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Types of Trailers

November 8th, 2007 by Shenron

Trailers are extremely common structures used on roads today. A trailer is almost any type of structure that connects to a towing vehicle in order to carry an item. Some trailers are enclosed units, while others are open. Most trailers include the same types of components such as wheels, axles, chassis, suspension and enclosures. Certain types of trailers are made for specific devices (e.g. boat trailer, motorcycle trailer, etc) others are all purpose.

Types of Trailers

Trailers can vary in size and are usually built for specific types of vehicles. For instance most motorcycle trailers are built for passenger style vehicles such as a pick up truck or car. Other trailers are used in commercial logistic services and towed only by a specific class of vehicle (e.g. semi trailers are only legally able to be towed by a big rig tractor). Following are some of the most common types of trailers used on America’s roadways.

The Semi Trailer

Semi trailers are usually large structures used for towing heavy loads. They are used by big rig tractors and include several axles, wheels, a suspension, brakes and brake lights. It should be noted that at the front of the semi trailer are usually connector wires that simply plug into the towing vehicle so that the driver can control the trailers brakes, braking lights and directional signals from the cab.

One of the characteristics of a semi trailer is that they do not have a front axle, instead when they are hitched to the tow vehicle, they balance out using the towing vehicles axle or a front axle assembly called a dolly. Semi trailers can be parked in a yard and hitched to numerous vehicles during the course of its delivery. Since semi trailers require a front axle to balance correctly, when parked, they have what is called a landing gear, or legs that stand the semi trailer upright and secure. In the US, there are certain laws regarding the total length of a semi trailer. Semi trailers are not allowed to exceed a total of 53 feet, however, on many roadways; you can see several trailers linked up to one another which exceed 53 feet. Linking is done with a small module called a bogey.

Semi trailers can vary by design. Some are fully enclosed, others can be refrigerated to carry food that can spoil and other types of semi trailers only include a flat bed or canvas enclosure to carry goods such as timber or items that are weather resistant.

The Motorcycle Trailer

The motorcycle trailer is a much smaller sized trailer and probably the smallest type of trailer on the road. Motorcycle trailers are built specifically to transport motorcycles. For most motorcycling enthusiasts bringing their motorcycle along with them on vacation or to a special area to ride is essential. Many times motorcycle trailers are used to transport recreational motorcycles such as dirt bikes or even quads that are not street legal. Since most motorcycles are considerably light weight, the motorcycle trailer doesn’t have to be an extremely heavy structure. Most motorcycle trailers easily attach to a pick up truck or even the family car. Motorcycle trailers usually have space to carry two motorcycles and use a series of belts and chains to anchor the vehicles to the trailer. Most motorcycle trailers are not enclosed, however enclosed motorcycle trailers are available.

Motorcycle Trailer

In addition, there are motorcycle trailers in which a motorcycle is used to haul items. These trailers either come in one or two wheel models and are very light weight and thin. Motorcycles are never used to haul normal sized trailers due to safety concerns, but motorcycle trailers that for instance can carry an extra passenger (side car) or small amount of items (built specifically for motorcycles) are legal and relatively safe.

The Travel Trailer

Travel trailers are commonly called pop up campers or camper trailers. These trailers are enclosed units built specifically for lodging one or more individuals while camping outdoors.

Pop up campers are trailers that have a rigid bottom structure, but a canvas top that pops up to create an enclosure. One of the reasons pop up trailers are used is due to the weight savings of hauling these trailers and the aerodynamics of hauling these trailers. Since pop up campers are flat when hauled, they cause very low wind resistance which save on gas mileage and because they are light weight they can be hitched to a variety of vehicles including a pick up truck or even a family car. Other types of travel trailers can vary in size and may require a special type of vehicle such as a pick up truck or even a heavy duty pick up truck to haul them.

The Boat Trailer

A boat trailer is a trailer that is made to carry a boat. Besides the trailer frame, it sometimes also includes a winch to pull the boat (since boats have no wheels) onto the trailer frame. Most boats are purchased with their own customized trailer. Boat trailers vary in size ranging from large trailers to carry yachts to small simple boat trailers that carry personal watercraft.

Boat Trailer

The Small Cargo Trailer

Cargo trailers are used to haul light to moderate amounts of cargo. For instance, a cargo trailer might be used to haul a lawnmower, several bicycles, some home goods, etc. They are many times attached to cars and light duty pick up trucks. They usually include only two wheels which are usually smaller or relatively the same size as the car or light trucks tires. Most small cargo trailers are easy to hook up and relatively affordable – usually costing less than $1,000.

Cargo Trailer

The Horse Trailer

A horse trailer carries horses from one stable to the other. They are usually enclosed structures with swing out doors and small windows at about eye level for ventilation. Besides horse trailers, other types of trailers are available to transport live stock such as chickens, cows, etc. Horse and livestock trailers can vary in size and complexity. Horse and livestock trailers for instance can be small and connect to a pick up truck or be as large as semi trailers that connect to a towing truck.

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What are Steam Trucks?

November 6th, 2007 by Shenron

Steam trucks are known under quite a few names including street sweepers or street cleaning trucks. They are generally operated by city sanitation services and can vary in size. Most steam trucks use forced air to suck up debris from streets into a hopper located in the steam truck unit. Steam trucks also have brushes and can include water tanks that wash away dirt and grime from the road.

Steam Truck 1

Steam trucks are also popular at commercial properties such as mall parking lots and stadium parking lots. After an event or at the end of a business day, a steam truck cleans the parking lot picking up debris such as soda bottles food wrappers, etc. Smaller sized steam trucks are used in public areas such as parks and sidewalks to clean commercial or public walking paths.

Steam Truck 2

Steam trucks come in many sizes from full size large city sanitation units to three wheeled units used for small commercial properties. Steam trucks are sold by a variety of manufacturers around the world. Generally speaking steam trucks are moderately priced, but since they aren’t required to travel long distances or haul extremely heavy loads, many steam trucks can last for many years, providing a good return on investment for many commercial and public uses.

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What is a Mail Truck?

November 1st, 2007 by Shenron

Mail trucks are a common sight in the US. Mail trucks do exactly what they state- they deliver mail to residential, commercial and government addresses. The standard US mail trucks are Grumman LLV. LLV stands for long life vehicles and generally speaking, they were designed to be in service for up to 20 years without an overhaul. The mail truck is quite easy to spot having the color scheme of white blue and red and US Postal markings.

 Mail Truck

One of the main features of the mail truck in the US is that the driver sits on the right hand side (normally, the driver side is on the left in the US). In addition, on the left side are three shelves that easily hold mail. The mail truck was designed with the driver on the right so that he or she can easily move close to the curb and deliver mail to mailboxes that are located about an arms length from the curb in most localities. The rear of the mail truck is an empty cargo area that can carry large loads of mail.

 Old Mail Truck

Other interesting features of the mail truck is that it is able to make very tight turns, allowing it easily to make a u-turn on small side streets. Mail trucks also have a very low geared transmission to easily pull heavier loads. While mail trucks do carry letters and packages, they are not specifically built for extremely heavy carrying capacity. The LLV mail truck comes standard with a 2.5 liter engine named the Iron Duke. The engine and suspension are built by General Motors and the body and assembly are completed by Grumman.

The LLV has received high marks by many mail carriers for lasting a long time and being competent at its job. However, in some locations mini vans are used instead of mail trucks due to large distances that a mail carrier must travel.

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