My current trailer is a 2007 Lawrence David. Ex Longs of Leeds. Its got a Joloda Manual skate floor in it, (which is bloody heavy by the way). Its a 4.2m curtain side. The chassis is fine, the body is a bit tatty, side raves need replacing.
Since I ordered it its had:
:: 6 new airbags fitted.
:: Brakes checked and balanced. Plenty of friction material left.
:: New landing legs due to damage: £800!!
:: Two tyres so far. One a remould on a Bridgestone carcass the other a new budget tyre last night.
It still needs:
:: Three new tyres - doing tomorrow.
:: Two new curtain ratchets. One is gummed up to the point of uslessness the other had a close encounter of the brick and mortar kind when someone hid a brick wall in a bush!
My options are:
:: Sent it to Boalloy to shotblast and two pack the chassis and build a new body on it. £9000.00 4 weeks built time
-:: Have them rip out and replace that bloody floor at the same time. + £3000.
:: Part ex it with Boalloy for a 2012 SDC Chassis with a new body on it. £15000 but ill probably get 2k for mine. (Seems the better of the two options) 4 Weeks build time.
:: Find someone to rent it for storage.
Or I could dump it in a layby and torch the bloody thing, (tempting but only in jest).
Or I could flog the damned thing but I’m struggling to find interest from the likes of ATE etc. That would then give me these options:
:: Rent a trailer
:: Buy another used trailer and face all the same bills again! (Not attractive)
:: Buy a new trailer - but in the meantime I would have to rent one as build times are 14 weeks plus. Prices from £25-27k including tail lift.
I wouldn’t refurb, or buy used if I could help it, as all you will be doing is postponing the inevitable, ie, more, expensive, trouble.
You could rent, which avoids large commitments and gives you maximum flexibility if your work changes, however, you would have to set these advantages against the fact that approx five years rental charges would buy you a new trailer, which at five years old would maybe retain as much as fifty percent of its original value. (I find that well specced trailers hold their value very well)
As with most things, it’s horses for courses, and when I read about the rates that some of you lads are choosing to work for, I don’t think I’d want to be getting in too deep. When things are tight, good cash flow and preservation of capital are king.
Reading the above back to myself, I now realise I’m probably not being of much help to you!!
Hey ho, onwards and upwards.
I recently had occasion to carry out a PMI on a rental trailer which had only just had its MOT. To say it was not in the best of condition even for an early 2000’s trailer would be an understatement. A lot of work had been carried out - and done well, but so much had been left that it made me wonder if the previous hirer had an inkling of what he had at risk against his O licence before it went for MOT.
Unless I had a brand new trailer on long term hire I would be steering well clear of trailer rental.
Ive recently had the misfortune to be working on trailers again after the best part of 11 years on trucks only and I reckon once they hit 5/7 years old they are heading downhill fast, at 10 years old they need serious money spent on them and if you have german axles serious money is what you will need for the spare parts!
I’d never buy a new one there’s always loads of curtainsiders around if you’re selective that need no work doing and go for £3k. Plenty with plain curtains usually too.
Montracon/SDC tend to be what I’d go for. We can do any work on them but even if you had to pay somewhere you’d struggle to spend the difference in price to new.
Trailers are a different kettle of fish to trucks and don’t generate anything like the repair bills. As mentioned you do need an axle make that’s sensible on parts. ROR tends to be reasonable price wise.
I was down one of the local trailer hire companies yesterday. They have a Dennison which is ideal for two of my three options for main contract. Its brand new. 4.25m tall and has a tuck under tail lift, for £130 a week, I just pay for punctures, all the maintenance is carried out in my yard.
The icing on the cake is that they may even buy my trailer off me. Despite its issues, (Which are now just tatty pelmets, bent side rave and that bloody floor, plus the damaged curtain ratchet,) its in better condition than half their fleet so we could be looking good. Or they will hire a trailer to me while they do a full recon and fit a tail lift on mine as for two of the three options, mine is fine but for the lack of a tail lift. That then gives me the flexibility to adapt to changing workloads until it all settles down again.
full refurb every time for me ,although I’ve been called ■■■■ before 
