NTDA'S ALLIED MEMBERS offered their newest products during presentations at the convention.
Ancra unveils ratcheting winch
Ancra International has released the Silver Strap ratcheting winch, which Paul Wolford is calling “the world's first ratcheting winch — the first significant advance in the load-strap winch system since their introduction 30 years ago.
“It eliminates the repetitive steps of inserting and removing the winch bar or other handle to winch down or tighten straps that secure the load to the trailer, “Wolford said. “With the Silver Cap winch, the winch bar remains engaged in the ratchet cap of the winch, and the ratchet mechanism helps maintain tension on the strap assembly. To secure the load, the cap simply is rotated freely in the opposite direction to position it for the next action to crank down and tighten the load.”
The winch cap is permanently lubricated, and the internal mechanism is protected from dirt and grime. The winch carries a 6000-lb working load limit rating.
Remote-control option from Anthony
Anthony Liftgates is offering a new remote-control option.
It tells the operator when battery power is low, using a diode on the unit that lights to orange when voltage is low, or an audible alarm. There also is a guarded switch with a covering that is guaranteed for a million cycles. It's potted and includes a cycle counter for those involved in leasing operations. “It can be an effective way to create a billing opportunity,” Andrew deLivron said.
He said the remote-control option is an advantage because “it eliminates all exposed wire that has to run from the back of the truck to the gate. It can be a tethered switch that could be put inside a closed compartment.”
Composite spring from ArvinMeritor
ArvinMeritor has introduced Similair, a composite trailer spring that has been finely tuned to produce ride quality similar to that of air-ride suspensions.
“It has no air bags, no shocks, no leveling valves, and is less expensive than an air suspension,” Dave Pritchard said. “It has the best mechanical spring ride on the road. It's 100 pounds lighter than the most popular mechanical lead spring suspensions and 145 pounds lighter than the lightest air suspension.
“Composite material is more durable than steel, resists corrosion, and during normal operation has a safe-failure mode in which the vehicle can be driven to a repair facility. There is less maintenance, and it's more dependable.”
Financing from Navistar Corp
Joel Ruf of Navistar Financial Corp said the company has been providing retail financing for the trailer industry for over 50 years and knows how to adapt.
“We try to interact with you,” he said. “There are no pre-payment penalties on any of our products. They're all just simple-interest loans. We have competitive rates and flexible terms. Dirt hauling is a very seasonal business — something that fluctuates. There are going to be times of the year when they have a lot of cash flow coming in and it's very easy to make payments. Other times not. We have a feature — “Skip payments” — that allows them for three months to skip payments.”
He said the company will finance up to 100% of the sales price of a trailer. With some fleets, Navistar has pre-approved lines of credit.
Real-time performance monitor
Karmak has devised a business-system performance monitor that will tell the user not what happened yesterday or last month, but what is happening at the moment in the shop without requiring the user to be in the shop.
“It's color-coded so that if a job you're going to build for eight hours exceeds eight hours, the color changes and lets you know,” Duff Bell said. “If it's a job that's promised to be out at noon and now it's 12:01, it'll change colors. It's not tonight. It's not tomorrow. It's right now.
“It'll also give you the details of the parts you're putting on and exactly the work they're doing, and which mechanics are working.”
Keith tarp system cleans while unloading
Keith Mfg's Clean Sweep Tarp System allows the user to clean out a trailer while unloading it.
John Harris said the system hangs in front of the trailer during loading. Once the material is loaded, it rests on the bottom of the tarp. As the walking-floor system unloads the trailer, the weight of the material pulls the tarp along the floor, cleaning it as it goes. He said the system improves driver productivity and safety.
“Using it is up to 10 minutes faster per load than sweeping with a broom, because the driver doesn't have to climb into the trailer to wrestle with a manual tarp or push broom,” he said. “The risk of knee and back injuries is dramatically reduced.”
SOARR offers management system
The SOARR Sales and Management System has been on the market for over nine years, with over 300 dealers using it.
The system acts as an information center for the user's used truck or trailer operations. SOARR stores comprehensive specification information, condition information, and tire and brake information — up to 12 photos per trailer or truck. SOARR is available on CD-ROM and requires Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.
Ethan Nadolson said that any buyer of the system will be given a free NTDA membership for 2006.
Haldex's solution for trailer rollover
Haldex has developed a new trailer-roll stability system that is 4S/2M or 2S/2M.
Mike Regan said there are $1.3 billion in insured losses per year due to trailer rollover. He said two things can reduce rollover: reduce the weight (“which is not likely on a trailer that's rolling down the highway”) or brake the trailer (“which is the only practical way”).
“Certain loads are more prone to rollover — unbaffled tankers, hanging loads in reefers, and moving loads like livestock trailers,” he said. “There are fleets that have the belief, ‘I have a system on my tractor. What's the issue?’ As trailer dealers, there are a number of reasons why you might want to educate your fleet customer as to why they might want to think twice.”
US Liner offers strong wall liner
US Liner has developed Bulitex, a ballistic sculpted wall liner that exceeds metal and wood in impact strength.
“It is the toughest, lightest, most durable material for side-wall protection,” Mike Britain said. “It combines new multi-layer, woven-fiber technology with thermoplastic durability to create the first competitively priced ballistic grain composite sculpted wall liner.”
He said the key lies in “specially designed, co-mingled woven fiber that has been impregnated with thermoplastic polymer. Unlike typical fiberglass products, it won't crack, break, or shatter — even in the coldest of temperatures.”
He said it's available in roll, stock, or sheets in any length up to 330', and in a variety of standard widths from 12" to 52". He said it can stop a .45-calibre bullet from 20'.