The Truckers’ Report flatbed Hall of Shame.

Inspection!! There are also other methods of inspection and testing including magna-fluxing, etc. Cracks are the big give away, but suspected/minute cracks need other verification methods. Not overloading, or at the least in the case of an aging trailer, being more mindful and attentive to more frequient inspections will help....if not to prevent failure, to at least catch it before it fails to prevent more catastrophic results from a failure. I can assure you, that on average, unless the driver actually owned that trailer, the driver will not inspect that trailer like it should be on pre-trips, or submit it for maintenance.

 

At this point I think it’s a little more than “lack of inspections” when it comes to that brand.

 

Washing, inspection, repair. Not crossing RR tracks at 50 mph, slowly setting weight on, slowly lifting weight off. They all will crack, corroded, rust. DUMP VALVE when turning. REITS have a corrosion problem. You must stay ahead of. Multiple pieces bolted together. Very strong, very light for a short period. The first few years late 90's were rivets, not bolts. What a joke. Cheap trailer at a premium price. But anyone will break with big singles. And big singles pay garbage. Matter of fact iron pays crap currently. I have not loaded a coil in 13 months. But my 1995 Fruehauf aluminum/steel combo is ready for work. I just stay under 43k for singles. It's hauled iron its whole life. Still has some years left.

Crawl under them and just look at welds, gussets, condition every few thousand miles.

 

For academic purposes...Do I understand you correctly that the single coil weighs 43,000lbs? Is this weight the average or is it on the high end of the spectrum? Thx!

 

I haven't hauled coils in many years ,but have hauled some 50,000 pound singles. Hauled them on Ravens trailer back then , I'm talking the early 1990's. Trailers probably built a little better back then .

 

How do you magnaflux an aluminum trailer?

 

That's a good question, I've had heads magnafluxed before and from what machine shops cost now it may be cheaper to buy a new trailer.

 

Well, his question was:

What kind of preventive maintenance helps a Trailer to Not break ? Just asking because I don't know ...​

I kind of figured it was an all inclusive material question. There are penetrant solutions usable for aluminum as well, but I was just using the magnaflux name as a catch-all reference to crack detection methods for whatever material. Since Magnaflux also has a penetrant spray detection product for other metals like aluminum, I was being lazy in using their name for general crack detection. My bad for not specifying, but I didn't think I'd have to be specific.
However, to be specific, here are links for anyone interested:
Magnaflux - Steel and other metals (magnetic equipment, and penetrant crack detection systems)
Regis - Aluminum specifically, and other metals.

 

$38.99 Same link I gave above, but this is the price shown on the website for Regis' Kwik-Chek Crack Detection Spray Kit for Aluminum & Other Metals. It hardly seems that expensive.
Perhaps labor intensive, which is why many things get let go...but....the technology is there if one wants to take the time and effort to check.

 

Good information, I didn’t know there was a spray on for crack inspection. Thanks.