ATLANTA. Trailer aero specialist Rocketail now offers a new “contact response hinge” to its Wings system, an always-deployed aircraft style wing design with multi-level airflows that requires no driver involvement.
The improvement comes in response to customers who wanted to be able to park trailers with the back doors flush to a dock or another trailer, explained Bren Marshall, Rocketail vice president of sales, at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show here.
“After releasing our initial system in the early Spring of 2019, which was designed with a ‘fixed’ Wing hinge, we quickly realized that many carriers needed to close the Wings for various reasons, such as, securing high value loads by backing trailers up to buildings and/or other parked trailers, or backing into certain docks lacking the necessary space required by the deployed Wings,” Marshell said.
The engineering team designed a new ‘dynamic’ hinge that immediately responds to any form of contact to the surface of the Wings: The Wings simply collapse against the trailer. When the trailer pulls forward, the Wings automatically re-deploy without any driver intervention.
The patented Rocketail Wing System for semi-trailers is a verified EPA SmartWay trailer rear fairing technology that has exhibited a certified fuel efficiency improvement of over 3.58 U.S. gallons per 1,000 miles, according to Rocketail. While the improvement calculation comes in slightly lower than other trailer aero units, Rocketail actually delivers better ROI though a lower cost, fulltime deployment, and zero maintenance, Marshell added.
Featuring an advanced aerodynamic wing design, the Rocketail Wing extends only 12 inches from the rear of the trailer, eliminating a main cause of rear collision damage. Fully integrated with the trailer door, the Rocketail Wings are always deployed using unique industrial-grade cable hinges that lock the Wings in their maximum aerodynamic open position each time the doors are closed.
The system shifts the wings flush with the sides of the trailer each time the doors are opened, allowing the doors to swing a full 270 degrees without being blocked.
Rocketail is available as a factory install option from various trailer manufacturers, or can be ordered directly.
