With new reefers hitting $110,000 why don't we start refurbishing old trailers?

Having to take the rear tandems out, as you can't get to all of them. And I don't know if you have ever replaced cross members, but the aluminum ones are pricey. It is also a pain in the butt as they are time consuming ......

 

There’s only so many hours in a week, old trucks are one thing, trailers all wear point, throw them away and get another one. Bought my reefer used when I was starting out but I’ll never buy a used trailer again

do some math on depreciation and lack of repairs on a new trailer I bet $ wise it will be within a couple cases of beer of fiddle ####ing around with a used one

 

I got 17 years out of my last Utility trailer

 

I don't know how some of you guys find time to drive with the amount of wrenching that I see some people talk about.

 

My company takes very good care of our reefers and seldom have a problem on the road.
They buy only new and at 10 years they are gone because they are wore out , inefficient and cost more to maintain than they are worth.

 

Just the aluminum for the floor is $10k

 

Sell the reefer unit for scrap, then patch the hole the reefer unit was in and sell it as a dry van.
I know it's heavier than a regular dry van, but it's still worth a good price and will sell fast.

 

Maybe that's the next big thing for glider makers.

 

There is a group of folks down in Tyler Texas that reman pickup trucks. Likely not the Lariats, Laramies and Silverados, but the work trucks run by businesses, landscapers, oil field etc. With the price of new so high, remanufacturing seems to be expanding beyond the old realm of just parts. I am not sure if they have found success or not.

VR Home | Vehicle Reman

For someone technically adept, there is no reason they couldn't do the same biz model with reefers imo.

 

Most of our trailers end up as storage trailers or cross town short haul units
The units have high hours and are unreliable.
The suspension bushings are shot .
The slider rails are wore out.
The doors and seals are shot.
The landing gear is shot
The electrical and lighting is wore out after 10 years of salt and calcium chloride .
The exterior skin is rotting around the rivets especially on the nose .
The door hinges and the upright bushings are wore out along with the rear frames and rub rails.
The floors are shot and patched up .
Kemlite full of patches

They are junk !