Used Reefer Hours

Discussion in 'Refrigerated Trucking Forum' started by crackinwise, Aug 30, 2024.

  1. crackinwise

    crackinwise Medium Load Member

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    Looking to purchase a reefer trailer in the near future. What is a reasonable amount of hours that you would want to see on used reefers?
     
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  3. MRMTRANS

    MRMTRANS Medium Load Member

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    Depends on your budget, and what you'd be hauling. I'd keep it below 12k hours. At 12k, replace the nylon gear between the engine and compressor; the unloader valves; water pump and alternator. Just spend the money and do it. That's about the time Carrier recommends this service. Blow any dirt out of the radiator and compressor. And if it doesn't burn oil (look for smoke and maybe do an an oil analysis looking for excessive soot), it should be ok to 25k. I've run 3 units to those hours and still working when I got rid of them. The Carrier dealer in Fort Wayne, IN told me they had a customer with a trailer that ran to 50k hours.
     
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  4. drivingmissdaisy

    drivingmissdaisy Road Train Member

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    That's not a huge shock. Those little diesel engines are so well engineered, and run at constant speeds and very little work just spinning the compressor and an alternator to recharge the battery, they'll go forever like that. Kinda like the thermoking APU engines. Those things run forever. It's literally an IDEAL situation for a small diesel engine. Constant RPM and not much work.

    Also no DPF systems on these small engines, at least not yet.
     
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  5. bad-luck

    bad-luck Road Train Member

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    Depends what your budget is. But if you buy one with under 10k hours it will be in good shape, and you will get a lot of use out of it. Thermoking has had issues with head gaskets, going bad under 10k hours. So I would ask about that, my 2018 Thermoking c600's head gasket when before 6k hours. Generally speaking reefer units last up in to the mid 40k hours if they are taken care of.
     
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  6. crackinwise

    crackinwise Medium Load Member

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    Does it work out to an average hours per year, like a 3 year old trailer should have a certain amount of hours? Im trying to figure out how I can know if its overworked. Or is it just total hours regardless of age of the trailer?
     
  7. wichris

    wichris Road Train Member

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    If the majority of the loads were continuous the hours will be higher than if they were S/S.
     
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  8. bad-luck

    bad-luck Road Train Member

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    It depends on how ofter the unit is on continuous, or start and stop. It is total hours, and what shape the trailer is in. You also need to inspect the the cross members under the trailer,especially in the rear of the trailer.
     
  9. crackinwise

    crackinwise Medium Load Member

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    Aug 21, 2011
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  10. crackinwise

    crackinwise Medium Load Member

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    Gotcha, I am noticing that price increases dramatically once you get under 10,000 hours on reefer trailers.
     
  11. bad-luck

    bad-luck Road Train Member

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    Usually reefers that are under 10k hours, the trailers are in almost new condition.
    You can still get many years out of a unit that the hours are in the teens.
     
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