. IF it comes with the special ABS function where only the side that is threatening to dig in and roll your trailer gets braking then have that too. You don't usually have time to sit out bad weather.

 

Every thing else equal the 7300 will be just a bit better.
Back in September I picked up a 16 Great Dane with a 7500. The old trailer was a 10 utility with a sb210. I do ltl and was running Texas at the time. It was starting to struggle to get back to temp after putting off stops.
I haven’t compared specs between the two, but I can say this carrier moves a ton more air than the tk.

 

The TK SB line is a reliable motor, but they do not have the same cooling capacity as the Carrier 7300's.

How many hours are on each?
We had SB units with 30k hours on them and they still worked decent until its 110* outside and your sitting on blacktop trying to precool

How well are the trailers insulated?
More insulation = easier to maintain temp

One thing to be mindful of is the displays on the Carriers. The x4 series run everything thru the display. It decides to stop working, you have no control of what is happening in the box.

 

The SB 310 is a tank, but the 08 trailer is the issue, unless it was well maintained. Even then, the insulation degrades over time with damages and shoddy repair jobs.

Running mostly NE, I would go with the 2014 Utility. GD shops are scarce the part of the world.

 

I also vote for the 14. You should be able to run it several years. I know of several of the 2500’s that have over 20k hours and and still mostly trouble free. Plus it’ll have more value when you decide to get rid of it.

 

If you plan on using it for OTR, I’d highly recommend a new reefer, especially for frozen loads. The breakdowns and OS&D issues you can have from using older reefers can end up costing you the same if not more than a new reefer.

Local or regional companies usually don’t have to worry about old reefers because they can return back to their warehouse whenever the reefer is malfunctioning. You see, local deliveries often times don’t have seals because these drivers are making multiple deliveries in one day. On the other hand, when you’re hauling OTR, you’ll probably have a seal.

If you still want to buy used, then I would recommend to replace the trailer doors or perhaps just the seals around the doors, so the reefer won’t struggle to maintain frozen temperatures, especially during summer. Also, make sure the reefer you get has a trailer chute as some brokers require it. One more point, get a 53’ trailer as it can be used on many different loads.